Living Building Photo Gallery

Welcome to our photo gallery with a summary of images of the building project. Check back regularly for updates to this page as we build!

For additional images, please visit:

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project video footage

: Winter Vacation Campers explore a wetland from the new wetland crossing.

: Drive Green event showcasing electric cars, incentives available for purchasing these cars, and owners sharing their experiences.

: In partnership with the Valley Environmental Education Collaborative (VEEC) we organized to bring an award-winning program, Widening the Circle: Making the Great Outdoors Accessible, to the Center.

: In partnership with the Valley Environmental Education Collaborative (VEEC) we organized to bring an award-winning program, Widening the Circle: Making the Great Outdoors Accessible, to the Center.

: In partnership with the Valley Environmental Education Collaborative (VEEC) we organized to bring an award-winning program, Widening the Circle: Making the Great Outdoors Accessible, to the Center.

: In partnership with the Valley Environmental Education Collaborative (VEEC) we organized to bring an award-winning program, Widening the Circle: Making the Great Outdoors Accessible, to the Center.

: Community program on screech owls. Attendees were able to build nesting boxes to take home.

: Community program on screech owls. Attendees were able to build nesting boxes to take home.

: Children, Youth and Family programs.

: Community Programs

: Enjoying the basking builder in our Visitor Center.

: A family making use of learning tools in our Visitor Center.

: What’s in the drawers? Exploring in our our Visitor Center.

: Exploring in our Visitor Center.

: At our new home, we catch the site of the evening sun glowing on the Pelham hills.

: In October, we decorated the building with all the beautiful pumpkins that our community had carved for our annual Enchanted Forest event.

: Cutting the ribbon!

: The next generation ready to explore our building!

: Guests capture the historic grand opening celebration.

: Families gathered during our grand opening.

: Executive Director Julie Johnson welcomes guests to our Grand Opening.

: Migration time! Families, community members and staff migrated from the old Hitchcock Center to the new.

: Migration time! Families, community members and staff migrated from the old Hitchcock Center to the new.

: Migration time! Families, community members and staff migrated from the old Hitchcock Center to the new.

: Migration time! Families, community members and staff migrated from the old Hitchcock Center to the new.

: Migration time! Volunteers help provide water and snacks as we migrated from the old Hitchcock Center to the new.

: Migration time! Hitchcock Center boar member Merle Bruno prominently displays her salamander during the migration from the old Hitchcock Center to the new.

: Migration time! Hitchcock Educator, Patrick O’Roark, strikes a rhythm as we migrated from the old Hitchcock Center to the new.

: Migration time! Families, community members and staff migrated from the old Hitchcock Center to the new.

: Migration time! Families, community members and staff migrated from the old Hitchcock Center to the new.

: Migration time! Families, community members and staff migrated from the old Hitchcock Center to the new.

: Migration time! Naturalist Ted Watt serves as crossing guard as we migrate from the old Hitchcock Center to the new.

: Migration time! Families, community members and staff migrated from the old Hitchcock Center to the new.

: Migration time! Families, community members and staff migrated from the old Hitchcock Center to the new.

: A NESEA ProTour, including participants from MA, NH, VT, NY, and CT, tours the building.

: Executive Director Julie Johnson, introducing the Welcome Wall, ecological principles, and glyphs to visitors.

: North hallway with cubbies for children’s belongings.

: What is the first flush and how does it work within our drinking water system?

: EnnisArt completes the Connecticut River watershed in our Ecotone.

: The bike pavilion nearly complete.

: Visitor’s chat on our oak benches, harvested from the site.

: Completed watershed map.

: Our watershed map, during installation.

: Our watershed map during installation.

: How was the salamander, representing our location in the watershed map, designed?

: The artistic process of creating our watershed map.

: The artistic process of creating our watershed map.

: This space will soon be office space for all the Hitchcock Center staff.

: Cedar siding.

: Cedar siding.

: The new home of the Hitchcock Center for the Environmen. Construction is nearing completion on the campus of Hampshire College in Amherst. Jessica Schultz

: Decomposed granite forms the top layer of the accessible walkways around our center.

