LEEDership in Environmental Stewardship

Renovations at the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint Stephen’s

by Trina B. Burke

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral in Harrisburg is taking a leadership role in environmental efforts as the first church in the United States to register its facilities with the LEED™ Rating System. The parish is planning to renovate five existing buildings, two of which are designated historic structures, with the eldest being the 175-year-old Cathedral and the 158-year-old Cathedral House. One of the largest buildings, a four story 76-year-old garage building, will be converted into classrooms for the Cathedral’s pre-school through eighth grade school.

As Christians, the parishioners believe it is incumbent upon them to implement sustainable design principles in their renovations to exemplify how environmental stewardship can be realized in the design of the built environment. They believe it is their obligation to be stewards of the Earth, that the environment is a gift from God which should be cared for and cherished. The parish assembled a team of professionals, including the architectural firm, McKissick Associates to execute the design. After a year of planning, it was determined that a LEED™ Silver Rating could be achieved.

The project is now in the schematic design phase. The urban site is in a mixed commercial and residential neighborhood, adjacent to a river park green space, government offices, and a parking garage, making it a convenient location for church staff, teachers and parents. All of the facilities are being restored, renovated or improved to accommodate an additional 120 students without increasing the project footprint. A rainwater collection system will be used to irrigate the Bishop’s Garden and adjacent landscaping.

An energy model was created as part of the planning process that helped determine the appropriate thermal performance, window glazing performance, and lighting/control system requirements. A 34% reduction in energy cost as compared to an ASHRAE 90.1 base building is expected. Possible increased initial costs of these material systems would be paid back in 1.4 years. Water source heat pumps will be used to take advantage of waste heat and cool sinks created by the opposite schedules that the school and church have within the building complex, thus reducing heating and cooling equipment loads. The project will include photovoltaics to be mounted on the roof or on solar shades.

The project will use blended cements in any new concrete to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The designers will attempt to specify products that are manufactured within 500 miles of Harrisburg an effort to reduce embodied energy. At least 25% of the building products specified will contain recycled material. The project will require wood products to be harvested from sustainably managed forests. Flooring materials in the circulation areas will include linoleum and floor tile made from recycled glass and laminated bamboo. The use of non-VOC based paints and sealants in the building will also be specified. Contractors will be required to establish onsite sorting and storage of all construction waste for reuse and recycling.

Ventilation of the Cathedral nave will be achieved by reintroducing natural air ventilation at the top of the structure and by means of through-floor registers to facilitate air movement. The new environmental systems will provide for adequate outside air and humidity control (to control toxic molds and other similar problems) as well as carbon dioxide monitoring to supplement the control of the system. Additional efforts will be made to establish a strict policy on the types, use, and storage of chemicals in the Cathedral complex.

The project has already had an impact on it neighbors. A developer of an adjacent proposed high rise project committed to achieving a LEED Silver Rating, offsetting the loss of St. Stephen’s ability to capture daylight and solar energy to produce electricity. The new building was found in the modeling studies to cast shadows onto the school, rendering previously intended daylighting and solar energy strategies ineffective. The belief is that greater good will derive from having a new 200,000 sq. ft. green building as a neighbor.

Project support has come from a variety of sources. The congregation has an agreement with Interfaith Power & Light. IP&L is providing green design services, in exchange the congregation will purchase green power and implement IP&L’s educational curriculum. A grant from the Sustainable Energy Fund of Central Eastern PA (SEF) will assist the green building efforts.

The project allows St. Stephen’s to achieve its long-term objective of educating parishioners, students, the Harrisburg community and the greater Episcopal/Faith communities about environmental stewardship. With its high profile location along Front Street and by encouraging visitation the project is expected to serve as a model of how renovations can be done in a way that does not adversely impact the natural and cultural resources of the environment.