EF IN TARRYTOWN: EF (Education First) Language Schools has purchased the campus which was lately a Fordham University site and formerly the Marymount College campus. The school will preserve the historic buildings on campus but renovate them to accommodate over 1,000 students. EF has been on the campus for many years in a limited fashion offering international students intense English language instruction and access to the Hudson Valley and New York City. Our first project for them was the renovation of 12,000 sf of the ground floor of Rita Hall for offices and a student activities center executed in less than eight weeks. As we used to do work for Marymount College (and two of Michael's sisters graduate from there) this is sort of a homecoming. EF runs 11 sites in the United States and many more around the world. Find out more at www.ef.com
GREENWICH ADDITION/RENOVATION - NEARS COMPLETION: Construction continues for the project in Greenwich CT. The $2,000,000 project features a 1,000 sf great room addition, a 10-person Home Theater and restored historic details for this 8,000 sf majestic home. The new porch helps shade the double height great room in the summer but allows the winter light in. New windows, improved insulation and cutting edge heating and cooling systems are being explored to great improve energy efficieny. The great room and porch open to the existing pool for convenient summer indoor/outdoor living.
PACE ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER GOES GREEN: There is a lot of hype about "green" design, but a small pilot project for the Pace Enviromental Center will put such practises into action. The new instructional museum room will be located in the 19th century farmhouse in the heart of the Pleasantville Campus. The room is home to many living reptiles, snakes and small mammals that the center preserves from harm. The contractor will be asked to sort and recycle construction waste and reduce impact on surrounding environments. The room itself will be made of sustainable materials and have a solar powered cooling system. Most importantly, the project will preserve the ingenious passive solar heating and cooling techniques commonly used by farm houses in that era. The image to the right (notably devoid of any animals) shows the proposed interior.
ST. MARY'S OF THE SNOW - CSI SAUGERTIES: Sometimes architecture is less design and more a Crime Scene Investigation. This year we were asked to solve the puzzle why a portion of the facade of a early 19th century church was cracking and falling off. We interviewed the Pastor and Parishioners (none of whom were suspects), crawled around the scene of the crime (including up a brick bell tower and wood spire) and took samples in little plastic bags which we labeled and sent to the lab. Our conclusion - the butler did it. Well, there was no butler. But it appeared that a early 1990s restoration of the church after a fire unfortunately used portland cement based stucco. Cement based stucco is stronger than lime based stucco and actually stronger than most bricks prior to the 1930s. Portland Cement also traps water in the assembly as opposed to lime which lets water flow through. Think of bricks as really stiff sponges and not as solid and waterproof. So the new stucco trapped water in between the brick and the stucco and restricted natural expansion. Crime solved. We are now going about a careful removal and restoration. If you would like to help the parish restore this beautiful church exterior with a donation, you may call them at 845.246.4913 and ask for Fr. Chris.
CHURCH DESIGN: Molinelli Architects has been engaged to redesign the interior of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Tuckahoe NY. The project will examine ways of upgrading the use of color and flooring, the seating layout and other liturgical improvements. This project is part of the Archdiocesean Bicentennial Campaign. The image shows a split with the existing color scheme on the left and the proposed on the right.
