Ithaca ECO-Hostel

Latest Design - 4/28/06

2006-04-30T11:47:00.000-05:00

Meeting: ESW/Members of Ithaca Green Building Alliance (5-7:30p, 4.5.06)

2006-04-06T19:22:00.000-05:00

In Attendance: James, Betsy, Tim, Erica, Avi

A few members of the ESW Eco-Hostel team went to Trumansburg to check out some green building alternatives for the Eco-Hostel. We met with EJ George, Aarron Dennis, and Sarah Highland from the Ithaca Green Building Alliance. EJ George and Aarron Dennis built and live in a timber framed house with straw bale walls. Also, their front yard has a small circular timber framed structure called a Yurt, which is where they maintain a wood shop. Pictures Below. Notes below by Betsy:

Yurt:
Clay/ earthen floor (can be purchased from Six mile creek and Cornell)
Oil on top took 1 yr to dry, yet more processed oil is available
Avoid placing in high traffic areas
Avoid exposure to moisture—wet shoes, kitchen, bathroom
Avoid “drop” impact—dented floor with heavy wood, yet easy to repair
Possibilities—living area, children play area
Benefits—local material, soft impact on feet (a lot more give than concrete)

Straw bale house:
14”-18” thick, doesn’t change R value much once its thick If densely packed, works very well
Timber frame on inside of straw bales helps avoid leaks

Problems associated with straw bale:
Moisture—Needs a high overhang, locate showers away from walls
IAQ—mechanical ventilation, noisy, expensive, but possible
Straw bale is not an option for the portion that is built into the ground
Bugs and fire aren’t major issues

Maintenance:
Plastered on both sides—needs several coats
Lime stabilized clay plaster—coated with lime plaster and lime paint
Lime is for mold protection
Ideally, there would be time for drying during construction, so mold prevention would not be as necessary
Possibilities—we could use for part of the above ground part or use for interior wall

ICF—Insulating Concrete Forms:
Structurally sound—withstands storms, weather
Thick thermal mass moderates indoor temperature (warm in winter, cool in summer)
Major energy saver
Flexibility in design (more options than timber frame)
Reduces construction waste
If we use concrete (likely), this is a good type to use

Insulation:
We will need insulation underground—the earth is about 50 degrees
Options—fiberglass or double wall with cellulose
Both types have different issues
Both work best when avoiding moisture exposure

Heating:
Need to consider staffing—24 hrs? does the device need to fed? Maintenance?
Need some type of central heating

Air circulation will be an issue tied in with heating
Recommended that we design oversized, so it extends to the corners of the building
Best to have it designed in, even if we don’t need to use it, unpredictable weather
Radiant heat is expensive, but can be done
A lot of parts involved—many things could break
With a wood stove and radiant heat together—they can “fight” with each other
Radiant is on a thermostat and stove is less regulated heat level
Still possible—needs to be researched more
Yestermorrow
Renovis Energy—Rob Jedi, in Ithaca, very busy but nice if available sometime

Living machines:
Very expensive and many health codes associated
Berea College—Berea, KY—will drink the water but its not health code certified
Penn State University
Oberlin
McDonough
Possibilities—needs to be researched for practicality

Sod roof—Motherplants:
Ventilation becomes an issue
Double layer—foam (not a preferred material)
It gets really heavy with saturated soil and 50 lbs of snow
Needs very strong supports
Possibilities—maybe for one portion of roof, over suites as suggested

Timber Frame:
Available timber is 8 x 12 at biggest
Hard to get large oak beams—expensive
The span (likely to be 8 ft)—will dictate the design plans
8 feet bays between bents—we need to develop a grid for the design plans
Will determine what we can do with window size and location
Their house was white pine (stable) and larch (strong as oak, rot resistant, twisty)

Floor load:
We will need a commercial license—has triple the floor load of residential
100 lb/sq ft. floor load required

Codes and licensing:
Many, many, many—for everything
We will need to meet commercial codes—Ithaca
Needs to be considered when using different materials

Preliminary Design and Goals

2006-03-19T21:48:00.000-05:00

This two story preliminary design shows our current ideas. This design will be critiqued in the coming weeks by local green builders.

