ng ture

Sustainable design doesn’t have to scream, “I’m GREEN!”

It can be accomplished with expert knowledge, clever choices, and a holistic approach. As Phinney Design Group has proven repeatedly in the past 20 yearsgood design never goes out of style.

Riding the Environmentally-Aware Roller Coaster

Growing up in Lake George, Michael Phinney loved the outdoors. His grandfather was the Mayor of Essex County, his dad ran a marina, and he became the fifth generation of his family to enjoy hiking, camping, boating, and fishing there. In the 1990s however, as a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, he felt like an outsider. “I had this desire to explore how architecture could coexist with, and make, the environment better.”

Michael’s thesis project at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) was on ‘Environmental Awareness in Architecture.’ As the Principal Architect at Phinney Design Group, founded in 2003, he has ridden the sustainable design roller coaster. Its popularity ebbs and flows, but its pinnacle was reached in 2001when Governor George Pataki issued Executive Order 111 instructing the state to adhere to energy efficiency goals. Michael worked on both the state’s first LEED-certified building, The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) located at 625 Broadway in Albany, NY, as well as the first LEED-certified building in The Adirondack Park.

Why Going Overtly “Green” Isn’t Your Only Choice

The Phinney Design Group is headquartered in the same sustainable building as The Local Pub and Teahouse, at the corner of Beekman St. and Grand Ave. in Saratoga Springs.

With a second office in Troy, the firm has amassed an accomplished portfolio spanning residential projects; popular restaurants including PJ’s BarB-QSA, The Local Pub and Teahouse, 550 Waterfront, Walt & Whitman Brewing, and the Common Roots Brewery and Tap Room; public spaces such as The Wild Center’s educational biobuilding; as well as the historic preservation of behemoths including The Gideon Putnam, The Sagamore, Mohonk Mountain House, The Queensbury Hotel, and the Saratoga Race Course.

Although sustainable design is Phinney’s niche, their primary goal is to educate clients.

Currently, eighty-percent of their clients select designs including what Michael calls “common-sense” solutions that cost the same or slightly more than traditional techniques while minimizing negative impacts on the environment.

Ten percent opt for a slightly larger investment in windows, insulation, heating and cooling systems, appliances, and lighting, that will pay themselves off in energy savings within one to seven years. The final ten percent may choose to invest in greater energy saving technologies and more careful sourcing of all materials to achieve a net-zero energy building and/or zero-carbon construction. These investments can require eight years or more for a return on investment, but make a great impact on the environmental health of our world long-term.

Poised for the Second Wave

As new sustainability measures are rolled out, Michael anticipates a second wave of increased demand for environmentallyresponsible design.

Currently working on a net-zero mixed-use building in Troy, its three stories will showcase best-practices in an urban environment by reusing the existing structure, featuring state-of-the-art glass, and an all-electric commercial kitchen. Located along RPI’s pedestrian approach, the project is bringing Michael full-circle.

“It is interesting that here I am, 30 years later, building an example of something I dreamed about then. It’s very special.”

Rather than being the star player, today, Michael sees his role as more akin to that of a coach celebrating where the firm might go in the future, adding, “It’s not just me that makes the magic happen.”

Contact Phinney Design Group at 518-587-7120 or phinneydesign.com

When Climate Change Came Calling

Construction began on this 5,971 sq. ft., 5-bedroom, 4.5 bath home in late 2019. Situated on a small peninsula in Lake George’s Northwestern hamlet of Hague, it has 456 ft of shoreline providing breathtaking views from every room.

A large screen porch and curved blue stone patio allow the family to enjoy their spectacular location year-round. Wanting generations to have the same opportunity, there are safeguards built-in to protect the property, which is prone to flooding when the nearby brook overflows its banks.

Struck by an epic “500-year flood” during construction, the Phinney Design Group salvaged the existing structure by moving it further inland (reuse reduces the embodied energy inherent in disposal).

The new structure was raised 3.5 feet higher, covered with poplar bark siding and granite stone veneer that was sourced locally from Champlain Stone. Etched in the rock (which deters mold and mildew growth) is the layered story of the region’s geology. The stone repels moisture and promotes drainage into a continuous perimeter “drip strip” consisting of a perforated pipe buried two-feet beneath the ground, covered in locally sourced river-rock cobbles. These trenches then direct the water into the zero-maintenance rain gardens whose flowers bloom all summer long.

Additional environmentally-responsible features of the home include clerestory windows utilizing stack effect and evaporative cooling through natural ventilation and passive air exchange; the use of reclaimed white oak timber beams, salvaged doors, and transoms.

“Tying-in the local aesthetic vernacular with sustainable design is a win-win for everyone,” said Phinney’s Senior Architect Brennan Drake, who managed the project through design and the entire construction process.

