the ymca at virginia tech solar greenhouse breaks ground
BLACKSBURG, Va. – November 6, 2008 – The YMCA at Virginia Tech broke ground for the new YMCA Solar Greenhouse located at the community garden at the end of Maywood Street off of North Main Street in Blacksburg.
The new 18’ x 32’ solar greenhouse is different from a standard greenhouse in that energy is collected from the sun and stored for later use. Construction contractor for the project Justin Boyle of Green Valley Builders said the solar greenhouse will be built using green building techniques and environmentally-friendly products during construction.
“Indoor air quality and reducing our environmental footprint are important concerns of ours when we build custom homes for families,” Boyle said. “Because we care about the health and quality of life of the people in our communities, we’re making sure we take that same care in building the solar greenhouse.”
The steering committee for the YMCA Solar Greenhouse consists of Pat Bixler (Chair), Tim Colley of Colley Architects, P.C. (Project Architect), Elizabeth Gail Billingsley (YMCA of Virginia Tech), Arlean Lambert (Land owner), Justin and Jason Boyle of Green Valley Builders (Project Contractor) and Dr. David Roper.
The site plan was created by Anderson & Associates and engineering calculations were made by Truesdell Engineering.
