You may notice work being done on the roofs of the monastery and retreat and guest house at Holy Wisdom Monastery. Several new photovoltaic solar panels are being installed that will increase the solar energy production for the LEED-certified platinum monastery building from about 10% to an estimated 40-50%.

The sisters had an opportunity recently to work with a private investor group who will purchase the new photovoltaic panels and receive the tax incentives. The only new cost to the sisters will be covered by a grant from Focus on Energy for about $40,000. After a 15 year period, the sisters will have an opportunity to purchase the photovoltaic panels at a depreciated price. In the interim, energy usage payments will be made to the investors, which will cost about the same as what the sisters are paying now to provide energy in the building.

“In keeping with our care for the earth values, this opportunity helps us get closer to our ultimate goal of having a 100% energy efficient, self-sustaining building,” said Mary David Walgenbach, OSB, prioress of Benedictine Women of Madison at Holy Wisdom Monastery. “Our Benedictine values call us to do what we can to conserve precious natural resources on this earth.”

Following the Benedictine value of simplicity, the panels on the monastery building will be hard to spot from the ground level. Several new ones will be installed on the slanted roof of the monastery near the existing photovoltaic panels. However, the majority of the new panels will be installed in a way where they won’t be visible from the street level. The panels being added to the retreat and guest house will be more visible to all who come to the building.

Learn more about the LEED-certified platinum monastery on our June 7, 2014 building tour or contact Ann Moyer at amoyer@benedictinewomen.org or 608-836-1631, x197. For tour details visit: benedictinewomen.org/environment/green-building/building-tours/ 

The post Holy Wisdom Monastery’s new solar panels to boost solar energy production to 40-50% appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

One of the reasons I enjoy coordinating and providing tours at the monastery is that it reminds me of the wonder I felt the first time I set foot in this building.  A lot of people that come on our tours have never been to a monastery before.  Many that have been to a monastery, picture a pre-1960s building with lots of 10×10 bedrooms with tiny sinks in them.

Holy Wisdom Monastery, with its 3,000 pound baptismal font that was quarried in Cold Springs, Minnesota, surrounded by bamboo floor, puts people in a state of amazement.

In just this calendar year, we have had some remarkable guests take tours here, including:

• school groups, including a class from Middleton High School learning about environmental design, and a group of 84 fifth through eighth graders from the Belmont School District;
• college students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison Area Technical College, Edgewood College, and Cardinal Stritch University;
• church groups from a variety of denominations, including Lutheran (ELCA) and Greek Orthodox;
• secular groups such as members of the Madison Friends of International Students and residents at the Oakwood Village retirement community;
• elected officials, including US Rep. Tammy Baldwin, State Sen. Mark Miller, State Reps. Sondy Pope-Roberts and Kelda Helen Roys, and a staff member of US Sen. Ron Johnson’s office;
• and many more groups and individuals!

One of the best parts about giving tours is that it allows for an environment where people can ask questions.  In general, participants start by asking questions about some of the features of the ‘green’ building.  But eventually, the participants start to ask questions about the sisters’ ecumenical community, what their history is, what their theology is, and what sets this community apart from other monastic communities.  Many times, we end up talking more theology than construction or engineering.  And this is one of the blessings of offering tours at Holy Wisdom Monastery!

Holy Wisdom Monastery offers monthly scheduled tours, and also makes accommodations for groups.  Self-guided tours are also an option.  To learn more about tours at Holy Wisdom Monastery, visit this page on our website.

The post Tours as Blessings at Holy Wisdom Monastery appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

There are many facets to be explored and many new ideas as we work to fully utilize the new building.

First of all, a committee of co-workers and volunteers developed an education plan focusing on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) requirements. Included were the following:

• Guided tours will be conducted on an ongoing basis to educate our co-workers, retreatants, oblates, Sunday Assembly members, other guests and the general public about the sustainable and earth-friendly features of the new Holy Wisdom Monastery building and the benefits of sustainable building and operating practices.
• A comprehensive display and signage program is built into the building’s spaces to educate visitors of the benefits of building and maintaining green buildings.