: Cedar siding is being installed.

: Sorting of construction waste happens on site.

: Space for the water system.

: One of two Clivus composters in the basement.

: Adam Heintz of PV Squared helps him team install SunPower solar panels.

: Exterior cedar is stained with a Penofin Verde finish.

: A portion of our greywater system is installed.

: Door frames.

: Oak benches, milled from trees on site.

: Tongue and groove pine.

: HVAC system.

: Duct work ready for installation.

: Air recovery ventilator.

: Framed wondiws along the north wall of the south wing.

: Basking rock.

: The Nepon toilets wait to be unpacked.

: Windows awaiting installation.

: Balloons to allow for expansion and contraction of window gases during shipping.

: Composters wait for installation in the basement.

: Sheathing layers.

: View of the sheathing after the plywood installation.

: Roof sheathing installed on the South wing.

: Trusses installed on the South wing.

: Timber framing and wall sheathing along the North wall of the North wing.

: Our water reservoir.

: Our water reservoir.

: Timber frame walls of the South wing.

: Timber frame walls of the North wing.

: Precise fitting of the timber frame.

: Gently encouraging the timber frame into place.

: Building the timber frame.

: Timber framing prep work.

: Timber framing begins.

: The concrete slab on the North wing begins to cure.

: Smoothing the concrete slab.

: Concrete for the slab on the North Wing is poured.

: We’re building under a rainbow!

: A double layer of rigid styrofoam insulation is laid throughout the foundation.

: Our first moment inside the building – our basement!

: Electrical conduit is installed by Crocker Communications and located in wall partitions.

: Heading into the basement!

: HDPE electrical conduit installed.

: Stairway installed to basement and steel support decking installed to support slab over basement.

: Foundation walls for the constructed wetland .

: Concrete is poured for the constructed wetland.

: Rear wall of large classrooms is complete and soil is back filled against it.

: Grey water tank installed in the basement.

: Waterproofing and insulation along the foundation wall of the north wing.

: Foundation of south wing.

: Foundation and insulation of south wing.

: Hitchcock Executive Director Julie Johnson discusses the Living Building Challenge during a monthly “living” building site tour.

: Mark Ledwell of Wright Builders and Sam Batchelor of designLab Architects discusses plan specifics with two subcontractors.

: Participants gather for a project over view of the Hitchcock Center’s “living” building project during a NESEA Pro Tour.

: Mark Ledwell of Wright Builders discusses the project during a NESEA Pro Tour.

: Sam Batchelor of designLAB Architects discusses the project during a NESEA Pro Tour.

: Close up of the foundation wall.

: Foundation wall in the north wing.

: Foundation wall on the south wing (outside our office area).

: Footings stepping down to accomodate the basement.

: Concrete is poured for footings in the south wing.

: Frames for footings in the basement.

: Foundation frames.

: Preparation for the footing and foundation work.

: Site work is underway.

: Members of our project team including: Site Foreman Jim Small of Wright Builders, Greg Tuzzolo of Stephen Stimson Associates, and Sam Batchelor of designLAB Architects review plans on site before work begins.

: Breaking ground: Julie Johnson, Executive Director Hitchcock Center; Judith Judson, Commissioner, MA Dept. of Energy Resources; Annie Leonard, Hitchcock Center Board member and Parent; Hannah French, Hitchcock Center intern and UMass student; Jaana Cutson, Hitchcock Center Board President; Stan Rosenberg, MA State Senate President; Jonathan Lash, President, Hampshire College

: Breaking ground: Greg Tuzzolo, Stephen Stimson Associate; Chris Chamberland, Berkshire Design Group; Kelly Ard Haigh and Sam Batchelor, designLAB Architects.

: Stan Rosenberg, President, Massachusetts State Senate

: Ellen Story, Massachusetts State Representative 3rd District Hampshire County at our groundbreaking.

: The community gathers for our groundbreaking.

: Groundbreaking!

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Hitchcock Center for the Environment