Portsmouth Abbey’s Green Housing Revolution
Monday, October 31, 2011
Portsmouth Abbey School has announced the arrival and “unfolding” of two new green faculty homes located on the School’s 500-acre campus. The homes will house single-family faculty on campus.
The two-story Blu Evolution homes, designed and manufactured by Blu Homes, Inc., are designed to reduce energy bills by up to 70% compared to typical American homes. They include high-end features like radiant floor heating, Energy Star appliances, low-flow fixtures, an energy recovery ventilation system, sustainably forested flooring, healthy Greenguard finishes for indoor air quality and a roof with a 50-year life.
Great to live in and full of amenities
“These homes are built like European homes to withstand the test of time, feel great to live in, and have amenities like plugs for hybrids and a solar-ready roof that take into account the future generations that will live in them,” says Maura McCarthy, Blu Homes co-founder.
"Portsmouth Abbey's commitment to quality, beauty, sustainability and smart economics – and their amazingly beautiful campus – make this a wonderful site to put our first Evolutions in Rhode Island."
Innovative dorm in the works
A new energy-efficient and "green" boys' residential house, is also currently under construction and slated for completion in early 2012.
These homes aren’t the first green initiatives the school has taken on however. The school installed Rhode Island’s first commercial wind turbine in 2006, a self- sufficient Solar House designed by architects and students from the Rhode Island School of Design, and an eco-friendly girls' residential house which employs conservation features such as hot-water solar panels and energy-recovery ventilators to name a few.
The School's security and maintenance departments operate two electric vehicles, and the School's dining services have successfully implemented a composting program and a partnership in which the school provides the waste cooking oil used by its dining services to Newport Biodiesel for clean-burning alternative fuel.
The School also has a community kitchen garden and grows produce to supplement the food served in the Dining Hall. Excess produce is regularly donated to local food banks.
Feedback already great
The building of these homes has received universally positive reactions; there are no conflicts between religion and the science of being green at the Catholic school, more the opposite, Kathy Heydt, director of communications at the school explained. BluHomes’ co-founder, Bill Haney III, is the son of a beloved science teacher at the school and thus practically grew up on campus strengthening BluHomes connection with school. “The BluHomes project is another chapter in a long list of stewardship projects that have been part of the School's history since 1926,” Heydt said.
“These stunning Blu homes are part of the School’s broad commitment to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions,” he continued. “Building homes with Blu is the next step in demonstrating the Abbey's leading commitment to principled, green living,” DeVecchi said.
Stewardship an essence of Benedictine life
“Stewardship is a value which, like hospitality, captures the essence of Benedictine life," said Portsmouth Abbey Headmaster Jim DeVecchi, “and the Benedictine stewardship that guides our School sees beauty and sustainability as deeply interconnected. Erecting these Blu homes reflects the importance of environmental stewardship throughout our School community. In addition, our faculty families love these beautiful, light-filled homes. The high quality of their construction– from the structural steel frames to the exemplary energy efficiency– dramatically lowers monthly energy bills, keeps maintenance costs down, and reduces our carbon footprint.
We’re going to own these homes for a very long time,” said DeVecchi, “so quality and energy efficiency really matter to us.” The Director of Admission, Meghan Fonts, will be occupying one of the new BluHomes with her family. “My husband, our three boys and I are thrilled to be given the opportunity to live in the new Blu home. We have very busy lives like all working families with teenagers and this home is designed with simplicity - something we constantly strive for."
Inside a Blu home
The home's design offers an overall open floor plan, light filled living space and it even extends outside the house to the decks creating a peaceful and fresh feeling. Of course the location is second to none and the boys' "backyard" is a parents dream!” she said about moving in.
More Blu homes in RI
Going green seems to be a trend in Rhode Island. The Blu Evolutions being built on campus are only two of a growing number of Blu homes embraced by Rhode Islanders. A Blu Element was erected in Charlestown last year while a Blu Breezehouse and another Element are currently being prepared for homeowners in Little Compton.
Portsmouth Abbey’s Evolution homes are the first two-story Blu homes
erected in Rhode Island.
Blu’s homes are precision-built by factory craftsmen to meet the highest-quality construction standards. The steel construction’s strength withstands high snow loads, seismic activity and high winds, and is also fire-, mold- and termite-resistant. Remarkably, Blu’s homes are installed on site in one day and completed in just two weeks by Blu’s teams of craftsmen.
Awards for the Abbey
For its important contributions to conservation in Rhode Island, Portsmouth Abbey received the 2007 Environmental Merit Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the 2007 Conservation Award by the Garden Club of America, and the 2006 Senator John H. Chafee Award for Outstanding Conservation Project. The BluHomes are expected to be completed by the beginning of November. There is no stopping the clean, green machine of this school!
For more information on Portsmouth Abbey School’s green initiatives, please visit here.
