Green Building Elements

Can a bad economy save the planet?

Let’s be honest, construction companies and home builders are facing terrible times.  New building construction has ground to a halt and the subprime mortgage fiasco resulted in plummeting home values, leaving many builders with homes that were worth less than the cost of construction.   The longer the recession – some say through 2010, some say longer – the more companies will have to lay off employees or go under altogether.  There’s not much of a silver lining to this dark cloud, but one good thing looks to come out of it.  The green building market, which had been slowly increasing its share of the overall construction market prior to the market slowdown, is poised to provide a much needed spark in the construction market through a new public works program proposed by Barack Obama that will include a focus on energy efficiency in buildings.  With a national movement toward green building practices, there is a very real possibility that once the current recession is over, the majority of new commercial buildings and houses will be much more energy efficient, sustainable, and healthier than current building standards.

An Opportunity for Change

For those with long term vision, a market slowdown can be good for an industry.  It is an opportunity for a reevaluation of business practices.  When things are going well, there’s no incentive to change, even if those changes can mean greater energy efficiency and more of a focus on sustainability and health.  But a slowdown gives companies not only the time to research new innovations but the financial incentive to seek new revenue streams.  Consumer behavior is trending green, with 73% saying they would pay more for products that are better for the environment and 89% saying they’d pay more for products that will reduce heating and cooling costs, according to a survey done by the Opinion Research Corporation. Read the rest of this entry »

As Bugs Bunny used to say “What’s up Doc?” In the newly opened chiropractic office the reply would be “green”, as in green building. Yes, green building continues its march into the homes and offices across America and some doctors realize that sustainable interiors means healthy patients (or at least healthier). Take for instance, the new Executive Express Chiropractic designed by Martinkovic Milford Architects and built by Peacock Construction. A small place to be sure but the designers make good use of space to mention the healthy additions.

When we entered, we couldn’t help but notice the curved leather wall. We even stuck our grills right against the wall to smell the leather. Yep, it smells like leather. It actually is. But the green minded architects didn’t lose their minds, they used EcoDomo, which uses real leather scraps from shoes, and other leather manufacturing facilities, then grind it into shreds. They use water and other natural binding ingredients (mostly natural rubber and acacia wood bark) then eventually deliver them with a sticky peel-off back that requires no off-gassing adhesives.

We never claimed to be interior decorators but we can appreciate the Maya Romanoff paper wall covering that smartens up the treatment area. The covering looks even smarter when considering that it comes by way of stamping rayon fibers on wet wood pulp, which produce an attractive wall covering that displays both texture and depth.  The wall covering comes from rapidly renewable materials, particularly Mulberry, and is 100% biodegradable.

The designers added several other green elements including:  Benjamin Moore Eco-Spec paint, the treatment room dividers come from the 3-form “full circle” line that uses a form of fair trade for the families in Nepal who helped raise the silkworms to create the striking panels, and even the artwork and mirror framing employs FSC certified wood.

One thing kind of bugs us. The marble countertops and shelves come from EuroStone which create these products from and combo of 90% recycled marble chips and a polyester resin as binding agent. Excluding the resin as a natural element, it’s walking a pretty thin line to claim that using marble chips from quarries would be considered green. If they didn’t mine the resource in the first place then no chips would exist.

Who’s next in the waiting room?

Mostly when we talk about LEED certified buildings we think about office buildings or government centers but here we scope out another first. The Advanced Data Center building in Sac-town already became the first data center to be pre-certified LEED Platinum. Surprised? You bet. Most people think that these data centers with all of the computers are huge energy hogs, and they’re right. That’s why the firm had to work extra hard to create efficient cooling systems. They designed a cooling system called an “air-side economizer” that reduces energy use through careful airflow, and water-flow design and to utilize outside air because the temperature and humidity reamin in the correct range for 75% of the year.

Besides being so cool with the air side efficiency, we like their H2O technology savings effort. They utilize recycled (grey) water from a local municipal water system and captured roof rainwater for landscaping, restrooms and cooling tower backup. They even went so far as to install low- and even better no-water fixtures in restrooms.

