Design Process | Design
Concepts | Design
Team | LEED
Certification
Meet the Design Team and General Contractor
When Luke Gascho, Merry Lea's Executive Director, interviewed contractors and architects for the new collegiate facility, he looked for firms with an awareness of sustainable building and an interest in trying it. He also kept the search regional rather than pursuing groups already nationally known for sustainable building. "We want to help this region grow in its understanding of sustainable building," Luke explains. Using regional companies also encourages a closer working relationship.
Several nationally known consultants with unique areas of expertise also contributed to the design process.
Below are the firms involved with the design and construction of the collegiate facility:
Morrison Kattman Menze, Inc.
119 W. Wayne St.
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
260-422-0783
www.mkmdesign.com
Morrison Kattman Menze, Inc., specializes in public buildings such as hospitals, libraries, senior living facilities and schools. Although the firs's architects have previously incorporated sustainable features into some of their buildings, Merry Lea's project is their first opportunity to design a LEEDS building They are eagar for the challenge. Architect Mike McKay, a recently accredited LEEDS professional, describes the Merry Lea project as "a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Hamilton Hunter Builders
915 S. Lafayett
e St
Fort Wayne,
IN 46802
(260) 423 3577
Hamilton Hunter joined the design team during the construction process as the general contractor. They have a long history of building quality homes and buisinesses in the Fort Wayne Region so they brought expert knowledge of Quality Building Practices to the project.
Conservation Design Forum
375 W. First St.
Elmhurst, Illinois 60126
630-559-2000
www.cdfinc.com
Conservation Design Forum is a consulting firm from the Chicago area that specializes in integrating human activities and buildings into the supporting environmental fabric. Their staff of landscape architects, environmental scientists and hydrologists has worked on projects such as the green roof on Chicago's City Hall and the Coffee Creek Center, a sustainable development in Chesterton, Indiana. Landscape architect Marcus de la Fleur says, "We are committed to sustainable approaches to land management, site development and site engineering because we feel that it is our only hope as a society to return balance to our environment." He and the other staff enjoy working in harmony with natural systems to create spaces that are beautiful and that communicate a sense of place.
Eta Engineers, Inc.
44 Main St. Suite 402
Champaign IL, 61820
217-355-5399
www.etaengineers.com
Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet and a symbol commonly used in engineering curricula to denote "efficiency." Eta Engineers provides sustainable designs for building HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems. According to its owner, Alan Chalifoux, this firm believes that "capital" includes all natural resources and ecosystems that sustain life, and this capital is becoming increasingly scarce. Their mission is to design better and more efficiently.
John Todd Research and Design
10 Shanks Pond Rd.
Falmouth, MA 02540
508-548-8161
www.oceanarks.org
John Todd is an inventive entrepreneur with a long list of environmental projects to his credit. He is best known as the inventor of the ecological engine, or living machine--a series of tanks containing plants, microbes and small fish capable of removing wastes from water. Todd's ecological engines are now in use or under construction in eight countries, and his largest can handle 100,000 gallons of waste a day. Todd and his son, Jonathan, are designing an ecological engine for the collegiate facility.
Rocky Mountain Institute
1739 Snowmass Creek Rd.
Snowmass, CO 81654
970-927-4510
www.rmi.org
Rocky Mountain Institute is an entrepreneurial, nonprofit organization
that fosters the efficient and restorative use of resources to create a
more secure and life-sustaining world. Although not directly involved with
the design of the collegiate facility, RMI's philosophy and educational
resources are part of the framework Merry Lea is building upon. Ben Shepherd
and Bill Browning of RMI facilitated Merry Lea's first design charrette
in August 2001.
Ancon Construction
2146 Elkhart Rd.
Goshen, Indiana 46526
574-674-9941
www.anconconstruction.com
Ancon Construction participated early in the design processes by contributing a contractor perspective.