Back to News

I am very excited to announce that construction has officially started on the aia150 project, the Armstrong house, a structure donated to the Pound Ridge Land Conservancy that was built in 1910 and used as an artistic retreat. We were notified by Elyse Arnow, the Chair of the Pound Ridge Land Conservancy, that plans had been prepared and approved by the Building Department, the structural assessment had been done by Ian Ashby, a local Contractor familiar with buildings of this vintage. Volunteers had already done some work on cleaning up the site.

L to R: Armen Okamoto, Collin Dowey, Max Wagner, Ken Okamoto

The Conservancy intends to restore the house to its unique stature and remodel it for its land steward who will watch over this and other preserves in the area.  Sustainable “green” design and hopefully LEED certification is the goal and the intent is for this to be a prototype project for the Town & other conservancies.  To really kick things off in style, we are hoping for the support of our Chapter members and Affiliates in a number of volunteer options.

We have other opportunities where our members can assist on this rewarding local project and perhaps even have some fun in the process:

• HANDS-ON ON SITE VOLUNTEERS: They need hands-on help with various areas of demolition/construction. They plan on developing a work schedule after Labor Day and into the fall with Mr. Ashby and this will list what volunteer opportunities will be available for various levels of expertise. If you are interested in being on this email list, please email me Carol A. Cioppa AIA (cacioppa@optonline.net)
• HELP WITH LEED MATERIALS RESEARCH & SPECS: The Land Conservancy plans to create a blog for the project which all can access. As questions come up regarding sustainable materials and suppliers, it is hoped that those who are LEED certified or knowledgeable in this area might help in finding appropriate materials etc. As soon as the blog has been established, we shall do a blast email with the information. If you have particular interest in this aspect of the project and are willing to share your expertise or do research, please email Michael Shilale AIA LEED (mshilale@shilale.com) and he will make sure that you are contacted.
• DESIGN CHARETTE: As the project progresses, The Land Conservancy would like to research a small addition to the main structure. As this moves forward, we shall be looking for volunteers who are interested in the design-oriented aspect of the project. If you have particular interest in this aspect of the project, please email Dennis Noskin AIA (dsnoskin@dnarchitect.com) and he will make sure that you are contacted.

L to R: Roger Kellerman, Ian Ashby, Josh Arnow, Ely Arnow, Ted Dowey, Colin Dowey, Max Wagner

The Conservancy has to date planned to heat the building using a wood-burning stove, a hot water heater utilizing a limited solar array with a back-up bio-diesel generator. They are currently looking for immediate help on finding the following:

• Green structural sheathing,
• Green wall insulation to fit into a 3.5” cavity, best R value.
• Green wood framing material (will be painted) for custom fabrication of exterior window energy panels.
• Ideas for a green equivilent of a 10 mil vapor barrier for the crawl space.
• A “green” supplier for any/all of the above materials.

     Anyone who has any experience & information on any of this, please email me (cacioppa@optonline.net) and I will put you in touch with Ms. Arnow.

We are very excited about this project and look forward to your enthusiastic participation in this “green” way to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the AIA.

Return to Top