BATH HOUSE / RESTROOMS

Background
Construction History
Building Green

Since its acquisition by the AMC in 1931, Noble View has been a rustic destination. For the many years that a tight-knit community of Berkshire Chapter members enjoyed Noble View, the absence of sanitary plumbing and washing facilities wasn’t detrimental to folks’ enjoyment of the property.

We began to spread the news about Noble View throughout the AMC and our local community in an effort to make the property available to a larger population of potential guests and users. The ease of travel to Noble View makes it accessible to many who wouldn’t choose a remote destination, and their expectations are higher. Many people aren’t interested in spending a weekend at a facility that has no potable water or sanitary facilities.

It became apparent that we would have to build a bath house and ensure a supply of potable water if we expected to serve the type of population who’d be likely to use the facility.

The southwest corner of Noble View was affected by forest fires caused by a lightning strike in 2002, and local authorities came onto the property to fight the blaze. At the same time, the AMC was conducting risk management audits of all of its properties. It was evident that we had some health and safety code issues that we’d have to correct. Chief among these was the absence of a potable water supply and modern sanitary facilities.

CONSTRUCTION HISTORY

In 2007, we blasted for the sepic tanks, septic field, and bath house foundation, and we poured, insulated and backfilled the foundation, and installed underground plumbing, propane, and electrical work. Bath house construction was put on hold in the fall of 2007 due to the delay of a construction loan that would have allowed us to frame and close in the building before winter. We insulated the foundation and underground plumbing to protect the cast iron piping against frost heave, and hoped to proceed at full speed once the ground thawed in the spring of 2008.

Throughout 2008, Gary Forish worked on evaluating the percolation rate of the soils in the facility zone (that portion of the property on which development is not prohibited by the conservation restriction), so that a new septic field could be designed and permitted. With the help and support of Tighe and Bond, one of the oldest continuously operating engineering firms in New England, we reached a crossroads. A successful perc test was performed in late 2008, and we learned that we’d be able to site a gray water septic field in the meadow to the southwest of the Double Cottage. The site was surveyed in December 2008, and Tighe and Bond prepared a septic field design for submission to the authorities. The plan was approved.

In 2009, we changed the bath house design to accommodate composting toilets. This required the partial demolition and rebuilding of the bath house foundation, the loss of the conduit and piping that was in place, and excavation of a 17-foot-deep basement to accommodate the composting equipment. We drilled a new well that tested out with a yield of 3.5 gallons per minute, which is adequate for our needs.

The building’s walls and roof were framed in late 2009, and we completed the solar photovoltaic panel installation in February 2010, qualifying for a $37,000 rebate from Massachusetts Technology Collaborative Renewable Energy Trust’s Commonwealth Solar Program.

Windows and doors came next, then radiant heat piping, a concrete floor, interior framing, electrical and plumbing, drywall, and installation of sinks and showers. The Bath House is now complete and open, and offers potable water, hot showers, sinks, flush composting toilets, dishwashing areas, and the latest in green technology.

Though the bath house has taken far longer to complete than we originally anticipated, Gary Forish’s commitment and steadfast perseverance has consistently kept things moving. Gary is skilled at working and running construction jobs--but his dogged determination has made all the difference. AMC’s Roger Scholl has been the other part of the equation that has brought this project to a successful conclusion.

Download the bath house floor plan.

Many thanks to Erica Gees of Kuhn Riddle Architects for her fantastic work on this design project.

BUILDING GREEN

Download educational panels:
Noble View Bath House: Building Green
Noble View Bath House: Green Systems

From foundation to rooftop, the bath house features the latest in green building technologies and systems to conserve energy and natural resources.

The concrete floor slab radiant heating, Solarwall heating and cooling technology, and enhanced insulation will result in a 90% decrease in energy use for heating. The exterior walls will provide an insulation value of R30, and the roof has an R60 insulation value. The world’s most energy efficient windows and doors, manufactured by Thermotech Fiberglass, will complement the insulation.

