Originally published in the Monadnock Shopper News
Does your favorite locally-owned business buy locally-made products? We asked one Monadnock Buy Local Member, Christina O’Brien, AIA of SISR Architecture, LLC, to share how her business is helping others source locally-made products:
It is a very important mission of ours here at SISR Architecture, LLC to promote locally manufactured green building products to our clients. While buying local products helps stimulate and strengthen the local economy (which is so very critical these days), it also helps reduce carbon emissions from transporting goods across the country and beyond. And doesn’t it just make sense to purchase goods from someone close by (who you may even know) rather than from someone who lives and works thousands of miles away? We think so!
Our office started a list of locally manufactured green building products. It is a modest list right now, but we hope that people like you will help us on this quest by suggesting businesses that we can include. And just to be clear, our office is not a third party testing agency for any of the products listed. We only hope to promote local and regional businesses (within a 500 miles radius of Keene, NH) and rely on a good faith effort that the products listed are made locally and manufactured with the materials that their producers claim.
One project near and dear to us here at SISR that used many local building materials during its construction is W.S. Badger Company, which opened its new building for business this fall. Located in Gilsum, the new 20,000 square foot facility was designed by Badger CEO and former designer/builder, Bill Whyte.
Not only did Whyte use local building products, but he hired the local firm SISR Architecture, LLC just up the road in Marlow, NH to assist with architectural support and the final construction documents. American Construction of Keene built the facility.
W.S. Badger now develops, produces, packages and ships their Badger Balm products (which include lip balms, suntan lotions and scented oils to name just a few) from this new facility. The structure of the building is a modified timber frame provided by Vermont Timberworks of North Springfield, Vermont.
The timber frame, installed on a concrete frost wall foundation, was then enclosed with 2X6 wood stud exterior walls and rough sawn board wall sheathing. Whyte wanted to use rough sawn lumber as sheathing instead of using plywood because most plywood contains formaldehyde which off-gases harmful volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) into the building and the environment. The roof sheathing was also made up of rough sawn boards and all of the lumber and wall and roof sheathing was provided by Perkins Lumber of Keene.
Both the bottom and the very top of the building are built with materials from Ontario, Canada. The frost wall foundation insulation used, called Roxul, is a wool insulation board made of natural and recycled materials and the roofing, a deep blue architectural asphalt shingle, was made by the company IKO. The suppliers boasted that this project would be their largest blue shingle roof east of the Mississippi River!
The exposed wood timbers were all sealed with a natural wood finish called PolyWhey. Made by Vermont Natural Coatings of Hardwick, Vermont, this finish is made out of recycled whey proteins from the cheese making process.
Natural wood windows made by Bonneville Windows of Quebec, Canada were installed throughout the building providing plenty of natural light and views to the production, shipping and office spaces.
Marmoleum flooring, natural linoleum flooring made in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, was installed in all of the restrooms and in the elevator.
Vermont Cabinetry of Westminster, VT built and installed all of the beautiful kitchen cabinets and storage cabinets found throughout the building.
Before you plan a new construction or renovation project, consider sourcing locally-made products from locally-owned businesses. You’ll not only build something for you, your family or your business; but for your local and regional economy too. Discover more resources at http://www.sisr.us.
SISR Architecture, LLC is run and operated by its two principals, Douglas Stewart and Christina O’Brien, out of Marlow, NH. SISR was started in February of 2007 and has 40 years of combined experience designing new construction, additions and renovations for commercial and residential clients.
