Page 39 - BusinessWest March, 21, 2022

Thomas Douglas says River Valley Co-op had a strong emphasis on sustainability from the start.
often depend on operational windows for venti- lation which cannot be relied on in cold weather and can invite mold into the building during rainy times of the year.
Schools may opt to purchase stand-alone air filtering units to install in every classroom but that can be complicated, too.
“Sometimes they find out the electrical system can’t support all that additional equipment,” said Hanifan. “Now they’ve got a different issue.”
Recent funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) has certainly helped munici- palities in budgeting for these projects. Edgin anticipated that many will use their ARPA funds for improved HVAC and energy projects in their schools and other public buildings.
Overall, energy efficiency and sustainability
are built into architecture plans. LEED (Lead- ership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is one standard that has provided what Tierney called a great baseline for architects when considering sustainability standards.
Last year Gov. Charlie Baker signed Executive Order 594 which requires all state buildings to meet strict energy efficiency and emission stan- dards going forward.
“Any new project plan has to evaluate how it will impact the environment,” Tierney said. “The goal is to reach carbon-neutral and net-zero emissions by 2050.” Independently, organizations are increasingly focused on reducing energy con- sumption and on the types of materials they use when constructing their buildings.
“It’s great to see Massachusetts as one of the strongest states in terms of energy code,” Tierney said. “They are aggressively increasing energy requirements every three years when they update state building codes, which is fantastic.”
While the River Valley Co-op had a strong emphasis on sustainability from its inception, Douglas suggested a creative addition to the plan that maintained the spirit of the project.
“My first college degree was in landscape architecture, so I worked with the coop to create a large outdoor patio that has a view of Mt. Tom,” Douglas said. With easy access from inside the building as well as outside, the layout can also accommodate a food truck next to the patio.
“We wanted to create a vibrant, exciting, and yet cozy outdoor atmosphere for the patio.”
Drawing on Experience
Meanwhile, both public and private spaces are being adjusted to provide employees and visitors
with larger and, in many ways, different spaces. Indeed, a few years ago, companies had begun
planning office layouts that were open and airy to encourage more collaborative workspaces. The arrival of COVID caused a change to some of those plans.
“After designing for an open-office concept, the pandemic came along, and we had clients who wanted to go back to individual cubicles,” Edgin said.
“
evaluate how it will impact the environment.”
Kuhn Riddle is still creating collaborative areas, while at the same time staying conscious about air exchange and filtration.
“As we begin opening back up and taking off our masks people remain concerned about air quality,” Tierney said. “The last two years have definitely influenced how we think about design.”
When the Westfield Boys and Girls Club was planning a childcare wing, it increased the size
of the project from 11,000 to 15,000 square feet because the state had increased minimum space standards per child from 35 to 42 square feet after COVID hit, said Tierney, adding that her firm was brought in as the schematic design architect to work on this part of the project with Chris Carey,
Architects
Continued on page 54
Any new project plan has to
New Year, New Goals.
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