Two Centerbrook Projects Recognized

CENTERBROOK, Conn. – Projects designed by Centerbrook –the Biomass Heating Facility at the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut and a new Museum and Library on the campus of LancasterHistory.org in Pennsylvania –recently received awards from the AIA (American Institute of Architects) New England and from AIA Connecticut.

The Hotchkiss biomass plant, which heats a campus of more than 600 residents by burning sustainably harvested woodchips, won an Honor Award from each organization, the highest they bestow. The Museum and Library at Lancaster received an Honor Award from AIA Connecticut and a Citation Award from AIA New England.

The LEED certified, 16,500-square-foot biomass plant is part of the independent boarding school’s commitment to becoming a carbon-neutral campus by 2020. The locally sourced woodchips replace some 150,000 gallons of imported fuel oil per year and cut emissions overall, most dramatically sulfur dioxide by more than 90 percent. Aesthetically, the design meets seemingly contradictory goals: creating an iconic presence while also merging into the natural setting. The building also is designed to do double duty as an ancillary classroom, with a mezzanine that affords a view of the plant in operation and that houses an exhibit about the biomass process.

At Lancaster, Centerbrook designed and implemented a Master Plan for a 10-acre campus that includes the historic home of President James L. Buchanan. The main feature of the project was a 20,000-square-foot addition to the Historical Society Museum and Library that accommodates its growing use. The addition, which is slated for LEED Gold, houses a 250-seat multi-use lecture hall, enhanced retail space and lobby, an expanded gallery, improved curatorial and archival labs, and new offices. The client reports that attendance has doubled since the new building opened in January.

Centerbrook Partner Mark Simon, FAIA, led the Lancaster design team with Project Manager Russell Learned, AIA, Job Captain Peter Cornell, AIA, LEED AP, Katherine M. Roden, AIA, LEED BD+C, and Scott Allen, AIA. At Hotchkiss, Partner Jefferson B. Riley, FAIA, led a design team that included Project Manager Alan Paradis, Mark A. Herter, AIA, LEED AP, Erik Lübeck, Associate AIA, and Peter Cornell, AIA, LEED AP.