Typically, when an architect designs a building, it can take months to see the structure come to completion. But last week in Keene, Greenfield architect Sheldon Pennoyer got to see one of his projects go from foundation to finished building in just a few days.
“They got the whole thing up in three days,” Pennoyer. “I could see the cranes coming down Route 10, and I thought, that’s our crane! The trucks with the panels were lined up on the side of the highway, waiting to take turns coming in. Last week there was no building here, and now we have a complete building.”
The building, which is the new headquarters of the Monadnock Conservancy, was fabricated with Tektonics, highly efficient, wood-framed wall and ceiling panels manufactured by Keene-based Bensonwood Construction.
“It has been fantastic working with Bensonwood. We deliberately chose a local manufacturer to support local business and local jobs, and their mission really aligns with ours because they are all about sustainability,” Pennoyer said.
The panels include cellulose insulation and windows, which reduces material waste and ensures quality control when installing air-barrier systems.
“The walls came off the truck with everything — fully insulated, windows, everything,” Pennoyer said.
Pennoyer and his team also worked with Manchester-based Chapman Construction.
“We just had a perfect team to be able to create a project like this, where everyone — the architect, the client, the manufacturer, the builder — was committed to sustainability, and that is very hard to find, ” Pennoyer said.
The land where the new headquarters sits was once the site of an overflow parking lot for the Colony Mills Mall.
“Back in the 80’s, it was all about malls and parking, and the developer had to build this huge parking lot,” Pennoyer said. “But then the mall closed, and at some point the landowner said, we have this beautiful piece of land just sitting here, it’s on the river, it’s next to the park, and it is just going to waste.”
In 2023, the landowner, who had already removed the asphalt and planted a meadow to start reclaiming the site as natural space, donated the lot to the Monadnock Conservancy.
“I had been in talks with the Conservancy for years about their new headquarters, even before they knew where they were going to put it, and then someone donated this piece of land on the river, and they said, ‘Can we do something with this?’ ” Pennoyer said. “The Conservancy knew I had just built a net-zero building for the Southeast Land Trust in Epping, and they wanted something very similar, so they hired me for this project. It’s just been a fantastic opportunity to create a space for this organization that really aligns with their mission and will help them meet their goals going forward.”
Pennoyer worked closely with the Monadnock Conservancy Building Committee to design the building to be as green as possible from the ground up.
“One of the Conservancy’s highest priorities was that the building have the highest level of sustainability, not just for energy conservation, but for reducing the carbon footprint of what we used,” he said. “We used low-carbon concrete in the foundation, and the subslab will be insulated with this product called Glavel, which is made from recycled glass. If you use Glavel, you don’t have to use crushed stone, and you don’t have to use foam insulation, which has a very high carbon footprint.”
The structure has all wood and wood fiber insulation. Pennoyer notes that “there is no steel in the structure.”
Steel, while 100% recyclable, is typically produced in coal-powered mills, which creates a high level of pollution and a large carbon footprint.
Instead of traditional sheetrock, which is a high-carbon emitter, the building uses low-carbon gypsum sheetrock, which includes recycled materials. Even the carpets will be fully recyclable.
The building will run on photovoltaic solar, which will enable it to run at net zero or net positive, meaning it will generate more energy than it will use and potentially send energy to the grid.
“This building will use virtually no fossil fuels to operate; it will have an air source heat pump system for heating and cooling, which uses the newest technologies to reduce the impact of refrigerants,” Pennoyer said.
Pennoyer has a long personal association with the Conservancy. Shortly after purchasing the historic Blanchard Farm property in Greenfield, he and his family put a large part of their land in easement with the Keene-based organization. The land, which includes forest, fields, meadows, and wetlands, is part of a 1,000-acre tract of conserved land owned by abutting landowners in the east end of Greenfield.
The Monadnock Conservancy, which was founded in Dublin in 1989, was New Hampshire’s first accredited land trust. The Conservancy manages conservation easements on thousands of acres in southwestern New Hampshire, both on privately owned land and land owned by the Conservancy.
Currently, the Conservancy is housed in a small rental office space off the oval in downtown Keene. The new headquarters is on land abutting Ashuelot River Park, a green space that extends to Route 9 on the northern edge of Keene.
“It is just amazing how it worked out. We’re still close to downtown, and we’re right next to the park; we’re part of that walkable community,” Pennoyer said.
Amanda Littleton, Executive Director of the Monadnock Conservancy, says the new building will have a significant impact on the organization’s mission, visibility and ability to grow.
“The new headquarters will be a welcoming space for the community to further engage with land conservation efforts,” Littleton said. “Having a place in downtown Keene embedded in a growing park that can serve as an outdoor classroom and is connected to the region’s extensive trail network is going to be a fantastic resource. It will allow us to deepen our impact by making natural resources stewardship more accessible and foster a greater conservation ethic for our region. This building will be an extension of our conserved lands, a valuable platform to connect people with nature for the many benefits it provides.”
The new headquarters will be surrounded by a landscape with native plants, including a pollinator garden. A former closed culvert has been restored as an open wetland adjacent to the river.
“The land is being restored, it has wildlife, it has turtles; it all syncs with the conservation mission,” Pennoyer said.
The new headquarters also includes meeting space for community workshops and classes centered on forestry and conservation.
“Now there is a place for the community to meet, for the organization to host events, and provide education,” Pennoyer said.
Pennoyer, who has lived in Greenfield since 2000, was the 2023 winner of the Clinton Scheerr Award for Excellence in New Hampshire Architecture, which identifies architects who have shown a commitment to green and sustainable building design, including creating strong building energy envelopes and limiting the use of fossil fuels and petroleum-based products in the construction process.
Pennoyer said he hopes the example set by the Conservancy will serve as an example to other organizations.
“We’re hoping the city of Keene will see this as a natural park and keep it kind of a natural landscape. The city has a real opportunity here with the river access. ” Pennoyer said. “It’s a place for people to experience nature.”