During 2009, we conducted presentations on the new building’s features and tours of the building for over 1,200 persons. These guests came from all over the United States and other countries, including government officials from Shanghai, China.

The sisters are committed to a greater emphasis on eco-spirituality. A new educational committee staffed by Jerrianne Bland will help meet this goal. In addition to her work with group retreats, Jerrianne is the full time director of Benedictine programs with a new evolving emphasis on eco-spirituality.

The Retreat & Guest House will be remodeled during the first half of 2010. The old oratory and meditation chapel will be converted into an education area with a capacity of 50. Much of the artwork and educational materials in this area will be related to the environment. The old library space and fireplace lounge will be opened up as an education area with a capacity of about 100. It will be an ideal space for Oblate meetings as well as eco-spirituality programs.

As someone once said, “A new day is dawning!” Many new opportunities for education in spirituality, care for the earth, monasticism and more will be offered throughout the year ahead an beyond.

The post New Monastery Education appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

“Why can’t I turn the lights off? 

This is a question I’ve frequently heard when touring the new monastery building. Usually we’re just leaving the food service area and one of our energy conscious guests asks this question. The answer I offer is that I forgot to point out the large solar tube in the center of the room. Solar tubes direct outdoor light down a reflective tube to brighten interior spaces. Even on a cloudy day there is enough solar lighting to make people think the lights are on.

One of the characteristics of the new building is the use of natural light. Every occupied space in the building has a source of natural light. That’s why there are windows in the hallways, a skylight over the baptismal font, clerestory windows high above the reception area and assembly room and solar tubes in the serving area and hallway by the sisters’ offices.

Even on a partly sunny day, most areas of the building do not need to have lights turned on. On sunny days, we often see people trying to turn lights off that aren’t on.

I even had a conversation with someone who was reflecting that before electricity, people had more creative ways of getting the natural light into buildings. Perhaps we’ve come full circle in this attribute of energy efficient building design.

The post Natural Lighting appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Intent

Provide public and co-worker education focusing on sustainable design and construction strategies, green buildings as a financially viable building solution, and the need for proactive management of green buildings.

Requirements

To take advantage of the educational value of the green building features of Holy Wisdom Monastery and to earn an Innovation in Design credit, a narrative detailing the activities and instructional elements of our education and outreach program is provided. Two of the three elements defined in the 9/24/01 CIR are included in the Education and Outreach program:

1. Guided tours will be conducted on an ongoing basis to educate our co-workers, retreatants, Oblates, Sunday Assembly, other guests and the general public about the sustainable and earth friendly features of the new Holy Wisdom Monastery building and the benefits of sustainable building and operating practices.

2. A comprehensive display and signage program is built into the building’s spaces to educate visitors of the benefits of building and maintaining green buildings.

It is the desire of Benedictine Women of Madison to educate people in the greater Madison metropolitan area, as well as the national and international groups, about reducing the environmental impact a building can have and making the building a positive experience for those who visit or work in the facility. This narrative explains the efforts taken to date, as well as the plans for the future.

Submittals

Part One: An educational guided tour has been developed focusing on sustainable building techniques as applied to new construction, using the project as an example. In general the tour covers the green aspects in the following order:

