Hixson Ave Ground Blessing Ceremony

Please join us as we celebrate our Groundbreaking / Ground Blessing Ceremony for two houses on Hixson Ave! All are welcome as kick-off these two houses on Thursday, March 23, 2017 @ 10 am. The site is located at the corner of Hixson Ave and Boyden Street on the east side of Syracuse. You can find directions here.

A Collaboration for a More Sustainable Community

The collaboration between Syracuse Habitat for Humanity and the MCAA Upstate New York Chapter (founded in 2015), with the support of local planners and construction trades, allows for a unique opportunity to test out a new model for the development of Habitat Houses in Syracuse. This collaboration combines Syracuse Habitat's mission to "develop communities with people in need by building and renovating houses, so that there are decent houses in decent communities in which people can live and grow into all that God intended," and the MCAA Upstate New York Chapter's mission "to preserve and promote the masonry industry by providing training for masons, advocating fair codes and standards, fostering a safe work environment and marketing the benefits of masonry materials. The Upstate NY Chapter will provide services to the masonry industry throughout the Southern tier and all of Upstate New York.

The two houses intend to prove that through the generous funding of labor and materials, through the support of the MCAA and a wide range of local planners and construction companies, that Habitat will be able to build on an annual basis more long lasting and sustainable houses. The key component of the collaboration is the construction of the masonry for the houses by the MCAA as an educational opportunity for their apprentices.

The ultimate goal of the project is to help build a stronger and more sustainable community through the collaboration of the local volunteers, trades, and professionals, and to advocate for the local construction industry by offering opportunities for the promotion and training of young construction professionals.

Construction:

• Highly insulated concrete block exterior walls and wood roof construction

• Reduced energy costs through high efficiency floor heating, high insulation values, and thermal mass storage capacity of block construction

• Longevity and durability through solid concrete block (CMU) construction

• Condensed plan and sections that allow for a feeling of generous space despite the small square footage.