sustainable design

The Riverhead Sewer District was required to upgrade the existing sewage treatment plant in order to achieve a total nitrogen effluent limitation of 3.2 mg’l based on the total maximum daily load (TMDL) conducted for the Peconic Estuary Program. Due to the location of the Suffolk County Indian Island Golf Course, adjacent to the wastewater treatment plant, wastewater effluent will be used seasonally as an alternative water supply source for irrigation of up to 450,000 gallons per day. This is the first wastewater reuse project in New York. Benefits from this project extend well beyond nitrogen loading within the Peconic Estuary. Water shortages may change the water supply conditions that are currently taken for granted. The golf course currently utilizes on-site wells for irrigation. Continued use of groundwater as the irrigation source of supply is bound to affect the salt water / fresh water boundary. Irrigation with potable water from the local municipal system is already expensive and puts a stress on the existing potable water supply. We designed the treatment plant upgrade and water reuse systems. The design included the installation of all process equipment including, but not limited to: headworks fine screen, screenings, washings, add air diffusers to the existing Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) tank, convert the existing post-equalization tank to Membrane Biological Reactor (MBR) system, aeration blowers, pumps, chemical feed equipment, polymer mixing and feed equipment, controls, piping, backflow preventers, convert the existing trickling filter tanks to treated effluent tanks, a booster pump for the treatment plant effluent re-use system, a booster pump to supply treatment plant effluent for irrigation use at the adjoining golf course, UV disinfection equipment for WWTP discharge, and a closed vessel UV disinfection system for the golf course re-use systems. The electrical design included a primary electrical service, main secondary feeders, power distribution, and instrumentation control wiring, standby generator for new equpment, and motor control centers. We also prepared the structural, architectural, mechanical, plumbing and HVAC designs. Since permit levels of treatment must be maintained during construction, certain existing process equipment and units cannot be taken offline until new facilities are placed into permanent, fault free operation. Consequently, we included the specifications a construction sequence. During construction we provided construction administration and resident construction inspection services. We also prepared an operation and maintenance manual for the upgraded advanced wastewater treatment system and the water reuse systems.

As part of a city-wide revitalization effort, H2M designed Park Terrace at Croton Heights, a four-story senior housing apartment building located in the City of Yonkers, Westchester County, New York. The Richman Group, the developer, embarked on the project in an abandoned area that had been left to deteriorate over the years. The goals of the project were to develop affordable senior housing while incorporating a variety of green building techniques for sustainability, energy use, lighting, water, materials, and indoor air quality. The building, designed with LEED Gold certification in mind, is transit-oriented and located within walking distance of local amenities. Other green features include: an air-tight building envelope; high-efficiency heating and cooling systems; ENERGY STAR-rated lighting fixtures, windows, and appliances; low-flow plumbing fixtures; low-VOC paints, carpets, and flooring; and a continuous fresh air ventilation system.

When Port Jefferson’s wastewater treatment facility was faced with more stringent Long Island Sound nitrogen pollutant loading, the Suffolk County Department of Public Works sought to increase the quality of the plant’s effluent while preserving as much of the existing plant infrastructure as possible. H2M proposed a new sequencing batch reactor (SBR) that reused all of the plant’s existing process tanks. A multi-stage, absorption odor control system was provided for the thickened sludge storage tank, and the plant’s original chlorine disinfection system was replaced with an ultraviolet disinfection system. In addition, a new operations building was constructed to house control ancillary equipment such as: the sludge belt thickener; polymer feed and mixing system; air supply blowers; electrical motor control centers; and control panels. The new facilities were designed into the site’s natural steep slopes to maximize the buffer distance to neighboring residences and to maintain the existing natural landscaping. The new process system discharges a superior-quality effluent with less than 4.0 mg/l total nitrogen, in accordance with the Long Island Sound Study requirements.

The Stony Brook Hotel is a Hilton Garden Inn and is located on the main campus of Stony Brook University. H2M worked closely with the developer and the University to design a building that would fit into the campus aesthetic while meeting the requirements for the Hilton Hotel brand. The new 89,458 square foot, five-story hotel features 135 guest rooms, a full commercial kitchen, dining room, 3,500 square feet of meeting room space, swimming pool and spa, fitness center, and many other amenities. With the assistance of a LEED consultant, the building has earned a United States Green Building Council (USGBC) rating of LEED Silver. One of the challenges presented was ensuring connectivity of the building’s sanitary sewer system to the existing gravity sewer along Nicolls Road. Due to the elevation of the hotel building and the shallow elevation of the existing sewer main, it was not possible to connect to that line directly. The solution was to design a new gravity sewer main parallel to the existing one and connect it to an existing manhole further downstream to the north. Unfortunately, the new sewer line had to cross the Stony Brook University main entrance to campus. Without disrupting traffic and tearing up the main entrance, the new sewer line was constructed by “jacking” the pipes under the entrance road.

