Materials

Throughout the building, materials were chosen to utilize and promote recycled, natural and renewable products. The Babbitt Room is a post and beam octagonal room. Posts were milled from Harris Center managed White Pine and the knee braces are from bent hardwood trees of oak, maple and birch, also from Harris Center managed property. The huge Douglas Fir rafters and compression ring were recycled from a mill building in Massachusetts, built in the early 1900’s.

The planks used on all four outdoor decks are made from recycled plastic grocery bags and waste wood. Both second floor decks are surrounded with railing and balustrades of recycled century-old cypress salvaged from river bottoms from the south-eastern U.S.

The clapboard siding is made from cement, sand and wood fibers. These replaced the old wooden clapboards and are resistant to rot and insect damage.

The kitchen flooring is a resilient material made from recycled automobile tires and reprocessed commercial roofing materials.

Linoleum is used for the bathroom floors and for desk and work table tops in the offices. Linoleum is made with all natural materials including linseed oil, wood flour, rosin binders and dry pigments, mixed and rolled onto a natural jute backing.

Much of the original wood flooring was reused by patching existing rooms with flooring removed from the north wing of the old building. All new wood flooring is Forest Stewardship Council “green certified” yellow birch from forests managed for sustainability.

Office carpeting consists of individual carpet tiles made with 100% recycled backing and 34% nylon face.