"Green" Building Experience

Sparty Gets Greener
Project: MSU Surplus Store & Recycling Center
Owner: Michigan State University
Architect: FTC&H
Project Value: $8,555,700.
Scheduled Completion: August 2009.
On 6/11/08 the Irish Construction project team was joined by Students, Reporters, Regents and President Simon on-site in East Lansing to kick off this momentous project for the community. A key component in MSU’s student-initiated green campaign, this L.E.E.D. certified facility when complete will provide unprecedented recycling and salvage services to East Lansing and the surrounding areas. “Be Spartan Green!”

Municipality Harnesses Alternative Energy
Project: Delhi Charter Township Digester System Improvements
Owner: Delhi Charter Township, MI
Architect: Hubbell, Roth, & Clark
Project Value: $8,980,000.
Scheduled Completion: November 2009.
At the forefront of Bio-Fuel technology, this project utilizes an integrated biomass to energy system. Summarized aptly by those involved with the project, this “poo to power” initiative will be the first facility in Michigan capable of creating enough energy to sell back to the power companies, proving to be not only earth friendly, but fiscally savvy as well.

Architect Goes Green Top to Bottom
Project: A3C Green Renovations and Rooftop Retreat
Owner & Architect: A3C
Project Value: $298,945.
Completion: February 2008
Nestled in the heart of Ann Arbor, the LEED Certified A3C Green Renovations and Rooftop Retreat involved an extensive retro-fit integration of a wide variety of green building systems. Such systems included a geo-thermal heating and cooling system which uses the earth’s constant subterranean temperature of 54 degrees to moderate the varying surface temperatures, as well as catch basins for the utilization of rain water and skylights for using natural light in the existing workspaces. To crown the achievement, the Rooftop Retreat was created to serve as a destination for “hands-on” education of green technologies, marking a resolved commitment to promote responsible building for generations to come. 

Earth-Friendly Parking
Project: Eaton Rapids South Parking Lot #6
Owner: City of Eaton Rapids, MI
Architect: c2ae
Project Value: $87,259.
Completed: November 2007
This project utilized a newly developed pervious concrete system for the parking lot surface instead of traditional asphalt paving. The permeable surface of the concrete parking lot allows rain water to sift through the paving, acting as a pollutant-catching filter as the water passes through into the ground below. Because water does not pool on the surface, this pervious concrete parking lot does not require traditional storm drainage and thereby removes the possibility of parking lot pollutants from being washed away into rivers and streams. This parking lot was the 1st non-test project of its kind in Michigan. 

Barn to Museum: Adaptive Re-Use
Project: Van Hoosen Dairy Barn
Owner: City of Rochester Hills, MI
Architect: THA Architects
Project Value: $1,217,923.
Completed: June 2001
Van Hoosen Dairy Farm in Stony Creek, MI once held a prominent place in the American agrarian culture of the past two centuries. Standing as an iconic example of this agricultural history and development of the Midwest, the City of Rochester Hills established and maintains this 9 acre plot against the ever-growing Metropolis surrounding it as a historical preserve and museum open to the public. Aiding this mission of cultural preservation and agricultural awareness, Irish Construction managed and self-performed a great deal of the sensitive historical renovation and adaptation of the 1923 Dairy Barn. Renovated spaces maintained the historic quality of the space while providing inviting spaces for exhibits, audio-visual rooms, a gift shop, administrative offices, a kitchen, and restrooms. Read more about this accomplishment in CAM Magazine’s October 2003 article “Down on the Farm”.