For over 55 years, the Mastic Volunteer Ambulance Company has been providing emergency medical services to the communities of Mastic, Shirley, Mastic Beach, and Moriches, responding to up to 3,000 calls per year. The current home of Mastic Ambulance is undergoing a much-needed renovation and addition, as the company has outgrown the facility and is in dire need of additional apparatus storage space, administrative space, and meeting space. Vehicles are currently stored outside and there is no proper meeting space for members or the Board. This project, which will pursue LEED Gold certification, was designed to repurpose as much of the existing building as possible while keeping any additions as green as possible. The new design incorporates six additional apparatus bays, as well as a second-floor addition of meeting and administrative space. Among its many sustainable features are a geothermal heating and cooling system, low-flow water fixtures, recycled building materials, and a white roof. In addition, a Structural Insulated Panel System (SIPS) will be utilized for the exterior wall and roof packages, providing continuous insulation for the entire building envelope. This will drastically reduce the facility’s heating and cooling demands.

What does it take to revitalize a struggling downtown in the midst of an economic downturn? Leadership, public and private investment, and community support—not to mention a first-class wastewater treatment plant. With H2M’s help, the Village of Patchogue, NY, recently upgraded and expanded their Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP); the new upgrades include a new headworks section with grinder and auger, grit removal, pump station, IFAS STM-Aerotor process, Secondary Clarifiers with a dry pit sludge pump station, ultraviolet disinfection, and a Membrane Sludge Thickening (MBT) system. The upgrade and expansion reduced the plant’s average nitrogen loading by 80 percent—from 47.5 lbs. per day to less than 9 lbs. per day—improving the water quality of the Patchogue River, Great South Bay, and South Shore estuary. The use of a Membrane Sludge Thickening (MBT) process reduced the amount of sludge to be hauled to another Suffolk County facility, saving the Village $330,000 per year at the current flow rate, and over $1.0 million per year at full capacity. Fast-track design enabled the securing of grants to cover 66% of the project’s budget. Most importantly, the project has created an engine for revitalization of the Village of Patchogue’s downtown and surrounding areas, as expanding the sewer plant’s capacity provided opportunities to connect new and existing businesses. New connections have resulted in additional revenue for the Village, offsetting maintenance operation and future expansion costs. The result has been a staggering multi-million-dollar investment in Patchogue’s revitalization efforts. "Over the past eight years, there has been over $150 million dollars’ worth of public and private investment in the Village of Patchogue, with another $150 million currently underway,” said Village Mayor Paul Pontieri. “This type of investment doesn't happen without a wastewater treatment plant. It also doesn't happen without the right partners, and for Patchogue, that partner has been H2M.”

H2M recently renovated two Long Island Mercedes-Benz car dealerships using cutting-edge designs, while also reducing the dealerships’ carbon footprints. Mercedes-Benz of Smithtown and Mercedes-Benz of Huntington have been updated to reflect Mercedes-Benz USA’s new corporate identity standards. Mercedes-Benz of Smithtown vertically expanded their facility by over 26,000 square feet, with a new basement and a second story addition. The project included the demolition of one half of the original showroom. Utilizing MB USA’s corporate identity standards, H2M modified the corporate space standards to meet the competition’s needs. A white TPO roof was installed to keep the building cooler in summer, and the showroom features a car elevator to bring vehicles stored in the basement up to the showroom floor. Mercedes-Benz of Huntington added over 7,000 square feet. of floor space and a brand new, 163 square feet. drive-in recycled water car wash. The car wash captures and filters greywater, introducing only 20% fresh water to each wash. The new two-story showroom allows for cars to be displayed on both levels. Both facilities feature an abundance of sustainable features. A Building Management System (BMS) is used to control air conditioning and heating. All units are tied into a central control module, which allows for remote access to the units from a computer, cell phone or tablet. Units automatically adjust to internal and external temperatures to keep the interior spaces at a constant temperature. Personnel elevators at both showrooms feature a Machine-Roomless (MRL) elevator. This type of elevator is traction driven, using less electricity and no hydraulic fluids or oils. One of the most striking features of both designs is the floor to ceiling glass walls that make up three sides of each showroom. Spanning over 20 feet, the glass walls utilize double-pane, tinted, low-E glass, which reduces solar gain through the glass and insulates better than regular double-pane glass. The full height glass walls rely on internal structural reinforcement for support.

As one of the Top 10 busiest ambulance companies in New York State, the Manorville Community Ambulance Company was long overdue for an expansion. Extra space was needed to accommodate an additional ambulance, a staff of 35 responders, and other administrative personnel working on site. H2M was hired by the Town of Brookhaven to design a new, state-of-the-art facility to replace the aging building that had housed the company for over 26 years. When the Town decided to proceed with the necessary changes, it decided to make them green. Having applied for LEED Silver accreditation, the final design warranted 33% more energy efficiency than the baseline building. The building design included a geothermal heating and cooling system; solar panels to supply solar hot water; daylight harvesting; and green, renewable finishes such as rubber flooring, low-flow water fixtures, high performance windows with sunshades, a white roof, radiant heat, and porous pavement. To complete the aesthetic, choices for the exterior design consist of brick and block, in earth tones that complement the adjacent farmland.