Phinney Design Group navigated both the epic flood waters and the pandemic’s strains on the supply chain to finalize construction by Spring 2022. SS

Conspicuous because of its clean, contemporary coolness, this 2021 structure stands on the foundation of a chicken coop originally built in 1893.

Located on the fringe of the city’s greenbelt, 499 Union Avenue challenges the traditional notion that country = historic farmhouses at a spot blending the borders between the urban and the rural.

Here, the widened road shoulders and sidewalks have made the area more walkable. Homeowners Ardie Russell and her husband, Dan, enjoy taking an early morning stroll to Stewart’s Shops for a coffee in the morning or to dinner at the 550 Waterfront in the evenings. For Ardie, an avid nature lover, hiker, and rower, the convenience of having the state boat launch less than a mile away is nearly unmatched.

The Call Of The Wild

Characterized by open green spaces and additional pedestrian access, this area, designated for low-density development, is teeming with the sounds of nature.

“It’s at the apex of Saratoga’s air quality,” said Ardie. Situated between Saratoga Lake and Lake Lonely, crosswinds coming off the water create a pleasant breeze that seems to be constantly blowing through the .86-acre plot. With the wind come the waterfowl, and the distinctive calls of an amazing number of eagles and blue herons, she added.

Art For All

Appreciating art and the environment is an impulse that Ardie has never abandoned. She is a Wheaton College graduate with a dual degree in American Studies (with a concentration in American Pop Art) and Environmental Policy. The disciplines have woven themselves into Ardie’s life throughout her 30-year career in art direction, marketing, and communications.

Built as a celebration of passion, beauty, and light, The Coop Contemporary is at home in a region that has embraced the arts since Ardie first moved here in 1994, she said. In the last decade, she has witnessed a surge here of art-related activities.

“The city has branded beyond the springs and the horses to include the arts, which has worked to everyone’s benefit and increased the quality of life for all.”

CONTINUING THAT ‘CITY IN THE COUNTRY’ FEEL

With the knowledge she accumulated as an art curator and exhibition designer, Ardie created distinctive environments for organizations including American Farmland Trust, Land Trust Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, and Saratoga Race Course. This house however, is her first foray into envisioning a full living space.

Existing almost entirely on the original home’s footprint, the 1,200 sq. ft., 1 bed, 2 bath home has a natural pine wood exterior made from vertically hanging boards. Its floor-to-ceiling windows and open loft space allow light to flood into the bright roomsminimal by design.

“We spent years wanting to simplify. There are very few surfaces to collect clutter here and that is very much intentional, so all the attention is on the art.”

Where Art Speaks For Itself

The gallery-like space, with its white walls and grey concrete floors, creates a pure atmosphere free of distractions. This level of discipline directs the viewers to the interesting textures, sheens, and transcendent modern art on display.

Although she appreciates the work of the Hudson River School artists and other environmental movements, for Ardie, contemporary artists resonate most. An abstract landscape reflects the time it was created in, she said.

“The mind can interpret it any number of ways and you’re not cornered into one way of thinking. It’s a more expansive experience.”

In the bedroom, a soothing, serene, garden-like scene sets the mood, while the kitchen springs to life with David Gordon’s Poppy Series. The art of Betsy Krebs, Joanne Murphy, and Pat McEvoy also grace the interior spaces, while outside, Beverley Mastrianni’s substantial 30’ x 10’ x 5’ “Artspeak” sculpture tells the story of the genre out loud. Originally created for the engaging Tang Teaching Museum’s SOS – Scenes of Sound exhibit, the voice of artist Jackie Pardon plays through four motion-activated speakers, encouraging you to see the art, and the world, in a different way.

“For guests, it’s an introduction to another aspect of our lives. I just love it,” said Ardie. “Every time I drive up and see it, I feel so privileged.”

Life On Display

Built on a scale inspired by larger institutional spaces in California and Brooklyn, a stunning green wall of philodendrons bring life to the space. Maintaining its vibrancy is surprisingly simple - it only needs to be watered every six weeks and trimmed every three months.

The indoor temperature is regulated with a geothermal heat pump, and the finished concrete floors hold in the heat. In the future, the Russell’s plan to convert a portion of their 60ft x 20ft garage into a Maker’s Space Studio powered by solar energy.

Here, Dan plans to make more artisan hardwood and epoxy resin benches and charcuterie boards from the black walnut, cherry, and American hickory trees harvested onsite during renovation. It will also be a space where artists can create, collaborate, share ideas, resources, tools, and materials. Find them at www.thecoopcontemporary.com SS

…More Photos on SimplySaratoga.com!