Mt. Zion Project is a consultancy work done for IKan Sustainability Consultancy Firm, New York, USA. This project is having a site area of 178,900 sq. ft (approx.) which had to be developed sustainably along with renovation of Church building. Our work was comprised of to plan a sustainable site, which included elements like green parking space, rain water harvesting system, green space, outdoor community space and play area for kids, along with 3D modelling of the renovated green building.
Design concept of the site is to incorporate sustainable features to the site and making sure that it is aesthetically pleasing as well. Concept of pebble-water feature is added to the site aesthetics. Before water, collected from roof, gets harvested, it is collected in square shaped shallow pools of water with pebbles in it. Same concept is used in the parking area, where water seeps through pervious paving blocks and gets collected in circular shaped shallow pool of water with pebbles in it, and further transferred to rain water harvesting system. These shallow pools of pebble-water feature could double as snow pile storage for plough in winter.
As the site is located besides river shore, it had to be prevented from cool breezes coming from the river side, the direction of prevailing wind. Local hardwood trees are planted surrounding the site as obstruction for wind. Trees are planted to the south or south eastern direction of cars in the parking area providing shade to more than 50% of the cars.
Design also includes three Circular benches, with spheres at their centre with highly reflecting material, forming triangular shape signifying concept of Holy Trinity, a symbolic for Church. Church campus is surrounded by pebbles, a very low maintenance surface, for water to seep through and later to collect near water management area. Walking pathway has permeable paving blocks. So, basically the whole surrounding campus of the church collects the storm water. Aesthetic features like fountain also uses the collected rain water.
Aim of this design is to provide a green community space for the Church and thus creating an aesthetically pleasing sustainable environment.