Other green technologies and features include composting toilets and on-site grey-water disposal, passive ventilation with cooling, maximized natural daylighting, and high-efficiency compact fluorescent lights and light-emitting diode light fixtures. On-demand hot water will minimize energy consumption during non-use periods. Roof-mounted solar electric panels will supply electricity to the campus, as needed, or will spin our electric meter backwards.

Clivus Composting Toilets and Perc-Rite® Grey-water System

The bath house waste system utilizes composting toilets and grey-water systems to fulfill the Water Efficiency criteria. These foam-flush toilet fixtures, which look like conventional flush fixtures, ensure user acceptance while using only 3oz. of water per flush. This cuts water used for flushing by over 97%, as compared to conventional 1.6gpf (gallon per flush) toilets. Additionally, Clivus composting toilet systems eliminate nutrient pollution caused by conventional waste treatment technologies such as septic and sewer systems.

To maximize water conservation, the Perc-Rite® drip dispersal system will manage the grey-water from hand and dish sinks, and from the showers. Drip dispersal irrigation provides the optimum conditions for groundwater recharge to the receiving environment. By distributing time-dosed, low-volume amounts of grey-water equally over the entire absorption area, this technology provides for the controlled dispersal of neutralized grey-water safely back into the environment. Although grey-water is discharged at a relatively low rate, large quantities can be distributed over long periods without saturating the surrounding soil. And nutrients can be recycled back to the soil rather than become a source of pollution.

Solarwall -- Simple and Effective Solar Heating and Cooling

The Solarwall, mounted on the south elevation of the building, will help to both heat and cool the building. Generically termed a transpired solar collector, Solarwall is a thin, dark-colored aluminum or galvanized steel cladding perforated by tiny holes, enclosing a plenum between the cladding and the building skin. Air drawn through the 1⁄32” (0.8 mm) holes is heated by the metal before entering the ductwork of the building’s ventilation system.

On a sunny day, a Solarwall can preheat air from 30°F to 54°F. On cloudy days, diffuse radiation is collected, albeit at much lower efficiency than direct solar radiation. Interestingly, the system’s efficiency improves slightly at colder temperatures, because less collected heat is radiated away. Adjacent snow cover also improves performance by reflecting radiant energy onto the wall.

A duct running from each Solarwall through the men’s and women’s rooms, and exiting the north wall, will supply fresh air depending upon the seasons. In cold weather, fans will draw pre-heated air from the Solarwall to provide “make-up” air to replace warm air that is expelled through the bathroom exhaust fans. In warm weather, fans on the north wall will bring in cool exterior air, and exterior wall louvers with powered control dampers along the east and west walls will also be utilized for additional fresh cool outside air.

Solar Chimney – Hot Air Rises

A thermosiphon solar chimney will exhaust hot humid air during the summer months without utilizing electricity. During the daytime, solar energy heats this black-painted steel chimney and the air within it, causing an updraft of air within the chimney. This updraft creates suction at the base of the chimney, resulting in naturally-occurring ventilation of the hot humid air in the bath house and cooling the building.

The chimney is connected to ventilation ducts in each bath area. In the winter, the chimney will be closed by an insulated damper controlled by a thermostat, and the bath house will be ventilated by conventional exhaust fans. In the summer, the damper will open, and no electrical energy will be needed to keep the bath house cool.

Solar Photovoltaic System

Between January 2008 and December 2009, Massachusetts’ Commonwealth Solar rebate program awarded approximately 1,298 rebates for residential, commercial and municipal projects capable of generating 23.5 MW of electricity - enough to power nearly 3,200 homes in Massachusetts annually.

Noble View was awarded a rebate for the installation of a 10.5 KW photovoltaic system. This system will supply enough electric power for 5 houses, and will provide most of Noble View’s electric power. By generating clean electricity through this photovoltaic system, we’ll refrain from consuming power that otherwise would cause 6.8 tons of carbon to be spewed into the environment annually.

A Green Building for a Green Organization

The Appalachian Mountain Club, an organization devoted to conservation and stewardship of our natural resources, has built a bath house worthy of its principles. Careful planning and design using the latest green technologies has brought us a structure that will afford convenient, safe, and comfortable facilities to Noble View visitors, with minimal impact on our environment.