GAF Mission

"to TEACH inner city youth and/or underprivileged persons to be successful entrepreneurs while revitalizing inner city neighborhoods with a concentration on socially responsible/sustainable business practices"

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Comment on Groundbreaking Ceremony by Mary Moultrie

← Our future home – 83 Warwick Street Photos of the Groundbreaking Ceremony →

Posted on June 23, 2010 by John Majercak

Our Groundbreaking ceremony yesterday was spectacular! Over 100 of our supporters and partners were on hand to celebrate the fact that we now own the property at 83 Warwick Street and construction is about to get underway.

The theme for the event was “We are all pieces of the puzzle,” to reflect on how many individual efforts are needed in order to piece together this project.

Instead of holding the traditional golden shovel, honored guests assembled an oversized puzzle. And everybody got a puzzle-themed pin (made from reclaimed trim and recycled paint, of course).

Here is a copy of the program that lists all of our supporters and partners.

Here’s ourmedia release from the event.

You can view some of the great media coverage at these . . . → Read More: Comment on Groundbreaking Ceremony by Mary Moultrie

Comment on Photos of the Groundbreaking Ceremony by Gerry LeBlanc

← Groundbreaking Ceremony Building plans →

Posted on July 10, 2010 by John Majercak

For those of you who missed our Groundbreaking – we’ve posted a photo album of the event on Facebook! Thanks again to everyone for making it such a great event.

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← Groundbreaking Ceremony Building plans →

One Response to Photos of the Groundbreaking Ceremony

Gerry LeBlanc says:

Great photos!

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Comment on Landscaping Day Two by Andrea Gauvin

← It has begun! Prepping The Lot For Drainage →

Posted on October 30, 2010 by admin

More amazing machinery and talented operators on the job today. They are recovering some awesome locust trees that will be milled into lumber for our new parapet. Check out the slide show to see the changes around the building (as in: now you can see the building) and how it is being accomplished. Now we can get to the walls to install our super insulated metal panels that will transform the performance and look of the building. Next up is transforming the overgrown, disintegrating parking lot into one with drainage that will meet USGBC LEED standards. We know our customers and donors will also enjoy the ample amount of parking spaces and the easy access to the store.

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. . . → Read More: Comment on Landscaping Day Two by Andrea Gauvin

Comment on Prepping The Lot For Drainage by Lisa

← Landscaping Day Two Selective Deconstruction Because That’s How We Roll →

Posted on December 2, 2010 by admin

Now the site is cleared and the work can begin to create the parking lot which will feature plenty of spots compared to our current lot.

While you will never see it, the drainage system will be very cool. In order to send storm water as slowly as possible into the city sewer system, we have installed a system of drywells that could contain a “50 year” storm. This is the worst storm that might come along only once every 50 years. The drywells are perforated cement containers fed by drains in the parking lot surface. There is enough capacity to contain the water from the “50 year” storm and let it gradually drain out through the perforations. Visit the drainage gallery to see more pictures of the . . . → Read More: Comment on Prepping The Lot For Drainage by Lisa

Comment on Envelope Design by Material reuse you can touch « Gasoline Alley Foundation

← Gearing up for the Grand Opening Material reuse you can touch →

Posted on November 4, 2011 by admin

If the new EcoBuilding Bargains’ exterior grabs your attention as you whiz down Armory Street – that’s what we’re intending. This is a high traffic corridor and not all the traffic will be coming to the store. They may be curious about the new construction on Warwick Street. We’d like them to know what’s up and be curious enough to stop by for a visit. For returning customers used to finding the store on Albany Street, the arresting green and white exterior will orient them to the new location.

