Green office being built on Franklin Pike

by Wanda Combs
Editor

Wall Residences, which provides services in home settings for people with various disabilities, is constructing a new office building on Franklin Pike in Floyd.
Jack Wall and Kamala Bauers, founders of the organization, have been operating the business out of their home. In its beginnings, in 1995, Wall Residences had the founders and only part-time help in the office. As the business has grown, the number of employees has increased, and Wall said there is a need to expand office space. “We’ve been looking for awhile at the property and building design.”
Construction began recently, and the foundation is already in place. A temporary access to the site is located off Sam’s Road. Eventually the main entrance will be at 718 Franklin Pike.
The wood frame building will have a stucco appearance and a rock façade foundation and will provide over 5,000 square feet on the main floor. In addition, a basement, serving as a storage/archive area, will have 2,500 square feet.
The green building will meet the silver standard for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Contractor for the project is Jack’s son, David Wall, who also worked on Hotel Floyd (owned by Jack Wall and Kamala Bauers). Architect for the office building is Peter Ozolins, who is LEED accredited.
The environmental friendly structure will also include an 8,000-gallon water storage tank, which will collect all water that comes off the roof and recycle it for water needs in the building.
The project will also have a solar farm. Wall said the solar photo panels will provide half of the electricity. The solar panels will collect power on the sunny days, and excess power will be pushed back into the utility (AEP) system. The utility will absorb the excess power into the grid, and when this property needs more than they’re generating, they will have access to that power through the utility.
Eventually the owners will also explore wind power on the property.
Wall said the goal is to be net zero in non-renewable energy.
The owners have a long-term plan to include a residential community on this property, which includes 78 acres. Wall and Bauers will also live there.
The office building is being constructed to serve 14 employees comfortably. Wall Residences currently employs 8, who work in addition to the owners. Wall said he anticipates adding two more employees once the building is completed.