Also, some overall goals of the project:
Eco Hostel Idea
•Environmentally friendly eco-hostel
•Adult education (visitors, area residents, and college students)
•Affordable and welcoming retreat for visitors to the Ithaca area
• Informal and Scheduled learning (farming, permaculture, natural healing and sustainable living)

Hostel Requirements
•Sleeping accommodations for ~30 guests
•Small community kitchen
•Community area (acts as living room, class room, dining area, TV room, etc.)
•Men’s and Women’s bathrooms with showers
•Office space with towel/sheet laundry area
•Small greenhouse area for small citrus tree, seed starting area
•Living machine water filtration system

Suggested Goals
•LEED Silver or above rating
•3-4 Focus elements
-Living Machine
-Solar Hot Water Heater
-Green Roof (including sod overflow camping?)
-Reused materials (windows, wood, fixtures)

Other Related Components of Level Green
•Barn renovated for community activities
•Varna Café and additional Hostel locations
•Additional “Green Building Example” cabins on property
-First additional structure will be Erica Bush’s BArch ’06 Thesis Project

Meeting: Trip to Tompkins County SWCD (1:15 - 2:30, 2.13.06)

2006-02-17T09:27:00.000-05:00

In attendance: John, Erica, Avi

We visited the Tompkins County soil and water conservation district to obtain additional site information. The maps and soil classificatios we obtained were the same that we found in Carpenter library and Olin map library.

Meeting: ESW (3:15 - 5:00, 2.10.06, Duffield)

2006-02-17T09:19:00.000-05:00

In attendance: John, Avi, Erica, Li Ling, Julia, Katie

Discussed Eco Hostel research areas and assigned tasks:

-Site Layout
Soil survey: AVI&JAMES&ERICA going to office Monday at 115
Parking lot with respect to LEED: AVI
Bike parking(RIBs connection): AVI

-Building Design
4 Designs (two ramped, one elevator, one manual elevator): ERICA,
CATHERINE, LILING, AVI
ADA compliance: ERICA
How big for rooms: ERICA
How big for kitchen/common areas: ERICA
Movable Partitions: CATHERINE
Courtyard Scheme:?

-Building Materials:
Insulation: JULIA
Timber Framing:JAMES
Cordwood Masonry:JAMES
Moisture Control: AVI

-LEED
Tax Benefits: JAMES
Scorecard for Charrete: JAMES

-Plumbing
How much water is needed:KATIE
How much hot water is needed: KATIE
Fire protection system:?
Living Machine: KATIE
Rainwater catchment: LILING&KATIE
Drainwater Heat Recovery: LILING&KATIE

-HVAC
What is heating load in Ithaca: JULIA
AC or Not:?
Exhaust Fans: DOUG
Controllability in rooms: DOUG
Effect of partitions: DOUG
ZED homes pipes out of roof: JAMES
Heating Underneath Floor:?

-Energy
Solar Insolation Values: JULIA
Heating Degree Days, Cooling DDs: JULIA
Appliances (Laundry, Effect of Kitchen size):JULIA
What is normal/baseline according to LEED: JULIA
Solar Photovoltaic: JULIA
Solar Hot Water Heater: JULIA
Wind turbine: JULIA

Meeting: ESW/ Dean (3:15 - 5, 2.3.06, Duffield)

2006-02-17T09:16:00.000-05:00

In attendance: Doug, John, Avi, Dean, Li Ling, Julia

Meeting: Level Green/ ESW/ Nick Rajkovich (2-3p, 11.9.05, Duffield)

2006-02-06T09:18:00.000-05:00

In Attendance: Avi, James, Nick, Patricia

Comments/thoughts from Nick Rajkovich, faculty, Dept of Architecture
- recommends finding one FACULTY ADVISOR for the project, perhaps in Engineering

- any construction will need a stamped architectural design, most likely under the commercial building code, which is stricter than residential

- it's important to find an architect who's interested in green building to work with the project throughout the process; he can recommend some from the local area

- was one of the advisors for the Solar Decathalon, which may have broken ground for the Town of Ithaca's consideration of green building permits

- NYS building codes do NOT allow for grey water

- Having architecture and engineering firms involved in the process will expand funding opportunities as well as provide experience, expertise and professional grounding - he will contact CHRISTIAN NIELSEN at Thomas Assos in Ithaca, which has both architects and engineers and is already involved with Sustainable Tompkins

- recommends a late January Charette to bring all stakeholders to the table to define needed research, a design and action agenda, and timeline. Perhaps a Saturday meeting at Thomas Associates.

- will consider anchoring an independent study for Spring semester. Given Architecture requirements for its majors, this would have to be an elective rather than a studio.

- something to keep in mind: architecture and engineering students have different language and different ways of working

- LEED is important as a bottom-line certification standard, despite its limitations

- earth-sheltered designs require more attention to foundations and therefore may cost more

- used to work with NYSERDA. Important not to contact them too early because they may lose interest along the longer path, given all they have on their plates. Project should be proposed around the time we are going to the Town of Ithaca for zoning etc

James Smithmeyer
- has spoken with Steve in Facilities, at the Sustainability Summit

- will explore GIS resources

Patricia will
- look into the process for proposing a Cornell Alumni Club presentation

- will ask Engineering Alumni Affairs staff about alumni who might be interested in such a project

- will email Professor Ingraffea about the project

- will create a timeline and participant roster, which can be put up on the blog

- will contact the Cornell Participatory action Research Network and the Public Service Center

- Professor Stipanuk is interested in inviting his Spring '06 Tourism (Hotel) students to be involved with the project; would like our help alerting students across campus to his course

Site Investigation

2005-11-07T16:52:00.000-05:00

Preliminary Site Investigation:

Shown below are maps of Level Green, they include a road map, property map, aerial photo, surficial geology map, and bedrock geology map. The geological maps were obtained from Olin Library Map room. Other maps were found online from Tompkins County GIS and The New York State Interactive Mapping Gateway.

The proposed Eco-Hostel will be built on property owned by Level Green, located at 1519 Slaterville Rd (Rt. 79). Slaterville road boarders the proposed Eco Hostel to the north. The property map shown below shows Level Green's property lines labeled as "1". The property gently slopes (< 8% grade) to the south and is heavily vegated by grasses and shrubs. The surficial geology is mainly till, which has variable texture (e.g. clay, silt-clay, boulder clay) and has a potential for land instability on steep slopes. Varved clays are likely to appear. Thicknesses to bedrock range from 1 - 50 meters. This site rests on part of the Ithaca Formation bedrock (West River Shale, Genundewa Limestone, Penn Yan, Geneseo Shales, and Sherbune Siltstone).

Road Map, New York State Interactive Mapping Gateway

Property Map, Tompkins County GIS

Aerial Photo, New York State Interactive Mapping Gateway

Surficial Geology Map, Robert H. Fakundiny, State Geologist

Bedrock Geology Map, James F. Davis, State Geologyis, Geological Survey

Meeting: Level Green/ ESW (2-3p, 11.4.05, Duffield)

2005-11-04T16:39:00.000-05:00

In attendance: Avi, James, Catherine, Patricia

- Patricia handed out an updated contact list (see below in contact section)

- We also went over the ECO-Hostel Project Objectives/Activities/Timeline

- Decided upon a new meeting time in order to allow an Architecture Professor Nick Rajkovich, meet with us.

Meeting: Level Green/ESW/Mike Horigan (2p - 3p, 10.28.08, Duffield)

2005-10-28T15:52:00.000-05:00

In attendance: Patricia, James, Avi, Katie, Mike Horigan

- Patricia introduced us all to Mike Horigan whom she met at the White Hawk meeting. "Mr. Horigan has been a consultant in the Finger Lakes Region and internationally. Throughout these years, he has been involved with various sustainability, built environment and energy-efficiency projects. Mr. Horigan holds a Master of Science degree in Sustainable Systems, focusing on Built Environment and Energy Management (www.earthbulbs.com)." Mr. Horigan has delt with energy audits, alternative architecture, and superior lighting design.

Mr Horigan raised a number of issues during the meeting:
- ECO-Hostel should have high insulation value
- little infiltration
- sufficient air exchange
- exhaust can be limited to kitchen and bathroom
- limit glaze size (glass area)
- explore use of Trombe walls to allow heat disapation on solar side
- soil survey needs to be conducted to obtain soil properties. Permeability is especially important if Hostel will have burm walls
- reffered us to sustainable building technologies and examples: Monolithic Dome, Earth Ships (Mike Reynolds), Ithaca Island Health and Fitness building, Ithaca Bakery (solar), Business School at IC

- Patricia updated us on NYSERTA progress, community contact sheet, and planning proposal (below).

- Katie mentioned looking into contacting the National Energy Education Development (www.need.org)

Meeting: Tour of Level Green (1:00 - 2:00, 10.23.05, Level Green)

2005-10-23T23:57:00.000-05:00

In attendance: Katie, Avi, James

- Toured Level Green property. This included the bridge, geodesic dome, and proposed site of ECO-Hostel.

- James "strided off" area of Hostel to obtain a preliminary measurment.

Meeting: Level Green/ESW (12:00-1:00, 10.21.05, Duffield Hall)

2005-10-22T18:23:00.000-05:00

In attendance: James Smithmeyer, Patricia Haines, Michelle Candela-Jordan, Avi Guter, Katie Alexander

- Patrician Haines laid out the background and ideology of the Folk School, explaining its Dutch roots and focus on a communal center of learning.

- A site location map was drawn to explain where the proposed ECO-Hostel will lie on the property (see image below). Also, an ECO-Hostel layout was drawn (see image below).

- Further discussion focused on utilizing LEED certification methods to outline general design considerations.

- Action Items:
Patricia - Call NYSERDA, prepare goals/objectives, make community contact list
James - Prepare campus contact list
Catherine - recruit architecture students, look into reserving studio space
Avi - Set up blog

Level Green Site Layout

ECO-Hostel Layout

Framing Vision

2005-10-22T17:02:00.000-05:00

Patricia Haines of the Level Green Institute and the Cornell chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) are working together to create a "Hostel that promotes ecological awareness throught its physical design as well as programs...The intention is to add a low-cost option to area visitor lodging offerings while providing a fiscally self-sustaining training ground for eco-tourism students. Once completed, the facility will also allow Level Green and other groups to host residential activities aimed at fostering sustainable community through shared learning and action."

- Patricia Haines, Level Green Institute

What is Level Green?
- a non-profit organization based in Ithaca, NY, operating under the fiscal umbrella of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County, committed to fostering social, economic and environmental justice through collaborations in hospitality, education and the arts - in the spirit of the Danish Folk School

- catalyst, convenor and coordinator for programs and services that strengthen sustainable democratic community through participatory action learning, planning, evaluation and communications - in collaboration with transformative folk and popular community learning networks worldwide

What do we do?
Programs
- Fingerlakes Folk School: short courses in sustainable living, arts & community, grassroots non-profit capacity-building, and learning for life (starting Summer '07)

- The Editors: editing, coaching in research and writing, and communications services for ESL individuals and organizations

Projects
- System Dynamics Education Initiative: Systems Thinking/Dynamic Modeling training workshops for k-12 school, family and community learners and educators

- Level Green Farm: a collaborative learning space for sustainable living , with ornamental and produce gardens

- Little Red Barn: 'green' renovation of 1930s barn to create community meeting, dance and arts spaces

- Gully Bridge Trail Head: community access to the south-end trails of the City of Ithaca's Six Mile Creak nature reserve, via a student-built bridge made of recycled plastics

- Eco-Hostel: multi-site, campus/community eco-tourism initiative

- Join the Dance: community outreach component of the U.S. National Dance Week and International Dance Day

- Adult & Community Learning: community-based learning and arts components of U.S. Partnership for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-2014

- The Art of Creative Recycling: creativity workshops and exhibits at Level Green and elsewhere, to accompany America Recycles Day, Earth Day, World Environment Day et al

Partners (2005)
- Earth Day, National Dance Week, Music in Motion, Ithaca Community School of Music and Arts
- Creative Learning Exchange, Cornell System Dynamics Network, Center for Environmental Sustainability
- U.S. Partnership for the U.N. Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

"love the earth like a mole, fur-near..."
- William Stafford

OUTLINE
Ithaca Eco-Hostel Project
Fall 2005

Summary
The Level Green Institute, a non-profit organization based in Ithaca, New York, is coordinating a campus/community project that will broaden understanding of and engagement with the tenets of green building and eco-tourism while laying groundwork for creation of a multi-site hostel that can provide low-cost lodgings for area visitors while anchoring on-going educational programs related to sustainable development.

Bringing together students, faculty and staff at Cornell University, members of the Ithaca College sustainability network, and community members involved with green building and eco-tourism, the first stage of this project (January-May, 2006) focuses on generating a collaborative research base, preliminary business plan, campus/community partnerships, and designs for the hostel's central Lodge, proposed for Level Green's land at 1519 Slaterville Road in the Town of Ithaca. The outcome will be partner presentations at campus and community sites in May, 2006.

Stage two will involve identifying and securing resources to construct the Lodge; developing plans for satellite sites; and coalescing management, fiscal and marketing plans. At present possibilities for additional sites include an upper floor on the Ithaca Commons, rental space near the Cornell campus in the hamlet of Varna, and on private land in Etna, Danby and Brooktondale.

