Trends and Hot Topics Revitalizing a 19th-Century Island Schoolhouse with Sustainable HVAC Upgrades

By Scott Henriques and James Barron

What do you do with an historic, 1800s vintage, one-room schoolhouse experiencing destructive moisture infiltration on a small, sparsely populated island with a mostly solar microgrid? Why, mitigate the moisture and provide a modern, nearnet zero HVAC system, of course.

Such is the case for an HVAC and moisture evaluation and assessment at the Cuttyhunk Island School in the town of Gosnold on Cuttyhunk Island, the last island in the Elizabeth Islands chain that extends southwest from Woods Hole. The only access to the island was by private boat or limited off-season ferry.

Weston & Sampson was retained to assess options to correct moisture infiltration issues and update the building’s aging HVAC system. The town’s goal was to not just alleviate these issues but to also make the building more energy efficient and sustainable. Since the island gets 70% of its energy needs from an on-island solar field, having an oil-fired furnace in the schoolhouse simply no longer fit in with the island’s sustainability efforts.

The concrete floor in the crawlspace under the often-used building, which has no floor drains, is plagued with wet areas and a series of settling cracks. Even with a dehumidifier running constantly, there is no ventilation for the mechanical equipment and the crawl space is often moist and humid.

The recommended solution for resolving the moisture buildup on the concrete floor involves installing a drainage mat that drains into an airtight sump pump, overlain by extruded polystyrene and a new concrete slab with moisture mitigation admixture. We also recommended adding a new air- and water-tight exterior bulkhead door and frame to minimize moisture and air entering the crawl space.

Additional mitigation measures include a new, high-efficiency, air source heat pump and energy recovery ventilator to replace the aging and inefficient oil furnace to provide heating, cooling and mechanical ventilation. Air source heat pumps are up to three times more energy efficient than oil furnaces, so the town should realize energy and carbon footprint savings very soon.

The HVAC and other upgrades to Cuttyhunk’s schoolhouse will bring it solidly into the 21st century. Not only will the building’s heating and ventilation issues be resolved economically and for the long term, but the building will also be useable year-round for meetings and other needs, which it hasn’t been for many years.

Scott Henriques, PE, LEED AP, CEM is a mechanical engineer and team leader, and James Barron is an architect and senior job captain at Weston & Sampson’s Foxborough, Mass. office. They can be reached at henriquess@ wseinc.com and barronj@wseinc.com, respectively.

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Essex St. Lofts at 80% Completion

Essex St. Lofts

Haverhill, MA – RISE, a Bostonbased minority owned developer and construction firm, has reached 80% project completion at 86 Essex Street in downtown Haverhill.

The residential project, known as the “Essex St. Lofts,” is a restoration of a 7-story industrial building in the downtown area. The team recently completed the replacement of 210 windows on the historic facade, and has moved to the next phase of renovating the interior.

Built in 1910, the building has been underutilized for many years. It’s one of the last remaining, undeveloped mill structures in downtown Haverhill. The 2,224sf mixed-use project is consistent with the building stock and reuse of mill structures in the surrounding neighborhood and represents the opportunity to have an infill, mixed use project that can serve to bring additional stability to the area by improving conditions and property values.

The development encompasses 42 residential units and available, ground floor commercial space. RISE is incorporating an art gallery space into the lobby, where local artists can showcase their artwork at no cost to them. The ground floor level is designed to bring life to the current abandoned space, activating and improving the public realm and streetscape. The building also has garage parking adjacent to the property and on street parking directly in front, and is located near North Shore beaches and the commuter rail to Boston.

“RISE continues to have great enthusiasm throughout this renovation of this historic building into a residential community for this city. As we approach completion this fall, it is a great moment to reflect on the history and character of Haverhill, and we are excited to begin to welcome local business as potential tenants, and residents as potential occupants to this space,” said Herby Duverné, CEO of RISE.

The project is scheduled to be completed on Oct. 3.