Difference between revisions of "Docent's Notes"

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**Wood railing made from old walkway between 2 mezzanines.
 
**Wood railing made from old walkway between 2 mezzanines.
 
**Bricks that used to cover the windows now line the bottom half of the walls in the annex, helping to serve as a heat sink for the radiant flooring.
 
**Bricks that used to cover the windows now line the bottom half of the walls in the annex, helping to serve as a heat sink for the radiant flooring.
 +
**Wooden bench, Welcome Desk, and Library Desk legs were made from wooden beans taken from a Popcorn store in Royal Oak that was remodeling.
 
*Materials covering some walls called Homasote.  98% recycled newspaper, it's demountable (especially because it's screwed in instead of glued on), can be used like a bulletin board, and it's recyclable.  17% of drywall ends up in landfills because it has been glued in place and is destroyed when it is taken down.
 
*Materials covering some walls called Homasote.  98% recycled newspaper, it's demountable (especially because it's screwed in instead of glued on), can be used like a bulletin board, and it's recyclable.  17% of drywall ends up in landfills because it has been glued in place and is destroyed when it is taken down.
 
*We used 1 ½ dumpsters for the entire time we were under construction.
 
*We used 1 ½ dumpsters for the entire time we were under construction.
*Wooden bench, Welcome Desk, and Library Desk legs were made from wooden beans taken from a Popcorn store in Royal Oak that was remodeling.
+
 
  
 
'''Business Talk'''
 
'''Business Talk'''

Revision as of 15:10, 8 November 2011

Docent’s Notes for Green Garage Tours


History Talk

  • You’re standing in a Model T showroom built in 1920.
  • Various iterations of automotive-related businesses resided here for about 15 years, then became a shoe supply business under the name of Kanners and Patrize for about the next 60 years.
  • Front windows bricked up in 1968, after he riots, on request of the insurance company.
  • We bought the building on December 31, 2007, and at the time it was a warehouse that stored neighborhood items.

Our Background Talk

  • The idea for this project dates back to 2005, when we started a group called ‘Great Lakes Green Initiative,’ which comprised about a dozen individuals who met weekly at the Brennans’ kitchen table to share the journey of how to live more sustainably. In each meeting we took a deep dive into one area of sustainability. For example, we spent 9 months on water alone.
  • Out of ‘Great Lakes Green Initiative’ came the idea for some sort of demonstration center for green ideas. We initially thought this project belonged in Ann Arbor, close to the university population we wanted to work with, but many people suggested we consider Detroit. We thought it made sense, and hired a realtor. We chose Midtown because we were still looking for that university population, and it encompassed Wayne State. This is the first building we saw.

Process Talk

  • When we bought the building, we weren’t exactly sure what we were doing with it, so we held 2 years worth of meetings that involved over 100 volunteers. The meetings were semester-long sessions that dealt with such topics as: net-zero energy, Alexander design (based on ‘A Pattern Language’ by Christopher Alexander), business, gardens, water, materials, food, transportation, etc.
  • We did the design for the building ourselves and hired an architect to draw up our ideas. The engineering plans – 25 pages long – were approved by the city in 7 business days.
  • The design and construction process took about 4 years. Green Garage opened with businesses-in-residence in fall of 2011.

Net-Zero Energy Talk

  • Net-zero energy group met for about 6 months and came up with a design that incorporated:
    • Passive design, based on our study of the Passive Haus Institute in Germany. Passive design elements included thick insulation (18” in roof – 120 R value) and natural light with abundant windows and Solatubes. Windows let in about 80% of natural light while keeping about 75% of heat out. Windows were designed by Kelly Windows of Detroit. Alley side and annex windows were designed based on visit to workshops at Greenfield Village.
    • Heating system that used solar-thermal panels heating up 2 5000-gal tanks of water in the annex, with pex tubing running that water under our floors to provide a radiant heating system. To provide cooling in the summer, the water will circulate through the panels at night, thus cooling the water **Back-up system for the month or so in the winter when we won’t get enough sunshine: Altherma Heat Pump.
  • Energy modeling shows that our current estimate to heat the building will be $300 a year.
  • Using a chest freezer with an adaptor that raises the temperature to refrigeration level. This costs only $4 per year to operate, much less than a conventional refrigerator.

Materials Talk

  • Materials group designed a system with a goal to use 90% of material that was taken down in the building, and at least 50% of incoming material to be from the U.S. waste stream. We met that goal.
  • Examples in building:
    • Staircase made from old steam pipes. Wall made from scrap wood.
    • Greenhouse made from old window frame, metal framing from Ottawa Power Plant in Lansing, glass from either our old windows or Dalgeish Cadillac, wood in ceiling from our scraps.
    • Flooring from fallen oak and ash trees in southeast Michigan, dried in a solar kiln in Troy, laid in various lengths and widths to lessen waste.
    • Wood railing made from old walkway between 2 mezzanines.
    • Bricks that used to cover the windows now line the bottom half of the walls in the annex, helping to serve as a heat sink for the radiant flooring.
    • Wooden bench, Welcome Desk, and Library Desk legs were made from wooden beans taken from a Popcorn store in Royal Oak that was remodeling.
  • Materials covering some walls called Homasote. 98% recycled newspaper, it's demountable (especially because it's screwed in instead of glued on), can be used like a bulletin board, and it's recyclable. 17% of drywall ends up in landfills because it has been glued in place and is destroyed when it is taken down.
  • We used 1 ½ dumpsters for the entire time we were under construction.


Business Talk

  • Plan to be a green business incubator. We will sell memberships at various price levels to the Green Garage, depending on need.
  • Businesses must be triple bottom-line: demonstrate environmental integrity, community well-being and economic justice.
  • We will provide support services to businesses, such as research done by Urban Sustainability Library and business help from our Business Design Studio.