New convent to be so ‘green’ that it will actually be ‘gold’
By FELICE E. KRYCIA
This past June the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph, who are based in Hamburg, were granted site plan approval for a new convent in the town.
The new building will be a 72-unit motherhouse and will be located across the street from the current motherhouse at 5251 South Park Ave. right next door to The Courtyards, an adult housing facility.
The religious order was founded in 1897 by Mother Colette Hilbert of Poland, settled in Hamburg and has had a mother house here since the early 1900s.
The current convent which once housed several hundred sisters is now too large and inefficient for the remaining members of the order.
The smaller building is set to be a state of the art “green” building, following the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design guidelines.
This incorporates sustainable strategies in eight general areas: innovation and design process, location and linkages, sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and awareness and education.
Each of these areas contains multiple strategies. For each strategic element incorporated into the project points are awarded.
The total points achieved yields a project score which equates to a rating of certified, silver, gold or platinum.
The goal set by the sisters is gold, though they are not discounting platinum. Helping the sisters with this project is Lecesse Construction of Rochester and Perkins Eastman Architects of New York.
According to officials from the convent, this will be the first senior housing specific project which will be completed under the LEED for Homes multi-family guidelines in New York and one of the only in the United States.
One of the unique features in the new building will be the water use efficiency.
The new convent will be landscaped entirely with indigenous plants and minimal turf grass.
The turf that is planted will be drought tolerant, meaning that it reduces maintenance, fertilizer use and negates the need for irrigation.
All interior faucets and toilet fixtures will be low flow fixtures, further reducing potable water use.
The southern exposure on the roof of the new building will be lined with solar panels. Solar Liberty will be installing a 25kW solar system to provide supplemental energy to the facility. The New York State Energy Research and Development Agency offers an incentive program that covers an estimated 85 percent of the initial costs.
It is estimated the system will pay for itself in seven to eight years.
Many of the project materials will contain recycled content and be provided from local sources (defined by the USGBC as within 500 miles) reducing energy use in transportation to the project site.
Local materials will include: foundation aggregates, framing materials and siding. Recycled content will be included in such products as insulation, decking and cement.
Over 50 percent of the waste is expected to be diverted away from landfills to recycling centers, including all concrete/masonry, cardboard, framing material and drywall debris.
The new convent will be constructed entirely of low or no volatile organic compound products. VOCs are contained in many adhesives, paints and cleaning compounds and release gases into the air.
The project will also feature a ventilation system that will supply fresh air for all areas of the building.
It will flush out airborne contaminates and will be equipped with energy recovery equipment to keep operating costs down.
According to convent officials, they hope to be able to use the building in the future as a forum to educate others about the benefits of green construction.
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