Educational Powerpack
Goodwill Hinckley School
ABOUT
Client Goodwill Hinkley School
Typology Institutional
Location Fairfield, ME
Year 2015
Design Team Timothy Lock, Matthew O’Malia, Riley Pratt
EUI 25.2
AWARDS
AIA Maine COTE, 2015
A recipient of the AIA Maine COTE Sustainability Awards, the Good Will-Hinckley School at the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences is a renovation and addition of an historic masonry structure to house additional classroom facilities on its campus near Skowhegan, Maine. OPAL collaborated with Harriman Architects + Engineers in 2014 to propose a design concept for the addition and renovation based on Passive House principles.
The design solution proposed by OPAL was to super-insulate the existing masonry structure, as well as to replace the windows and add ventilation with heat recovery. The addition was then configured directionally against the existing building in order to maximize shared walls and reduce the amount of exterior building shell. The new addition accommodates ADA compliant elevators and bathrooms, in order to minimize the disturbance to the existing historical structure. Solar panels were installed on the roof to achieve the goal of making the building net zero on an annual basis.
Before the renovation, the Moody School had been abandoned for 40 years. The structure was derelict and unusable with broken windows and dilapidated interiors; fortunately, the existing masonry walls and foundation where sound, and the roof structure was solid. Ironically, this state of disrepair was seen as an opportunity when considering a passive house renovation for the structure.
Insulating a masonry structure in cold climates has technical challenges given the possibility of moisture damage to the existing brick through the potential freeze thaw cycles. The goal is to insulate the masonry structure’s interior, in order to consistently protect the entire surface of the interior brick. Given that the interior finishes were unusable, OPAL proposed to completely remove the interior finishes, exposing all of the brick on the interior. To protect the masonry structure from moisture damage, a continuous air barrier and layer of insulation was added to the masonry walls, acting as a thermal and moisture barrier to the brick. This continuous layer of insulation provided a protective barrier, that will not only save energy over the operational lifespan of the building, but will also serve to ensure the building’s long-term durability and functionality. The renovation of the Moody school serves as an example of how it is possible to not only preserve the aesthetics of historical structures, but also significantly improve their energy-efficiency, ensuring their utility going forward on an operational cost, comfort and sustainability basis.
