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Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary of Sussex County is strengthening its commitment to animals and the environment by building a “green” sanctuary. Safe Haven hired David Quillin, an award-winning architect, to design a unique and environmentally friendly building that will adhere to the U.S. Green Building Council’s standards for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, the national benchmark for eco-friendly buildings.
“We are thrilled to have David’s highly visionary and innovative plans for Safe Haven’s sanctuary building,” said Safe Haven Director Anne Gryczon. “His very original design is elegant, yet simple, cost-effective, respects our shared environment, and, most of all, is completely animal-centered.
“By building ‘green,’ Safe Haven will not only reduce our impact on the environment, but also significantly reduce our construction costs, operating costs and open up funding opportunities that were not previously available. By saving money on our sanctuary facility we will be able to direct more resources to Sussex County’s animals, including crucial no/low cost spay/neuter for the animals of our limited-income residents and feral cats.
Due to systematic delays at the state Soil Conservation Department we are still awaiting our building permit; we hope to have it in the next few weeks, at which time we are ready to immediately begin construction,” Gryczon said.
Safe Haven’s No Kill sanctuary will be the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building in Sussex County and the first “green” shelter in the Mid-Atlantic region and second on the East Coast. Some of the elements incorporated in the design include geothermal heat, solar hot water, use of recycled materials, a climate-controlling courtyard and a vegetative roof.
Creating an eco-friendly sanctuary will not only allow Safe Haven to have a healthier environment for the animals under its care and save money on energy use, it will also lessen the impact on the planet.
According to Quillin, “Green building is partly about consuming fewer resources, but it is also about working with the environment, rather than against it, to create a vibrant and comfortable space. People and animals feel better in buildings that connect them to their environment through natural light, natural ventilation and natural materials. Treating animals with respect and treating the environment with respect stem from the same attitude.”
Green and cost-saving design features for Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary include the following:
• Solar hot water heating
• Geothermal HVAC systems
• Green roof, whereby soil absorbs rainwater and vegetation converts pollutants into biomass
• A courtyard that moderates the weather – cooler in summer, warmer in winter
• Long, narrow buildings for increased ventilation and natural light penetration
• East-west orientation: solar gain in winter, no gain in summer, resulting in less energy use
• Concrete slab floors to store solar gain and even out temperature cycles
• Recycled metal exterior and roof
• Pervious, recycled concrete roadways, local material, which allow rain to filter through
• Downsized equipment due to tight insulated shell, about half of standard systems
• Reforesting to northeast and northwest to block cold and storm winds
• An area south of the building maintained as meadowland, which will be mowed once per year to allow summer southwest breezes
Contact 302-856-6460 for more information.
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