Rowan Helping Ministries

Salisbury, NC

Rowan Helping Ministries, a non-profit shelter for the homeless, needed a budget conscious solution to provide services for an expanding homeless population. RBSA accomplished this by arranging spaces and building elements to shade or collect sunlight at the appropriate times of the year, creating a passive solar tempered heating and cooling system. An interior masonry thermal mass wall runs along the entire main corridor to capture and store solar energy and slowly release that heat after the sun goes down. RBSA performed shade mapping studies tracking the path of the sun through the building throughout the year. This also plays hand-in-hand with solar daylighting given lighting utility costs are significantly reduced by simply being intentional with how light enters the building. The facility houses over 100 guests every day and will provide long term, cost savings so that RHM can concentrate more on serving their guests and less on their facility utility costs.