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Building for Fellowship Campaign – Committee Update 

 
Notes from Part One of the “Building Smart and Green” Workshop


On June 7th, 2007, approximately 35 people attended Part One of the “Building Smart and Green” Workshop given by Mark Kelley, a Harvard resident and expert in the field.  Mark first gave participants an overview of the fundamental aspects of green building design and sustainable engineering practices.  The participants then brainstormed their priorities for the new Fellowship Building from a “sustainable/green” perspective. This is a different way of looking at what the congregation wants than what has taken place so far – where we have expressed our priorities in terms of uses and functionality (e.g. classroom space for Religious Education, etc.)

Here’s the brainstormed list (our top priorities have not yet been chosen): 
•   Minimize toxic release
•   Low maintenace - building and site/landscape
•   Geothermal 
•   Minimize energy use - no A/C for cooling - use fresh air 
•   Environment that brings people together - inviting and welcoming
•   Space efficiency
•   Renewable/clean energy sourcing
•   Use materials that have minimal impact on the environment
•   Maximize natural light
•   Low water usage - toilets, landscape, rainwater capture
•   Recycling center (make it easy)
•   Building longevity - long life
•   Flexibility, adaptability, expandibility, user-friendly to all ages
•   Good acoustics - soundproofing between rooms
•   Beauty - take advantage of the beautiful natural surrounding
•   Furniture / furnishings - aesthetic, durable, non-toxic, low-maintenance
•   Efficient kitchen appliances (stove, etc.)
•   Good ventilation - lots of fresh air 
•   Zone control for heat and light - make it easy to adjust from periods of
low usage to periods of maximum usage
•   Sustainable landscape (good drainage, use native plants)
•   A building process that is accessable and transparent to the congregation
•   Enhanced community consensus (opportunity for the community)
•   Construction manager
•   Prepare for possible town septic hookup
•   Keep in mind that this is first and foremost a church building
for the congregation
•   Congregation first (vis-a-vis "enhanced community")
•   Optimization studies (trade-off analusis to help optimize the benefits)
•   Unifying principle of the building: support the mission of the congregation
(sustainability is one part of our mission)