COMMERCIAL PORTFOLIO

Songadeewin Dining Hall – Salisbury, VT

The dream of a new dining hall for the Songadeewin girls' camp was just that, a dream for close to ten years. With the untiring perseverance of the board members, executive directors, camp director and the entire development staff, the dream became reality. The first shovel broke ground in August of 2010, and the project was completed in March of 2011. Unlike the old and outdated dining hall, the new building design focused on an extremely efficient building, including SIPs (structural insulated panels), five solar panels placed on the west roof of the kitchen to heat the domestic water, and 48 photovoltaic panels on the south roof of the dining hall to take on the electrical loading. Not only will these two innovative systems serve as a teaching tool to the young campers, but also take a big leap in reducing the camp's carbon footprint. Although these systems bring a new level of technology to the camp, the overall theme of the design is still in keeping with the camp spirit. A special place where meals are served family style, where the camp is not specialized, and where traditions are adhered to above all else. The project embraces the love for nature, beginning with an authentic, Vermont, timber framed structure paired with large windows that allow an unobstructed view of Lake Dunmore. The inside walls are sheathed completely in pine, complimenting the fir flooring and hemlock beams, a common interior style of many camp buildings on the lake.