But the building’s design is not just about bringing in customers, it’s also about showing how you can give new life to an older inefficient building. We definitely aim to show that repurposing older commercial buildings can be . . . → Read More: Comment on Envelope Design by Material reuse you can touch « Gasoline Alley Foundation

Comment on Landscaping Day Two by Suresh

← It has begun! Prepping The Lot For Drainage →

Posted on October 30, 2010 by admin

More amazing machinery and talented operators on the job today. They are recovering some awesome locust trees that will be milled into lumber for our new parapet. Check out the slide show to see the changes around the building (as in: now you can see the building) and how it is being accomplished. Now we can get to the walls to install our super insulated metal panels that will transform the performance and look of the building. Next up is transforming the overgrown, disintegrating parking lot into one with drainage that will meet USGBC LEED standards. We know our customers and donors will also enjoy the ample amount of parking spaces and the easy access to the store.

This entry was posted in Expansion. Bookmark the permalink.

. . . → Read More: Comment on Landscaping Day Two by Suresh

The Ever-Changing Landscape

← Making An Appearance Gearing up for the Grand Opening →

Posted on September 20, 2011 by John Grossman

If you’ve driven down Armory Street in recent weeks, you’ll notice that much about our landscape has changed. The chain link fence surrounding our property has been removed and replaced, with a lot of the brush cleaned up in the process. Our construction site is now very visible from the sidewalk and while driving by! Our parking lot is being slowly transformed with landscaping. The hill that connects the sidewalk to our parking lot will soon have lush green grass that has been planted through a process called hydroseeding, which grows grass quickly and is ideal for sloped areas. We kept an original rock retainer wall and will add a great variety of plants including Sweetfern, Red Twig Dogwood, Witchhazel and Northern Bayberry. Each of these plants requires minimal . . . → Read More: The Ever-Changing Landscape

Gearing up for the Grand Opening

← The Ever-Changing Landscape Envelope Design →

Posted on November 1, 2011 by admin

Greetings EcoBuilding Bargains friends!

In anticipation of the store’s Grand Opening Celebration, we thought we’d share some of the design decisions behind what you’ll see when you come for your visit.

If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ve read about some of the energy efficiency upgrades, including high performance insulation, heating and lighting, that will make this a national model for what you can do with an older, inefficient building.

SITELAB Architecture + Design has been working with the EcoBuilding Bargains team for the past fifteen months to make sure that your experience of the store is consistent with the non-profit’s innovative goals: to reuse valuable building materials, to make home improvement more affordable, and to create local jobs and provide job training.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be guest blogging to . . . → Read More: Gearing up for the Grand Opening

Envelope Design

← Gearing up for the Grand Opening Material reuse you can touch →

Posted on November 4, 2011 by admin

If the new EcoBuilding Bargains’ exterior grabs your attention as you whiz down Armory Street – that’s what we’re intending. This is a high traffic corridor and not all the traffic will be coming to the store. They may be curious about the new construction on Warwick Street. We’d like them to know what’s up and be curious enough to stop by for a visit. For returning customers used to finding the store on Albany Street, the arresting green and white exterior will orient them to the new location.

But the building’s design is not just about bringing in customers, it’s also about showing how you can give new life to an older inefficient building. We definitely aim to show that repurposing older commercial buildings can be . . . → Read More: Envelope Design

Material reuse you can touch

← Envelope Design

Posted on November 12, 2011 by admin

Repurposed materials are the EcoBuilding Bargains’ business. SITELAB Architecture + Design featured these materials throughout the design.

One example is the decorative parapet that adds warmth to the insulated metal panel facade. This will be constructed of locust, harvested onsite during the site preparation, run through the sawmill and returned to the site as lumber.

Customers will pass through the most obvious example of material reuse every day. The vestibule is structured with recovered timbers and infilled with reused glazed sliding doors and repurposed material panels. The material panels show ways that repurposed materials can be used in different patterns and textures depending on the quantities available.

For example, sometimes EcoBuilding Bargains has a selection of Hardi-plank siding but doesn’t have enough to complete the entire wall of a project. The vestibule shows how colors . . . → Read More: Material reuse you can touch