Penn College donates property as future site of Habitat home

A vacant lot northwest of main campus has been donated by Pennsylvania College of Technology to Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity for construction of a single-family home by students, adding to the neighborhood’s character and returning the property to the tax rolls.

Nearly a decade ago, the parcel, at 508 Fifth Ave., held a tavern that was labeled by the Lycoming County District Attorney's Office as a “nuisance bar” and shut down. The residential-zoned property was purchased by the college in October 2015 and the building leveled, ultimately making way for this latest development.

Authorization to donate the property to Habitat was approved during an Oct. 12 meeting of Penn College’s Board of Directors.

“Building sustainably affordable housing is key to addressing the growing housing gap in the U.S. This means that as we continue to build new homes, they must be built cost-effectively and also be economic to maintain for the homeowner,” said Robert Robinson, executive director of Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity.

“The goal of this joint commitment is to build a ‘net zero’ structure that fits these critical objectives. Successfully implementing this will allow us to develop a model to propagate this environmental approach in future builds, while engaging students – our future construction leaders – in this new way of thinking. We can’t wait to get started.”

Equally eager is Ellyn A. Lester, assistant dean of construction and architectural technologies, and project manager for Penn College.

“We are so excited that this project is becoming a reality. So much preparation has already taken place to get to this point – and there’s much more to go – even before the groundbreaking next summer,” she said.

“In the meantime, our core team will be working on final design details, a project estimate and the construction schedule, which is more complicated as the work must also align with the learning outcomes in quite a few classes.”

Planning has already included much of the academic community, including team members from building construction technology, as well as the concrete science; electrical construction; heating, ventilation & air conditioning technology; and heavy construction equipment technology: operator emphasis programs.

Among the numerous faculty members involved is Garret L. Graff, assistant professor of building construction technology, who will coordinate on-site activity as construction supervisor on behalf of the college.

Penn College’s investment in the project – including land acquisition and demolition – is estimated at $175,000. In late March, the Lycoming County Commissioners approved a grant for $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding for construction materials for the project.

The Habitat chapter will also have a substantial financial outlay, including raising additional requirements, donated services and materials, and preparing the selected family for first-time homeownership. Homeowners will be chosen from applicant families earning less than 80% of the area median income. In addition to a mortgage not greater than 30% of annual income, local Habitat homeowners pay an average of $3,283 in real estate taxes each year.

“Penn College students have worked very effectively with Greater Lycoming Habitat for a number of years. They’ve done a lot of the concrete and other work on various build sites,” said Duane Hershberger, Robinson’s predecessor as executive director.

This larger partnership is very gratifying, he added, giving students firsthand experience by applying their construction technology skills to the significant and growing national need for affordable housing.

As an alumnus of Penn College, as well as having served as an adjunct faculty member, Andrew J. Hamelly has a unique understanding of those skills.

Employed as Habitat’s construction supervisor for the past year, he brings to his position experience as a self-employed contractor and three diplomas: two associate degrees – building construction technology in 2005 and building construction technology: masonry emphasis in 2007 – and a bachelor’s in residential construction technology & management: building construction technology concentration in 2007.

“Everything having to do with the physical building of the house will fall on my shoulders,” Hamelly said. Paramount on Habitat’s thorough checklist are design, accessibility, sustainability and durability, and he will be among those ensuring that the project meets the nonprofit’s mission of providing a “simple, decent, affordable home to live in.”

This particular home is among 11 that this affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International plans to complete by December 2027, adding to the 40 constructed in Lycoming County since 1990. Projects on Scott Street in Williamsport, Clark Street in South Williamsport and the Penn College build translate into no shortage of responsibility for Hamelly.

Before ground is even broken along Fifth Avenue and crews turn their strengths toward a projected Spring 2026 completion, students have been involved. Last year, Geoffrey M. Campbell challenged his fifth-semester Architectural Design Studio IV class to focus on passive design – placing strong emphasis on the use of the sun to heat and light a building.

Particular attention is devoted in the course to Passive House Institute U.S. standards for designing and building energy-efficient homes. Campbell and colleague Dorothy J. Gerring, an associate professor of architecture also aiding the project, are PHIUS Certified Passive House Consultants, as is architecture alumna Haley M. Kalvin-Gold (’22 and ’23), who works full time for the institute.

“After studying the Passive House approach at the start of the semester, the Fall 2022 BSD332 students were given the challenge of designing a Passive House for the Fifth Avenue site that Penn College planned to donate to Habitat for Humanity,” explained Campbell, an assistant professor of architecture.

A Passive House is typically oriented to the sun, with the majority of the windows facing south for solar access.  The walls are typically much thicker than an average home, a foot or more depending on the climate, and are super-insulated with R-values (a measure of insulation's ability to resist heat traveling through it) far beyond the minimum required by the local building code.

“The idea is to gain a significant amount of heat from the sun in the winter, and to retain it throughout the day and into the night,” Campbell explained. “These types of homes have airtight construction, so that once you let the heat in, you hold on to it.”

Older homes regularly lose their conditioned air through cracks in the walls and voids in the insulation, he said, requiring constant work by mechanical systems to replace it.

“The efficiency of this approach can result in significant savings on energy expenses,” Campbell said. “The sun and the house itself do much of the work that, in the past, would have been done by the mechanical system. Buildings designed to the Passive House standard can save up to 80% or 90% on energy costs compared to a typical home.”

Equipped with that foundational knowledge base, the group met with Hershberger, who helped define such aspects of the home as overall size and the number of bedrooms, then spent several weeks developing their solutions.

Students created highly energy-efficient designs compatible with aesthetics of the neighborhood – designs that were reviewed by Hershberger, Lester and Hamelly. The jurors’ chosen project was the work of Sadie S.E. Niedermyer, who earned an associate degree in architecture last year and is working toward her bachelor’s in architecture & sustainable design.

“One of the most difficult aspects of the project was making the design ‘net zero’ while maintaining the layout requirements and standards set by Habitat for Humanity,” said Niedermyer, of Spring Mills. “Essentially, not only does this house need to be extremely energy-efficient – producing as much energy as it uses – but it has to meet strict economic and size standards.”

Niedermyer addressed this by creating a compact two-story residence. Little of the floorplan is dedicated strictly to circulation; instead, she chose an open floor plan to optimize the living space. Photovoltaic panels were used on the south-facing portion of the roof; the dwelling was strategically placed to take advantage of the solar gains, orientation and site.

“Opportunities for additions and a future driveway were also considered in the design,” she noted. “It is not standard for Habitat for Humanity homes to have a garage or driveway, but I left additional open space on the site so that they could potentially be easily added.”

Niedermyer has worked for three years with Albert A. Drobka, a State College-based architect, and is no stranger to seeing her designs become real. Even if the novelty has worn off, though, the rewards never pale.

“I am still proud of the accomplishment and am excited to see it completed!” she said.

Niedermyer’s vision for the home will likely be altered during the construction process, but Campbell said she did “an exceptional job” in aligning her project with PHIUS standards.

“Her design is very compact in form, which is something you typically see with a Passive House,” he said.  “A compact form results in a smaller surface area-to-volume ratio, which requires less air conditioning and which helps to minimize heat loss through the walls.”

Niedermyer’s plans drew praise for efficiency in layout; no space is wasted, and her design is appropriate within the budgetary and material confines of a Habitat project.

“Sadie’s solution is beautiful in its simplicity, but also highly advanced in its application of the Passive House principles,” Campbell said. “It will make a wonderful home for the future Habitat family.”

For more about Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity, call 570-322-2515.

For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.