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Project

CHP Greens Its Offices and Rental Properties

Credits: ©2013 CHP

The two buildings that serve as CHP’s headquarters were originally designed by CHP Design Studio to be the campus for a 20-bed therapeutic residential facility for at-risk boys. In 2010, the buildings were renovated to provide corporate office space in the main building and space for CHP Design Studio and Construction in the smaller annex that had been a kitchen and dining hall.

The intent of the original facility (called Tekoa) was to help its residents overcome their psychological, academic, and social challenges while serving as a model project for energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. The boys’ home offered counseling and special education in surroundings that were designed to imbue feelings of safety, comfort, equality, and acceptance. It was also constructed with highly durable materials and construction techniques to withstand the vigorous wear and tear often associated with teen behavior.

 

CHP Headquarters formerly Tekoa Bedroom

CHP Headquarters formerly Tekoa Bedroom ©2013 CHP

The CHP renovation retained most of the material and aesthetic features of the boys’ home and now provides a positive work environment. All offices have access to daylighting and operable windows, as well as views of the productive landscaping surrounding the buildings.

The original buildings were designed to meet LEED green building guidelines and received an official LEED Silver rating in 2009. Renovations also adhered to green building standards.

Key green building components include a geothermal heating and cooling system, energy-efficient lighting, FSC-certified wood, bamboo flooring, durable materials, an energy building monitoring system, and low-VOC paints, adhesives and sealants. The interior lighting systems use high efficiency lamps and ballasts and are controlled by occupancy sensors.

The buildings were designed to be 50 percent more energy efficient than typical buildings. They are heated and cooled using a closed-loop ground source heat pump system. Vertical geothermal wells are located beneath the courtyard that connects the two buildings. When operating in the cooling mode, waste heat from the water-source heat pumps that condition both buildings is used to heat domestic hot water via super-heaters. Space heating and cooling loads in the Design Studio annex, due to outside air ventilation, are minimized using energy recovery ventilators that pre-condition the incoming air stream using the energy contained in the exhaust air stream.

Landscaping includes rain gardens with a mixture of native, edible and ornamental plants, all overlooking the historic Cambria District of Christiansburg from the crest of a ridge. Other outdoor features of the 15-acre campus include rainwater capture and irrigation systems, pervious paving, and light pollution reduction for protection of dark skies.

During the early phases of the renovation project, Tekoa administrative staff, residents, CHP staff, the local planning commission, the Town of Christiansburg, and the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development participated in a collaborative design process called a charrette. Through this process, the project stakeholders were able to reconcile different goals and desires into a clear set of priorities that enabled all three facets of sustainability to be incorporated into the facility: environmental, economic, and social.

CHP headquarters has become a model for energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. It regularly serves as a learning lab for area residents, industry colleagues, and students from local colleges and universities.

From its inception as a boys’ home to its current use as the corporate headquarters for CHP, these buildings embody CHP’s values as a social enterprise non-profit: creating living and working environments that are attractive, thoughfully designed, and sensitive to the environment.

Offices at CHP headquarters include administrative, CHP Design Studio, CHP Construction, corporate and personnel development, finance and resident services.

The CHP headquarters buildings meet the organization’s mission of providing sustainable, safe, affordable housing for its clients. By incorporating green products and sustainable features into the Tekoa project and later in the renovation, this building embodies the values of CHP’s social enterprise non-profit.

Recognition
• 2005 Best Institutional Development - Virginia Sustainable Building Network


• 2004 Best Development - Virginia Governor's Housing Conference

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