Framing Vision
At the heart of Level Green's vision for its Slaterville Road land is creation of a peaceful, beautiful space that invites learning through hospitality, in the context of sustainable community. A key step toward this goal is to invite campus and community groups to join us in designing, constructing and managing a Hostel that promotes ecological awareness through its physical design as well as programs - hence the name ECO-Hostel.

This project is framed by three existing movements: Hostelling International, whose mission is to foster world peace through hospitality; eco-tourism, which is one of Tompkins County's top economic development priorities; and the U.S. Partnership for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development , America's response to the U.N. Decade that began January 1, 2005. The final outcome intention is to add a low-cost option to area visitor lodging offerings; provide a fiscally self-sustaining training ground for eco-tourism students; and further the Partnership's vision for integrating the values and skills of sustainability into non-formal as well as formal education by 2014. In this context, once complete, the facility will allow Level Green and other groups to host residential activities aimed at fostering sustainable community through shared learning and action.

Site Elements: 1519 Slaterville Road
As currently envisioned, when complete the anchor site at Level Green would include
- an energy self-sufficient, handicap-accessible central lodge with meeting space, kitchen, library, bathrooms, dormitories, gardens and lap pool, possibly earth-sheltered and sited at the northeast corner of the land

- small cabins exemplifying the range of eco-housing possibilities, all in compliance with Town of Ithaca building codes and constructed as part of educational programs on 'green' building

- readily-accessible driveway, parking areas and pathways articulating with the City of Ithaca's Six Mile Creek Nature Reserve trail system

- sound-proof dome structure providing a permanent home for area drumming circles as well as program space

- sound-proofing walls along Route 79, at the front of the land, constructed with natural and recycled materials

- renovation of the existing 1930s barn into community-meeting space, dance studio and art gallery (2nd/ground floor); apartment for interns and visiting speakers, artists-in-residence etc (3rd floor); and facilities management workshop, equipment storage etc (1st/basement floor)

Project Management
Level Green will be responsible for coordinating the overall project and securing resources for its success. Project team coordinators will provide liaison with learning opportunities and activities at Cornell, Ithaca College and in

the community. Targeted resources will include funding for student interns to work on the project in relation to their studies at Cornell and Ithaca College, and to serve as mentors for community youth wanting to learn the basics of eco-design and building and eco-tourism, as well as for design, construction and implementation of the Hostel itself.

Prospective partners for the project include Engineers for a Sustainable World, Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, the Ithaca and New York State Green Builders Networks, Ithaca-area engineers and architects engaged with sustainable design and building, the Learning Web, the Native Plant Society and the City of Ithaca. As of November '05, the Cornell University project team includes undergraduate and graduate students and faculty from Civil and Environmental Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Hotel Management and Architecture.

Prospective funding sources include the Tompkins County Strategic Tourism Planning Board, NYS Recreational Trails Program, NYSERDA and foundations that support sustainability education, campus/community collaboration and service-learning, green building, eco-tourism, and sustainable enterprise development.

For further information, contact Patricia Haines (levelgreen@kaxy.com) or James Smithmeyer (jws45@cornell.edu).

We welcome participation from any and all interested persons, regardless of expertise or experience level. Our primary goal is learning, learning that leads to action but has value in itself. By sharing what we know, and learning together, we can create something far richer and long-lasting than working alone. And in the end, we'll have a unique eco-tourism resource that expresses the best of what Ithacans have to offer.

Contact Info

2005-10-22T16:19:00.000-05:00

Level Green Institute
Patricia Haines (levelgreen@kaxy.com)
Michelle Candela-Jordan (hers@frontiernet.net)

Cornell Engineers for a Sustainable World
James Smithmeyer (jws45@cornell.edu)
Avi Guter (aag26@cornell.edu)
Catherine Witt (caw55@cornell.edu)
Katie Alexander (kba5@cornell.edu)
Julia Capurso (jac278@cornell.edu)
Jantorn Jiambutr (jj234@cornell.edu)

Level Green Institute: a non-profit organization based in Ithaca, NY, committed to fostering social, economic, and environmental justice through local and global collaborations in hospitality, education and the arts - in the democratizing spirit of the Grundtvigian Folk School

Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW): To engage engineers in reducing poverty by improving environmental, social, and economic sustainability worldwide