BLACK ROCK FOREST RESEARCH CENTER & LODGE, NY
2005 ACEC-NY GOLD ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARD

Conservation is increasingly important in the 21st century, both to sustain natural resources and to maintain environmental quality. The Black Rock Forest Consortium operates a nearly 4000-acre forest 50 miles north of New York City. Consistent with its mission of conservation, the Consortium wanted a comfortable and attractive multi-use research center and lodge that minimized energy consumption and the visual impact of the lodge on its forested location in New York State’s Hudson Highlands.With innovative application of existing technologies, the design exceeded the owner’s energy conservation goals; achieved interior comfort by providing effective HVAC, plumbing and lighting systems; and enhanced visual appeal by hiding the systems on both the building’s interior and exterior. The design included the following components:

- An underground geothermal heating and cooling system eliminates the need for loud, unsightly air-cooled condensers and minimizes the use of fossil fuels. Only a limited number of geothermal wells could be installed, so flexible units were created to serve multiple spaces at different times, eliminating the need for more units and resulting in less site disturbance. The Geothermal wells operate in conjunction with storage tanks to stockpile heat energy and gradually distribute it to other building systems to maximize the usage potential of the drwan energy.

- Waterless composting toilets, consistent with the owner’s desire to conserve water and minimize the septic field, were modified to ensure residents’ comfort. The new design incorporated enhanced ventilation systems and placed the toilets in inconspicuous areas of the building.

- A special lighting system was selected for the lodge’s fish breeding tanks so as not to interfere with breeding cycles.

- A specialized piping system interconnects tank water cooling and filtration systems running throughout the building.

- A photovoltaic solar system provides supplemental power and reduces reliance on fossil fuels, and a sophisticated monitoring and recording system allows users to properly operate the system and measure its benefits.