A museum, a
straw house, and a converted school.
These are
the three buildings that will be honored by The Western New York Sustainable
Energy Association for outstanding leadership in our community for
energy-efficient building methods and technology. Each are part of a self-guided tour.
Each of the
honorees will give a brief description of their project at the kick-off event
for the WNY Tour of Solar Homes and Green Buildings at 10AM on Saturday,
October 3rd at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo,
NY.
The first
building being honored is the Burchfield Penney, the first art museum in New York to
achieve LEED Silver Certification through day-lighting and other sustainable
features.
The second
is an ‘earth-friendly’ home in Depew, NY. The owner of a fire-damaged home
worked with architect, Kevin Connors of eco_LOGIC studio to design a new straw-bale
house and David Lanfear of Bale on Bale
Construction to build it. Together they made extensive use of reclaimed,
on-site or local materials. The design includes both passive and active solar
systems including a passively heated sunspace, photovoltaic electric modules
and evacuated tube heating among other energy-efficient technologies.
The third,
257 Lafayette, is a
good example of the conversion of an old school building to a mixed-use
building utilizing several energy-efficient methods and technologies. The
project was designed by Architect Karl Frizlen and rehabilitated by Paul
Johnson of Johnson & Sons.
According to Frizlen, there are still 10 apartments available for rent
(though that differs with the website, so interested parties should call.)
As part of
the kick-off event at the Burchfield Penney, Solar Liberty and Cannon Design
will give a presentation on the use and benefits of solar power for homes,
public buildings and businesses in Western New York entitled ‘Solar Power has
arrived in Western New York’.
The WNY Tour
of Solar Homes and Green Buildings is a self-guided tour that includes local
homes and businesses featuring energy conservation methods, passive and active
solar energy systems, active solar hot water, straw bale design and other green
building design elements.
Tour sites, free and open to the public, are open to visitors between 10AM and 4PM. Please note that visiting hours for
individual sites may vary, so check website for details. A list of sites
on the WNY Tour is available on the websites of the Western New York
Sustainable Energy Association, and the Northeast Sustainable Energy
Association.
The tour is
sponsored by the WNY Sustainable Energy Association in collaboration with the
American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Tour and the Northeast
Sustainable Energy Association’s Green Buildings Open House and in cooperation
with other local environmental groups including the WNY Climate Action
Coalition.
Image: Solar panels on a house at 27 St. Catherines Court.