River Valley Co-op Honored with Two Western Mass AIA Design Awards
Photo Credit: Thomas Douglas Architects
The River Valley Co-op’s Easthampton, Massachusetts location has received the Merit Award and the Architect’s Choice Award from the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) during their annual Design Awards.
The Co-op’s building design celebrates the store’s values and commitment to strengthening the connections between consumers and the rich network of local and organic products in the Pioneer Valley. Additionally, the design optimizes energy efficiency and locally sourced materials.
Working Collaboratively with the Co-op, Tighe & Bond, Thomas Douglas Architects, Wright Builders, and the rest of the expansive project team, we were able to achieve the client’s energy design goals and to be one of the first grocery stores in New England to be on track to achieve net-zero-electricity.
The design team implemented energy modeling early in the design to evaluate alternatives, including HVAC systems, building envelope, and lighting systems for the proposed facility. Further enhancements to the HVAC systems also included indoor air quality features, such as improved filtration, increased fresh air, and bipolar ionization air cleaning technology to address concerns relative to the COVID-19 pandemic. Current energy data indicates the facility’s energy consumption is very near what was projected.
Western Massachusetts AIA said of the project, “With thoughtful material selections, drought tolerant landscaping, wetland preservation, net-zero electricity, and state-of-the-art refrigeration and HVAC systems, this new construction project aspires to advance the modern grocery store as a community resource and beacon of a more sustainable future.”
Learn more about net-zero-electricity and the contributions of Tighe & Bond engineers to the sustainable project here.
Photo Credit: Thomas Douglas Architects