Seminary Hill Orchard & Cidery, the world’s first Passive House Certified cidery, has completed in Callicoon, N.Y.
The 9,300-sf project sits on 62 acres of land and houses an organic hard cider production facility, a tasting area, a commercial kitchen, and an event space. A translucent entryway will provide visitors with views of the orchard and valley. Large windows, a wraparound patio, and a balcony frame the panorama of the historic seminary and the Delaware River Valley below.
The building was designed to be a modern take on a classic “bank barn” built into the side of a hill. The change in grade was utilized to provide easy access to upper and lower levels. The main entryway pays homage to traditional Hudson Valley barns with filtered light through its gapped wood siding.
The 3,000-sf tasting and event rooms further evoke these barns through heavy timber framing and open, soaring spaces. The tasting room, event space, and support areas are clad inside and out with larch wood reclaimed from the underwater pilings of the original Tappan Zee Bridge.
The cidery was also built with sustainability in mind and is the first-of-its-kind in the fermented beverage industry built to the standards of Passive House. The water to wash the fruit and equipment comes from an on-site greywater management system and site lighting and signage are full-cut-off, dark-sky compliant to help reduce nighttime light pollution. The cidery production space and aging cave are built into the hillside in order to use the natural cooling of the earth to maintain colder temperatures needed for fruit storage and natural yeast fermentation.
River Architects was the architect and Baxter built the project. The cidery is set to open June 25, 2021.
Related Stories
| Jan 10, 2011
Michael J. Alter, president of The Alter Group: ‘There’s a significant pent-up demand for projects’
Michael J. Alter, president of The Alter Group, a national corporate real estate development firm headquartered in Skokie, Ill., on the growth of urban centers, project financing, and what clients are saying about sustainability.
| Jan 4, 2011
6 green building trends to watch in 2011
According to a report by New York-based JWT Intelligence, there are six key green building trends to watch in 2011, including: 3D printing, biomimicry, and more transparent and accurate green claims.
| Jan 4, 2011
LEED 2012: 10 changes you should know about
The USGBC is beginning its review and planning for the next version of LEED—LEED 2012. The draft version of LEED 2012 is currently in the first of at least two public comment periods, and it’s important to take a look at proposed changes to see the direction USGBC is taking, the plans they have for LEED, and—most importantly—how they affect you.
| Jan 4, 2011
California buildings: now even more efficient
New buildings in California must now be more sustainable under the state’s Green Building Standards Code, which took effect with the new year. CALGreen, the first statewide green building code in the country, requires new buildings to be more energy efficient, use less water, and emit fewer pollutants, among many other requirements. And they have the potential to affect LEED ratings.
| Jan 4, 2011
Furniture Sustainability Standard - Approved by ANSI and Released for Distribution
BIFMA International recently announced formal American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approval and release of the ANSI/BIFMA e3-2010 Furniture Sustainability Standard. The e3 standard represents a structured methodology to evaluate the "sustainable" attributes of furniture products and constitutes the technical criteria of the level product certification program.
| Dec 28, 2010
Project of the Week: Community college for next-gen Homeland Security personnel
The College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill., began work on the Homeland Security Education Center, which will prepare future emergency personnel to tackle terrorist attacks and disasters. The $25 million, 61,100-sf building’s centerpiece will be an immersive interior street lab for urban response simulations.
| Dec 20, 2010
Architect Adrian D. Smith on zero-energy cities, new technologies, and high density.
Adrian D. Smith, FAIA, RIBA, is co-founder (with Gordon Gill) of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Chicago. Previously, he was a design partner in the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (1980-2003) and a consulting design partner from 2004 to 2006. His landmark structures include the Jin Mao Tower (Shanghai), Rowes Wharf (Boston), and Burj Khalifa (Dubai, U.A.E.), the world’s tallest structure. He recently collaborated with Gordon Gill to design the world’s first net-zero-energy skyscraper, Pearl River Tower, now nearing completion in Guangzhou, China. This account is based on his recent remarks at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
| Dec 17, 2010
Gemstone-inspired design earns India’s first LEED Gold for a hotel
The Park Hotel Hyderabad in Hyderabad, India, was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to combine inspirations from the region’s jewelry-making traditions with sustainable elements.
| Dec 17, 2010
Alaskan village school gets a new home
Ayagina’ar Elitnaurvik, a new K-12 school serving the Lower Kuskikwim School District, is now open in Kongiganak, a remote Alaskan village of less than 400 residents. The 34,000-sf, 12-classroom facility replaces one that was threatened by river erosion.
