Featured Project

Description

The Town of Adams, Massachusetts envisioned an outdoor recreation and eco-tourism destination at Greylock Glen at the foot of Mount Greylock, the state’s tallest peak. Souliere & Zepka was selected as the general contractor for the Greylock Glen Outdoor Center, the first major element of the Greylock Glen sustainable development project. To meet the sustainability goals, the building was designed and built as a net-zero building. At nearly 10,000 square feet, the Outdoor Center includes a vaulted-ceiling great room with a mass timber post and beam structure, a wood burning fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows offering beautiful views of the surrounding scenery. The building also includes educational exhibits and classrooms, a retail facility for outdoor gear and a café. Native species landscaping and rain gardens will complete the setting.

Throughout the two-year construction, we teamed with town government, Maclay Architects and many subcontractors to bring the building to reality on time and on budget.

Features

The Outdoor Center was designed to minimize carbon footprint and disturbance to the natural site.
The building will produce more energy than used.
Wood framing and mass timber (glulam) store carbon and reduce impact on water and atmosphere.
R-42 wall and R-59 roof insulation with Structural Insulated Panels (SIMs).
Air infiltration sealing tested and rated to within the top 10% of buildings in New England.
Efficient heat pumps provide heating and air conditioning while helping the Outdoor Center to achieve net zero status.
Non toxic and low VOC materials, low maintenance polished concrete flooring and careful moisture control and ventilation help to create a healthy building.

Testimonials

''Souliere & Zepka's impressive professional standards were consistently evident over our nearly three-year build. Throughout construction, the company closely adhered to our tight budget and schedule. They were diligent in finding cost-effective solutions to issues as they arose. We appreciated their collaborative approach and willingness to fully engage with the other members of a diverse project team. When faced with a critical decision, it was usually through their leadership that resolution and broad agreement was reached.

As a company, Souliere & Zepka embraces new building technologies providing expertise in net zero and mass timber builds. While incorporating such innovative approaches, at the end of our project Souliere & Zepka's striking craftsmanship and attention to detail more than met our high expectations."

Donna Cesan, Community Development Director, Town of Adams

"Souliere & Zepka Construction built the Greylock Glen Outdoor Center—an innovative and very challenging net-zero visitors center for the town of Adams, MA. It is one of the highest energy and environmental performing buildings in Massachusetts. Souliere and Zepka had to meet the state’s demanding bidding requirements and were also the lowest bidders. As the architects for the project, our priority was meeting the very highest energy and performance standards. Souliere and Zepka met and far exceeded the most stringent requirements including Passive House standards, the gold standard. Souliere and Zepka truly met their promise to achieve success that is unique and unmatched. We recommend them for any project—including projects with the highest energy, environmental, and design performance and testing—a recommendation we very rarely offer."

Bill Maclay, Founder and Principal, Maclay Architects