Camphill Soltane
June 2nd, 2016
Camphill Soltane is a school for young adults with special needs, with a campus located in Glenmoore, PA. The project will provide a home for their horticultural program, which is currently spread across several buildings, as well as, the outdoors. The construction consists of two main components– a greenhouse and a support building. The greenhouse will serve not only as a growing area, but also as a protected work area for composting, mixing and potting, and other training activities. The support building includes a classroom, kitchen, office space, and a large storage area for tools and equipment. The design is focused on functionality and sustainability, and draws from the historic context of the surrounding farms, as well as, from the philosophy embodied in the international Camphill movement. A heavy timber frame, made of posts and beams, reclaimed from local barns and exposed on the interior, will be the structural system for the building. The frame will be wrapped in super-insulated SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels), creating a very efficient building envelope and significantly reducing the building’s energy usage. The exterior cladding will be cork panels– a renewable and zero-carbon product. Rainwater will be collected from the roofs and stored in underground holding tanks and will be used for irrigating the greenhouse plantings and the nearby outdoor gardens and orchard. A solar hot-water system will be used to provide heat throughout the building and the greenhouse via radiant floor heating.
Stay tuned for more information about this project as it continues to progress!