See this building also in 'Community'
Haddam, Connecticut
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Sustainable See this building also in 'Community' |
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Haddam
Eco-Tourism Center Haddam, Connecticut |
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The Town of Haddam received
a $350,000 Small Cities Grant through the Connecticut Department of Economic
and Community Development (DECD). Thus, there was an opportunity to breathe
new life into an unused site and rejuvenating metal storage building shells
into a new facility. The Connecticut River Valley is rich in terms of natural resources, biological eco-systems, culture & history. Thus, this project offers an opportunity to celebrate Haddam’s contextual relationship within the natural environment. In terms of sustainable design strategies, the Eco-Tourism Center utilizes a GeoExchange Heating and Cooling System (also known as a Geothermal System). In essence, a GeoExchange system transfers heat energy from the ground through a liquid medium within a closed-loop system, up into the building. In turn, a geothermal heat pump uses compressors and heat exchangers to concentrate the Earth’s heat energy and to release it within the building at a higher temperature, thus providing heating. In contrast, the process is reversed for cooling purposes, whereby heat is drawn from the building and expelled back into the ground. GeoExchange systems provide a number of environmental benefits. For example, there is no on-site combustion of fossil fuels and no venting of exhaust gases. Furthermore, a geothermal heat pump is highly efficient. In essence, GeoExchange systems offer an alternative, sustainable strategy for the sensitive use of the Earth’s thermal energy, which is certainly a renewable, efficient and environmentally friendly energy source.  |
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