2005 SMART GROWTH AWARD
FOR
FOSTERING CLEAN ENERGY & DEVELOPMENT
ARCHITECT PETER CARADONNA IS BEING HONORED FOR HIS DESIGN OF THE SETAUKET FIREHOUSE. DESIGNED IN THREE PARTS -- FIREHOUSE PROPER, DISTRICT FIRE OFFICES AND A CONNECTING GREENHOUSE -- THE STRUCTURE IS A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGY, THOUGHTFUL DESIGN, AND CLASSIC CHARACTER. UNLIKE MOST MODERN BUILDINGS, IT WILL EVEN BE BUILT TO LAST 100 YEARS. IT'S PLANS ARE CERTIFIED UNDER THE US GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL'S LEED GREEN BUILDING SYSTEM.
SITED ON THE HISTORIC CROSSROADS OF THE COMMUNITY, THE FIREHOUSE HAS BEEN SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO REFLECT THE BEAUTY AND HISTORIC CHARACTER OF EAST SETAUKET. HOWEVER, FORM WILL BY NO MEANS OVERTAKE INNOVATIVE FUNCTION. WHILE ITS FACADE AND TWO-OVER-TWO WINDOWS WILL LOOK OLD, THE BUILDING WILL BE MADE OF A PRECAST CONCRETE PANEL WITH BRICK SET IN FOR THERMAL MASS AND EASE OF ERECTION. THE ROOF MAY APPEAR AS SLATE, BUT IT WILL ACTUALLY BE COMPOSED OF RECYCLED RUBBER. IT'S ORIENTATION AND DOUBLE GABLES WILL NOT ONLY MIMIC THE LOOK OF THE TRADITIONAL BUILDINGS ONCE LOCATED ON THE SITE, THEY WILL ALSO PROVIDE ITS PHOTOVOLTAIC INSTALLATIONS THE GREATEST EXPOSURE TO THE SUN.
THE BUILDING ITSELF HAS BEEN ORIENTED SPECIFICALLY TO ALLOW FOR NATURAL LIGHTING ABD BOTH PASSIVE AND ACTIVE SOLAR ENERGY. THE TYPOLOGY OF THE FIREHOUSE AND HISTORIC HOSE TOWER WILL BE ADAPTED TO PROVIDE PASSIVE VENTILATION FOR TH APPARATUS ROOM. THE GREENHOUSE, DESIGNED TO REFLECT THE REGION'S AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE, WILL SERVE AS A SOLAR FURNACE, ENERGY FROM WHICH WILL BE DRAWN OFF TO SERVE OTHER AREAS OF THE BUILDING. THE DISTRICT OFFICES -- WHICH WOULD GENERALLY REQUIRE THE MOST INTENSIVE ENERGY USE -- ARE CLEVERLY SITUATED IN A BERM, REDUCING THAT PART OF THE BUILDING'S EXPOSURE TO EXTREME TEMPERATURES. OPEN DESIGN THROUGHOUT THE STRUCTURE PROVIDES FOR SUBSTANTIAL DAYLIGHTING. REDUCING SIGNIFICANTLY THE NEED FOR ELECTRIC LIGHTING.
MEASURES ARE BEING TAKEN NOT ONLY TO REFLECT THE COMMUNITY'S HISTORIC CHARACTER, BUT TO ALSO SERVE AS A CIVIC PLACE. THE MEETING ROOM IS DESIGNED FOR PUBLIC ACCESS FROM THE OPEN PLAZA AT THE STREET CORNER. AN INVITING MEMORIAL SQUARE AND PUBLIC PARK WILL BE PART OF THE DESIGN. DOUBLE ROWS OF TREES WILL SERVE THE DUAL FUNCTION OF BUFFERING NEARBY RESIDENT'S EXPOSURE TO THE COMMERCIAL AREA, WHILE ALSO REDUCING THE BUILDING'S EXPOSURE TO THE ELEMENTS.
THIS IS THE FIRST HONOREE IN THE CATEGORY OF GREEN BUILDING AND CLEAN ENERGY. WE HOPE THAT THE SMART GROWTH MOVEMENT AND THE PROJECTS REPRESENTED BY ADVOCATES FOR GREEN BUILDING AND CLEAN ENERGY WILL YIELD MORE SUCH HIGH-QUALITY PROJECTS
