Sustainable Land Development Today - September 2008 - (Page 12)

SITE DEVELOPMENT Digging Deep for Energy Efficiency More than 400 geothermal wells help a retirement community raise the bar for sustainability. By Michael Crowley Tucked against the banks of the Charles River, 20 miles outside of Boston in Dedham, Massachusetts, Hebrew SeniorLife’s NewBridge on the Charles project will be a state-of-the-art, continuing-care retirement facility that represents the organization’s commitment to meeting the specific needs of seniors. Offering a continuum of independent-living residences and health-care services for active older adults, NewBridge on the Charles will also be a model for how sustainable design can be used to save increasingly scarce natural resources, lower operating costs, and attract the growing number of people who want to reflect their concerns for the environment in the way they live their daily lives. The $485-million development, located on a scenic 162-acre campus, will open in the fall of 2009. It will incorporate building design elements and finishes that complement the surrounding natural beauty of the area. The development will feature 256 cottage homes, villas and apartments supported with senior services, 91 assisted-living units, 48 short-term recuperative beds, 220 long-term care beds, a community center and health care center. Further, the design calls for a K-8 school which will offer activities that will bring together community members of all ages. The multigenerational opportunities offered on-campus will have benefits for both students and older residents. The elementary and junior-high school youth will gain a positive perspective on aging and share in the seniors’ life experiences and wisdom, while the seniors get an opportunity to participate in stimulating activities, conversation, and a chance simply to enjoy the enthusiasm of youth. Just as the development will illustrate the positive experience that can come with a multi-generational environment, Hebrew SeniorLife’s commitment to responsible environmental stewardship will be evident throughout the community in ways large and small. NewBridge planners incorporated sustainable principles in every possible aspect, highlighted by a $4 million investment in a system of geothermal wells that will provide heating and cooling for the 1-million-square-foot campus. The site design also includes a 170,000 gallon water harvesting The 162-acre NewBridge on the Charles campus is a unique, continuing-care retirement facility that will incorporate many innovative sustainable practices when completed in the fall of 2009. 12 September 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today system that will provide water for irrigation, drought-resistant landscaping, narrower roadways to limit the amount of impervious areas, and a calculated conservation effort that enabled facilities to be clustered on 62 acres of the site, leaving 100 acres in its natural state. Geothermal system The centerpiece of NewBridge on the Charles’ green developments is a 408-well geothermal heating and cooling system that, when completed, will be the largest of its kind in New England. Generally, geothermal heat pumps use the earth as a heat source by using a circulating water loop that can utilize deep, vertical wells or shallow horizontal piping systems buried in trenches. Designers decided to implement a vertical system whose vertical holes require less land area and can be dug deep to maximize the heating and cooling load. The design features 408 such boreholes, each approximately 500 feet deep and providing approximately one kW of heating and cooling capacity for every 16 meters of depth. During construction, individual boreholes are drilled and a pair of pipes joined with a U-shaped cross connector is placed inside. The pipes are filled with water and then sealed to re-circulate within the well. The borehole is then filled with a grout to provide a good thermal connection between the pipe and surrounding soil, and is sealed at the surface. This closed-loop

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - September 2008

Sustainable Land Development Today - September 2008 Contents Our Voice The Bottomline Editorial Board SLDT Resources Digging Deep Oases of Capital Build a Better Business on an Interactive, Virtual Landscape Regulation SLDI in Focus �� SLDI Sponsored Summit �� Workshops �� Bookstore Tee’d Up for Sustainability Retention Solutions Wastewater Redevelopment Industry News Marketplace Products/Services Showcase Advertiser Index The Last Word

Sustainable Land Development Today - September 2008

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