• 
  Diversion of 99.75% of decommissioned building from landfill.
• 
  9 tons of old building materials recycled through Habitat Restore.
• Geothermal wells (39) under the parking area provide heating and cooling through a heat pump system.
• 
  Pervious concrete strategically located in the parking area allows for storm water infiltration.
• Solar parking lot lighting.
• Reduced solar heat gain in parking.
• Preferred parking for handicapped, car pooling and hybrid vehicles.
• Entrance vestibule with anti-pollution matting.
• Entry educational exhibit area including green and sustainable building & maintenance exhibits.
• 
  Use of rapidly renewable bamboo for flooring.
• 
  Baptismal font made from locally quarried granite.
• 
  Reused components including bells, organ, walk-in cooler, furniture, telephone & computer systems and artwork.
• Custom high performance wood windows to provide views and manage glare and unwanted heat gain.
• 
  Natural ventilation.
• Natural lighting in all occupied areas.
• Low water use toilets and waterless urinals.
• Tankless hot water heaters.
• Low VOC carpeting with 17% total recycled content, 6% renewable materials content &
• 100% recyclable.
• FSC wood used.
• Green roofs.
• Rain barrels.
• All native landscaping.
• Photovoltaic energy generation.
• Rain gardens.

Benedictine Women of Madison is active in promoting the building as a demonstration of green design and construction, both formally and informally. The monastery has provided tours of the facility by appointment or invitation to interested parties and/or groups. Tours will be provided on an ongoing basis. In addition, Benedictine Women of Madison is promoting the facility, along with the restored lake and prairie to all retreat, worship and visitor groups who come to the monastery. A brief summary brochure is being created for individuals to receive as part of the tour.

Part Two: An exhibit and signage program is incorporated in the building to educate the occupants and visitors of the benefits of green building construction and maintenance. Examples of some of the signage are provided.

The main location of the educational exhibits is in the main entrance to the building. In addition, a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating the same important sustainable features will be available for guests to see in the board room (and alternate rooms) off the reception area, as well as on the Monastery Website.

Signs explaining many of the sustainable features will be placed throughout the building, where appropriate. Following is a detailed explanation of the signage in the appropriate areas:

• 
  Rest rooms explaining low water use of fixtures.
• Board room explaining window design, green roof, rain barrels, pervious concrete, solar parking lot lighting, reduced solar heat gain, native landscaping, rain gardens and building siting fitting into the land and views.
• 
  Gathering area explaining natural ventilation, rapidly renewable bamboo flooring, natural lighting and views, FSC wood, low VOC carpeting, locally quarried granite and how the green building is an expression of the monastery’s mission.
• 
  Conference room in Retreat & Guest House is an additional (and alternate) space for showing the PowerPoint to retreat groups. Other informational signage may also be duplicated and displayed in this room and other areas in the Retreat & Guest House.
• 
  Maintenance room explaining geothermal heating and cooling, photovoltaic energy generation, tankless hot water heaters, recycling the old building components, composting and recycling operating practices, green cleaning practices.
• 
  Main dining explaining kitchen practices of composting, recycling, locally grown (at the monastery) produce and organic purchasing.

The post Holy Wisdom Monastery – LEED Education Plan appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Solar heat gain refers to the increase in temperature in a space, object or structure that results from solar radiation. The amount of solar heat that a building gains increases with the strength of the sun and the ability of any intervening material to transmit or resist the radiation.

When sunlight strikes an object like a roof, for example, the roof absorbs the short-wave radiation from the sunlight and re-radiates the heat at longer infrared wavelengths. This effect is often referred to as the greenhouse effect because it is like the heat gain that is experienced within a glass greenhouse. The greenhouse effect is a wellknown contributor to global warming.

Here are some of the ways that solar heat gain was addressed in the monastery building:

• Most flat-roofed buildings today have dark tar and asphalt or membrane roofs. The flat roof portion of the new monastery building is a white membrane designed to minimize the building’s solar heat gain. Although the extra heat of a dark roof is desirable in winter, what is gained in heat in the winter does not offset the energy needed to cool the building the other three seasons of the year. The white roof relieves the greenhouse effect.
• Each window of the new monastery building was custom tinted based upon its orientation to the sun. This reduces glare and minimizes solar heat gain inside the building. Neither draperies nor blinds should be needed in the building.
• ƒThe monastery’s green roofs are another part of reducing the building’s solar heat gain. The planted roofs were designed to insulate against absorbing heat, and the pavers used on the roofs were specifically chosen for their ability to reflect heat.
• ƒ The parking lot was another area of concern. To meet LEED standards, either the parking lot had to be smaller or a reflective surface needed to be used. Otherwise, the parking lot could contribute to global warming. A compromise was reached that balanced the higher cost of concrete (a white reflective surface) with the solar heat gain of asphalt. Therefore almost half of the parking area is concrete and the other half asphalt containing recycled tire rubber.

