Sustainability Report

Embodied carbon strategies

• The project did not pursue formal sustainability certifications or awards, but placed emphasis on the procurement of recycled and responsibly sourced materials and on reducing embodied impacts where possible.
• The building’s brick facade is made from 100 percent recycled clay content, with 30 percent sourced from post-consumer waste streams and 70 percent from manufacturing waste streams. The brick was sourced regionally, from within 500 miles of the project site. The exterior brick was provided by Green Leaf Brick, a manufacturer based in North Carolina that produces fired masonry bricks composed entirely of recycled clay. The wirecut face bricks, including both modular units and radiused tiles, were fabricated specifically for the project in a palette of three hues — crimson, ochre, and burgundy — to complement the surrounding historic campus buildings.
• The CLT floor slabs and glulam columns and beams were fabricated by Element5, a mass-timber manufacturer in Ontario that works exclusively with sustainably sourced wood. These mass-timber elements were transported from Canada to Brooklyn in three delivery phases. For most components, the elements were hoisted directly from flat-bed trucks into their final installed positions, avoiding off-site storage and on-site staging. This approach accelerated the construction schedule and simplified logistics on the constrained urban site.
• Exterior shutters are constructed from thermally modified oak harvested from north-east forests under sustainable management plans that support long-term forest health. The thermal modification process is chemical-free, relying only on heat and steam to improve durability and longevity.
• Interior material selections also prioritised low-impact and natural materials. Classroom flooring is Forbo Marmoleum Fresco (part of the Forbo Marmoleum Marbled range) in a beige tone, a homogeneous floor covering made from flax seed oil, rosin binders, wood flour, limestone, and dry pigments, calendered onto a natural jute backing. Hallway flooring consists of Tretford carpet rolls composed of 80 percent natural goat hair, 15 percent nylon, and 5 percent viscose.
• All interior wood elements were minimally altered so that the natural hues of the wood remain visible. None of the elements are painted or stained. CLT and glulam elements were treated with KP-12, a low-VOC protective undercoat. Millwork and doors, fabricated in Pennsylvania, were finished with a flat, water-based polyurethane.

Operational emissions strategies

• The project was developed in alignment with The Packer Collegiate Institute’s internal sustainability goal of reducing campus energy use by 30 percent by 2040. To support this objective, the Garden House incorporates fully electric building systems monitored and controlled by a central building management system (BMS), the first example of such a system implemented on Packer’s campus.
• The BMS assists in regulating HVAC and lighting systems, including dimming, scheduling, and occupancy sensing. It also supports operational efficiencies by powering down non-critical equipment during overnight hours and identifying windows and doors left inadvertently open.
• A post-occupancy evaluation and operational energy use assessment will be conducted following the building’s first full year of use to assess performance across seasons and occupancy cycles. This assessment will consider both quantitative data, including information from the BMS and monthly energy bills, and qualitative feedback from students and staff. Early feedback from the client team indicates that energy costs have decreased as a result of reduced energy consumption.