Best Fireplace: Pomfret School Events Center, Pomfret, Conn.
The inside/outside stone fireplace is the focal point of a beautiful space that was transformed from a storage shed into the Pomfret School Events Center.
Masons built the back-to-back fireplace with features they had never before constructed. Its 9-inch-thick bluestone chimney caps weigh about 5000 pounds each. The exterior stone perfectly matches the existing Fitness Center, and the interior stone was hand-selected by the fireplace’s designer. Some stones weighed more than two tons.
The designer found the hearthstone in the woods nearby. It was covered with mud, moss, and other debris, but after multiple detergents and pressure washing, the stone was deemed a perfect fit.
The fireplace contributes ingenuity and sustainability to the facility. Masons built a separation wall within the fireplace, using 8-inch-thick autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) units. The AAC acts as a thermal break between the indoors and outdoors.
Project Participants
Owner: Pomfret School, Pomfret, Conn.
Masonry Contractor: B.W. Dexter II Inc., Danielson, Conn.
General Contractor: Rose Construction, Pomfret
Designer: Kevin Tubridy, New England Design, Inc.
Architect: Karl Norton, Karl Norton Architect, LLC.
Structural Engineer: Girard & Co. LLP, Rocky Hill, Conn.
Masonry Suppliers: O & G Industries Inc., Bridgeport, Conn.; Connecticut Valley Block, West Springfield, Mass.