In addition to reducing heat gain throughout the monastery building, photovoltaic cells were installed to capture the power of the sun and generate energy for the building.

The post Solar Heat Gain appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

As we designed the new monastery building, we looked at a smarter use of water both inside and out. We wanted to reduce our water usage through more efficient appliances, fixtures and fittings and water-wise landscaping.

• Irrigation (watering something artificially) is one of the main culprits of wasteful water practices. Potable water used for irrigation at Holy Wisdom Monastery is supplemented by four strategically placed rain barrels that store rainwater solely for its use in watering exterior landscape and indoor plants.
• ƒAnother element of the monastery’s reduction of water is the selection of native prairie plants and trees for all the landscaping. These plants will require significantly less irrigation especially as they mature.
• ƒ Our choice of toilet fixtures is another critical component in reducing potable water usage in the new monastery building. Also, the dishwashing equipment for the new building was chosen partly for its water efficiency.
• ƒAnother element of reduced water usage is through the use of tankless instant water heaters. Potable water does not have to be heated and stored in a central location and then piped to the remote use locations thereby reducing the water piped.
• ƒThe new baptismal font was designed and constructed with a re-circulating and filtration system so as to safely reduce potable water usage.
• Some buildings can also reduce potable water use by recycling grey water. Grey water is waste water from showers or hand washing that can be properly treated and re-used in toilet fixtures. Because the new monastery building has a limited production of grey water (no showers), the re-use of grey water is not economically feasible.

The new monastery building will earn “Water Efficiency” credits toward LEED certification. The LEED process requires that computer modeling of water usage be performed during the design of the building. This projected water efficiency is then compared to a LEED base line standard. The modeling for the new monastery building projects that it will be 53.9% (that’s 38,390 gallons) more efficient than the LEED base line.

The post Saving Water and Caring for the Environment appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Sustainable site development accounts for 14 points that may be earned in the areas of pollution prevention and abatement, eco-friendly transportation alternatives, open space preservation, storm water control, heat island prevention and light pollution reduction.

Water savings accounts for 5 possible points and includes water efficient landscaping, wastewater technologies and water use reduction.

Energy efficiency accounts for 17 possible points from efforts to optimize energy performance, the uses of renewable energy, on site energy generation, refrigerant management and energy use measurement and performance verification.

Materials selection accounts for 13 possible points and covers the topics of recycling, structure re-use, construction waste management, material re-use, recycled content, use of locally manufactured components, use of rapidly renewable components and use of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved wood.

Indoor environmental quality accounts for 15 possible points from the areas of ventilation, no smoking, air quality monitoring during construction, air quality monitoring systems, use of low emitting materials, chemical pollutant controls, controllable lighting systems, controllable heating and cooling, thermal comfort monitoring, daylighting and use of views.

Innovation in design accounts for 5 possible points that may be earned through the implementation of a Green Cleaning Program, an Education Program, exemplary performance in using regional materials and water savings and having a member of the project team who is a LEED Accredited Professional.

As is evident, LEED certification involves every aspect of the building’s design, construction and ultimate performance.

LEED points for the certification of new construction are awarded according to the following scale:

• Certified: 26-32 points
• Silver: 33-38 points
• Gold: 39-51 points
• Platinum: 52-69 points

At present the new monastery building has a good probability of receiving the highest rating, the Platinum certification level, with a possible score of 63 points.

To learn more about LEED certification visit www.usgbc.org.

The post What is “LEED® Certification” All About? appeared first on Holy Wisdom Monastery.