A fast-food restaurant is not often thought of as a “green” building. However, when Jane and Michael Blackburn approached their future Harmony Square Dairy Queen, that is exactly what they asked for from us. Mike said, “this is a locally owned business, we care about our community, and we want to impact the community and the environment in a positive way.” This Harmony Square Dairy Queen is in its second generation of ownership. The store is run by Jane Blackburn who grew up in the business with her late mother Josephine Musser. Jane’s goals were simple, “make a store that will be energy-efficient and durable – we have lots of loyal clients and we want them to love this new store and for them to know that we love them.” Working with a standard Core 72 Dairy Queen design, we had to convert the design package to reflect local code and also boost the efficiency. This is a delicate balance that would have to meet local standards and also be approved at the state and national corporate levels of the chain.
Harmony Square Dairy Queen – Jane and Mike have now created a Dairy Queen that is very energy-efficient.
Opening in early January 2016 the loyal customers have shown their appreciation for the efforts after only one month of data. With a 46% increase in business over the same month last year, a larger store footprint, two additional cake freezers, three additional reach in freezers, a chain broiler, site lighting, and additional exterior signage, there is a higher energy demand. Even then, the store is trending at 50% of the national average for energy usage per square foot for a fast food chain store. The energy-efficient features used at the store are:
high performance air tight insulation package to reduce wasted energy and increase occupant comfort
Energy-Efficient LED lights
Skylight tubes to provide natural daylight deep into the space
5 Kw Solar Photovoltaic Array on the roof
On demand water heating
Low flow water fixtures
High efficiency heating and cooling system
Harmony Square Dairy Queen – Using innovative building science systems, they have created a store that is very likely the greenest Dairy Queen in the state if not the country.
The Harmony Square Dairy Queen in now open. Stop in and check out the space. The store offers a great breakfast – I have tried it and it is worth the trip. Of course, my favorite remains the blizzards made by the sun. To top it off, this may be the greenest Dairy Queen in the country. The space features high performance insulation, tube skylights, solar panels, on-demand water heating, and LED lights. Here is a look back at photos from the final days of construction.
Signs Installed
Spoons on the doors.
Interior signage done – Welcome to your Harmony Square Dairy Queen
Furniture put together.
On-demand water heating system for low energy bills.
Stormwater management system to filter first flush pollutants.
Work continues on the Chesapeake Western Depot in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The demolition and framing are done. The electricians have finally started rough-in. The plumbing fixtures are all ordered. Things are about to start moving quickly.
Our sign is out front and gravel is down in the front lot. The windows have temporary plastic protection allowing work to continue inside while we wait on window installation. The wood paneling in the Herr & Co. office has been removed to be refinished.
With each step along the way we are working on finalizing interior finishes to make sure we get things just right. Our goal is to preserve the original intent of the design while implementing the appropriate HVAC and lighting systems. On the lower level things are tricky, we are attempting to hide needed wiring while maintaining the exposed wood ceilings and lattice-work.
We were fortunate this past year to work on a variety of projects from warehouse, custom homes, to townhouses. Parkside Townhomes at Preston Lake is the most recent to break ground.
The classic craftsman inspired units feature a raised roofline, fiber-cement siding, and a first floor garage. The units have spacious open floorplans with full finished basement recreation rooms. There are hardwood floors in the living spaces, carpet in the bedrooms, and low VOC paints on the walls. The units have energy-efficient HVAC systems, quick recovery hot water heaters, CFL bulbs, energy star bath fans, programmable thermostats, mastic sealed ductwork, and air sealing in all the walls.
Read the Preston Lake – Parkside Townhomes final project update HERE.
Another new project is under construction and enjoying this mild winter weather. The Harrisonburg sustainable farmhouse is located just north of Harrisonburg city limits with some amazing views. The 3-bedroom home features an open floor plan that provides a living room, dining room, and kitchen space the brings family together. The master-bedroom suite has plenty of closet space and a luxurious master bath. The family room located on the main living level will provide a gathering space for many hours of fun and togetherness. The second floor has two bedrooms, a study, and a reading loft that opens into the living room on the first floor. The unfinished basement provides plenty of storage and future expansion space.
Read more about the Harrisonburg Sustainable Farmhouse HERE.
The progress on the Chesapeake Western Depot framing continues with this nice weather. The framing crew has been hard at work to get the second floor secure (lots of water damaged materials have been replaced). There are only a few new walls that are being added to allow for restrooms and a first floor conference room.
Skyline roofing has also been on site finishing up the new roof on the office portion of the building. The building is now safe to walk around on the second floor (mostly).
Some of the unique details of the building are emerging as things are cleaned up and damaged portions of the building are removed. The original integrity of the design is being maintained. It continues to amaze me that this structure built in 1913 is still functional and beautiful. I am looking forward to seeing it come back to life and shine.
Some additional historic photos were located to verify the original design. We still have not found any interior photos of the structure. If you have any, let us know.
Design on the exterior signage is in the works with Eddie Edwards Signs. What do you think?
Progress on the interior design continues. Here are some more selections that have been made for the restrooms and the break room. Our goal is to show a variety of styles around the building to act as a showroom for future projects.
The Chesapeake Western Depot framing will continue so long as we keep having these nice sunny days.
Want to see past updates and progress posts? Follow these links:
