News from 04 / 2010
Two KRA events Wednesday, April 28: “After 5” and “Fair Housing Month”
*UPDATE: We had over 70 guests at last night’s “After 5” event and want to thank everyone who helped make the night a success. Check out a few pictures from last night here.
Kuhn Riddle will host the next Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce “After 5” event on Wednesday, April 28 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
“After 5” is a great chance to get to know people, hear about what’s happening in the community, and enjoy some food and drink. As host, we are pleased to show people the space we designed for ourselves and how we have put sustainable design into practice in our office.
If you attended the previous “After 5” event at New England Environmental, Inc., you saw one of our recent projects. With its large solar array, renewable materials, and impressive thermal performance, the new building we designed for NEE is on-target for LEED certification.
The April 28 “After 5” is sponsored by Amherst Landscape & Design Associates, Knights of Columbus, and Teagno Construction, Inc. Tickets are $5 for Amherst Area Chamber members and $10 for nonmembers. Please RSVP to info@amherstarea.com.
Earlier that day, KRA’s Erica Gees will be speaking as part of “Fair Housing Month,” a program cosponsored by Amherst Housing Authority. and the Town of Amherst Housing Partnership/Fair Housing Committee. Erica will describe our Olympia Drive project and how affordable housing can include alternative energy strategies.
Join Erica at the Ann Whalen Apartments’ community room, 33 Kellogg Avenue in Amherst, starting at 4:00 pm.
KRA to Lead Panel Discussion on Sustainability
Gardner, Mass. – On Thursday, April 15, KRA’s Chuck Roberts, AIA, and Aelan Tierney, AIA, will lead a panel discussion on how the Northeast Veteran Training & Rehabilitation Center approaches sustainability from all angles. The presentation will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Mount Wachusett Community College, Room 125.
In addition to the architects, the panel will include representatives from project developer Veteran Homestead, Inc., as well as engineers, contractors and sustainable design consultants involved with building the center, located on 10 acres of land on MWCC’s Gardner campus.
Veterans who have suffered loss of limbs, traumatic brain injuries, post traumatic stress and/or disfiguring burns while serving the country in Iraq and Afghanistan will have access to housing, rehabilitation services and MWCC academic programs and campus amenities. Construction is nearing completion and will consist of 10 residential duplexes to accommodate veterans and their families, as well as a 6,000-square-foot therapy building with a therapy pool, physical therapy rooms and meeting spaces.
In addition to the social impact that this project will have, it has been designed to minimize its environmental impact. The buildings are being equipped with geothermal heating and cooling and photovoltaic panels for electricity and anticipate achieving LEED gold status certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. For more information, contact Paul Wolff, director of sustainability and energy management at MWCC, (978) 630-9240 or pwolff@mwcc.mass.edu.
Rioux Gees Presents Strategies for Sustainable Spaces
On Thursday, April 15, KRA’s Erica Rioux Gees, AIA, will discuss the role architects and landscape architects can play in shaping our region. As part of the “Greening the Valley” lecture series, Rioux Gees will join Kim Ersley (Conway School of Landscape Architecture) and Patricia McGirr (Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, UMASS) for Sustainable Landscapes: The Greening of Our Suburban and Urban Spaces.
In an effort to expand awareness of sprawl issues challenging Western Massachusetts, Rioux Gees developed the “Sustainable – Equitable - Smart!” Ideas Competition for the Valley Development Council. The competition proposed three typical site conditions (Mill Building, Village Center, and Farmland abutting a big box store shopping mall) and asked for thoughtful, sustainable development strategies for these sites. During her presentation, Rioux Gees will present the competition goals and share the 27 entries.
Sustainable Landscapes: The Greening of Our Suburban and Urban Spaces begins at 7:00 p.m. at the University Gallery at UMASS Amherst.
For more information on the “Sustainable – Equitable – Smart!” Ideas Competition, visit the competition website.