Green Wisdom

 

The monastery almost met the requirements for all of the LEED points under the USGBC’s New Construction version 2.2 program, earning 63 out of a possible 69 points. The rooftop solar-panel system on the 30,000-square-foot, two-story monastery generates 13 percent of the building’s energy.

 

Planning for the new facility was initiated in 2006 when the Benedictine Women of Madison, a Christian fellowship, sought to replace their unnecessarily large 60,000-square-foot Benedict House conference center. The Sisters turned to Vertegy, a St. Louis-based sustainability consultant, and Hoffman LLC, headquartered in Appleton, Wis., to design and build a new green monastery.     

 

In January 2009, developers deconstructed the Benedict House, recycling or reusing 99.75 percent of the original building. In building the Holy Wisdom Monastery and renovating a detached 4,000-square-foot maintenance facility, workers used nearly 30 percent of materials that were produced within a 500-mile radius of the work site. Additionally, more than 20 percent of building materials contain recycled content.

 

Designers were able to achieve a 60 percent savings in energy costs and a 40 percent reduction in water usage, compared to a LEED baseline building. Furthermore, more than 70 percent of the project site, which sits on a 130-acre plot, was or is being restored to native prairie habitat. 

 

Design features include a white membrane roof, high-albedo paving surfaces, and permeable concrete, all of which help reduce heat-island effect. Preferred parking areas are provided for fuel-efficient vehicles and carpoolers.

 

The grounds include four rain barrels to collect and store water for irrigation. Two rain gardens, as well as green roofs above the monastery and garage, help to reduce storm-water runoff by 13 percent compared with pre-construction levels.

 

The Holy Wisdom Monastery’s energy and heating and cooling needs are met with a geothermal system that uses 39 closed-loop wells, each of which are 300 feet deep.

 

Inside the monastery, the floors of main gathering spaces are made of rapidly renewable bamboo. The ceilings of the oratory and meditation chapel are also constructed of bamboo.

 

Large windows throughout the building offer natural light and views of surrounding areas. Up to 85 percent of occupied spaces are daylit, and each window in the building was custom-installed to reduce glare and solar heat gain. Waterless urinals, one-gallon-per-flush toilets, low-flow lavatories and efficient kitchen faucets all reduce water consumption levels.  

 

More than 1,300 people, including a group from China, have already toured the monastery to see its numerous sustainable features.

 

Joining Vertegy and Hoffman LLC on the design team were Fredericksen Engineering of Mequon, Wis.; Czarnecki Engineering of Pewaukee, Wis.; and LGD Engineering of Milwaukee, Wis.