Moshier Studio
201 S. Highland Avenue, #203, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
www.moshierstudio.com


LOCATION: Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania
DATE BID: Apr 2004
Construction Period: May 2004 to Feb 2005
Total Square Feet: 10,752 Site: 129 acres.
Number of Buildings: One. Building Size: First floor, 7,365; second floor, 3,387; total, 10,752 square feet. Building Height: First floor, 24’; second floor, 24’; total, 24’. 
Basic Construction Type: 2B/New. Foundation: Cast-in-place. Exterior Walls: Insulated concrete form (ICF), cement board siding. Roof: Asphalt shingles, metal. Floors: Concrete, wood. Interior Walls: Metal stud drywall, wheatboard panels.


GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Turner Construction - Two PNC Plaza, 620 Liberty Avenue, 27th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 
MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: BDA Engineering, Inc. - 19 35th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER: Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. - 333 Baldwin Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15205
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Pashek Associates - 619 E Ohio Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

With the Boy Scouts of America's emphasis on protecting, preserving and conserving the natural environment, it is fitting that the design, construction and operation of the new McGinnis Education Center at Camp Guyasuta near Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, would reflect those same values. 

The master plan for McGinnis Education Center incorporated a sustainable building approach using as its guideline the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) Green Building Rating System and has attained a Silver LEED rating from the Greater Pittsburgh Council. 

The Center is actually two separate buildings connected by a mechanical room. A two-story section houses a dormitory with space for 114 Scouts at six per room. The other section is one story high, but with a cathedral ceiling and 18-foot walls. This section houses the education wing with a large meeting/dining room, two conference rooms and a kitchen that can accommodate 160 people, making the center capable of hosting overnight resident programs as well as day programs.

Gary Moshier, AIA, LEED-Accredited Professional, and partner with Moshier Studio in Pittsburgh, became involved with the project through his volunteer work with the Boy Scouts. The Greater Pittsburgh Council asked him to develop a schematic design for an education center for Camp Guyasuta. 

Moshier, who discounted his services for the project, has been a proponent of green building for more than ten years. Bob Mazzuca, Chief Scout of the Boy Scouts of America, but Scout Executive of the Greater Pittsburgh Council at the time of the project, says that when Moshier explained the green building concepts and using insulating concrete forms for the exterior envelope of the building, it made perfect sense. "It was a good fit for us," says Mazzuca. "We're a not-for-profit organization, and if over time we can save a significant amount of money in energy costs, that really makes sense. 

"The Boy Scouts wanted a building that would be easy to maintain, efficient to operate and visibly demonstrate the reduced ecological footprint to the users," said Moshier. With an eye toward durability and energy savings, the team selected ICF (Insulating Concrete Form) for the walls. These provide two-and-a-half times the insulation value required by code and met the structural need of having the rear wall act as a retaining wall. Due to the thermal performance of the walls, coupled with R-30 roof construction and energy recovery ventilation units, fluorescent lighting and the daylight harvesting in the Great Room, the energy consumption is modeled to be 55% more efficient than the ASHRAE standard. Because of insulation, natural and mechanical ventilation and the desire of the Scouts to project the proper image of a camp building, the building is not air-conditioned.

When agreeing to do a Green Building, Bob Mazzuca said, "We are in the role model business." To that end, Moshier Studio and Informatics Studio developed a series of informational signs throughout the building calling attention to the materials and technologies that make the McGinnis Education Center a Green Building. 

The McGinnis Education Center should be both a place and source of education for generations to come, while conserving the resources of both the earth and The Greater Pittsburgh Council. 

DIV. 3: (ICF) Insulated Concrete Form: Reward Walls.
DIV. 7: Metal Roof: Centria; Asphalt Shingles: GAF. 
DIV. 8: Windows: Traco; Entrances & Storefronts: YKK AP America. 
DIV. 9: Carpet: Shaw. 
DIV. 26: Lighting: Litecontrol, Daybrite, Elitipar, Omega, Capri, Focal Point.