The Architect : Aaron Bruckerhoff

Aaron Bruckerhoff, project architect for Austin Architects of Cambridge, says the centerpiece of the Whitin Mill Project’s green features is a hydroelectric turbine on the Mumford River.

Funded in part with a $324,000 grant from the Massachusetts Technology Council (see interview on page 12), the new hydro plant is expected to produce 83 percent of the site’s energy needs.

In addition to hydropower, the owner, Alternatives Unlimited Inc., also installed solar panels on the roof of the tallest building that will produce another five percent of the site’s needs. “So all told 88 percent of the annual usage of electricity will be produced on site,” says Mr. Bruckerhoff, who collaborated with technical consultants to implement the alternative energy systems.

The Old Mill building at the Whitin Mill Project.

Another green feature is a geothermal well system for heating and cooling. “The geothermal system is an open groundwater loop that draws groundwater, naturally heated to +/-55º F, from 1,500-foot-deep wells,” says Mr. Bruckerhoff. “The water runs through a loop in the buildings to individual heat pumps. Each heat pump then extracts heat or cooling from the groundwater via a heat-transfer process to provide heating or cooling as needed.”

In addition to alternative energy systems, the project also implemented more typical green features, including replacing the existing windows with new double-glazed, aluminum windows with thermal brakes.  “Originally the mill had single-pane windows, which weren’t very efficient — not well sealed around the outside,” says Mr. Bruckerhoff. “The new aluminum windows have thermal brakes, which help prevent heat loss or heat gain.”

Mr. Bruckerhoff says most of the complex didn’t require the installation of additional insulation because the buildings have masonry walls. “A thick masonry wall is a good insulator and provides a durable exterior envelope,” he says.

Original flood-gate controls for hydropower at the Whitin Mill Project in Whitinsville, Massachusetts.

The contractor, Consigli Construction, also recycled construction waste and used many locally produced construction materials to reduce the cost and environmental impact of transportation.

“A lot of the wood flooring and wood patching around the site and some of the structural infill framing were reclaimed from the original buildings, parts of which we tore down,” says Mr. Bruckerhoff. “The contractor also recycled 95 percent of the materials taken off site for disposal. Getting a 60 or 70 percent recycling rate is common, but recycling 95 percent of construction waste is exceptional.”

This building will be used as office space for Alternatives Unlimited, Inc,

More ambitious than most green initiatives, the Whitin Mill Project has also applied for a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold rating. Applicants for this designation are assessed on the sustainability of the site (water runoff, parking, and lighting); water usage (plumbing fixtures, plant irrigation, and landscaping); energy and atmosphere (heating systems); and air quality (using low-VOC paints and materials).

The challenge for the Whitin architectswas to take the existing buildings and adapt them for the diverse uses envisioned by the owner. “The large factory building on the site was designed to be an open workspace, and really works well for that purpose,” says Mr. Bruckerhoff. “If we had cut it up for housing, we most likely wouldn’t have had as much natural light at the interior of the building. Using it as office space, we were really able to open up the building.”

The architects located the housing component in the oldest building on the site. Built in 1826, the Old Mill has been redeveloped to include three, two-bedroom affordable apartments for clients.

Other buildings on the site include a two-story structure, which will be converted into a theater, restaurant, and career center, and an old forge building, which will be used as artisan exhibition space.

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