Someone was either thinking about LEED points, just doing the right thing or perhaps tax breaks but the fact that the ADC built the location on a brownfield in the former McClellan Air Force Base shows some real foresight and green thinking. It didn’t even scare them that the site contains polluted groundwater 350 feet below the building.

Perhaps the military should take a clue from companies such as ADC when considering how to use (or abuse) the land that they seem to be protecting.

Up here in the Bay Area where people are crazy about their wine and their green building, Gonzalez winery decided to combine both. No, the Monterey County based isn’t the first local winery to go solar but when this 170,000 square foot system gets up and running it will represent the largest solar installation at a winery.

The 1.2 megawatt solar system, built by Pacific Power Management, will provide about 50 percent of the winery’s total energy and putting those numbers into environmental benefits will be equal to planting 2500 acres of trees o put another way taking 2,083 cars off the road.

Even though we applaud the massive move toward solar we’d like to see more wineries move toward other sustainable aspects and not just energy related ones. We don’t expect all wineries to start creating organic wines, however several wineries have moved to biodynamic practices or even grow organic grapes. Some wineries continue the sustainable movement with social justice practices such as maintaining a fairly paid, year round labor force instead of hiring lower paid seasonal workers.

We’re all for the tipping a few glasses of solar produced wine but that’s only the first step in bringing a winery to the next level.

Imagine houses with six feet-thick seaweed roofs, deep-nestled and hand-carved cave homes, and pigeon-harboring huts made of mud. Sounds a little unreal, huh? Well, this and more is all vividly documented in Built By Hand: Vernacular Buildings Around the World, a most inspiring bit of natural building eye candy I recently had the fortune of stumbling upon. Built by Hand is a hardcover collection of photographs of traditional buildings of all styles across the globe.

If you weren’t already appalled by the house design atrocity known as the McMansion, Built By Hand will make you pine ever harder for more intimate, natural, sensible, and green home designs that can be found all over the world, still being built by indigenous peoples and sometimes mimicked by enterprising, modern day natural home builders.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lost in the economic and political circus of the recent weeks was the failure of congress to extend tax credits for alternative energy companies and homeowners who install solar-power systems. Both the Senate and the House wrote similar bills extending the tax credits and lifting the cap for residential solar-power installation. Until the end of this year, homeowners can receive a federal tax credit of 30% of the cost of a solar-power system, capped at $2,000. With that cap lifted, tax credits to homeowners installing solar-power systems increase dramatically, potentially saving homeowners over $10,000 on home solar systems. In addition, companies that produce electricity from wind will get a one year extension on tax credits, companies that produce electricity from solar will get an eight year extension on tax credits, and companies that produce electricity from other types of alternative energy will get a two year extension on tax credits.

Unfortunately, the Senate and House could not agree on how the continuation of tax credits would be paid for. In the past, such cuts were paid for by eliminating tax breaks for hedge fund managers and from tax increases on oil profits. With no progress made by the end of the session, these tax credits would disappear at the beginning of 2009. A coalition of renewable energy industry representatives warned that billions in research and hundreds of thousands of alternative energy jobs would be lost if the tax credits were not renewed. As of last week, this seemed the likely outcome. The Wall Street meltdown and the failure of the House to pass a bailout bill have given the tax credits new life. Read the rest of this entry »

Home builders that embrace green construction strategies will be in the best place to increase sales as the housing market changes, according to Paul Cardis in his article “Green Design And Construction Lead the Way to Customer Delight”.  He offers four tips for home builders that want to tap into the upcoming market for energy efficient and green homes:

1. “Go green.”  More and more consumers are realizing the importance of buying green homes.  Energy efficiency measures alone can save them thousands each year.  The rising number of “light green” consumers, those motivated to go green by the promise of energy cost savings, is going to push the demand for these types of homes.  “Dark green” consumers, those who have been on the bandwagon for years and are doing it out of their beliefs about the planet, are going to be looking for more than just energy efficiency.  Features like recycled materials, indoor air quality, local materials, and non-toxic interiors are going to be popular with this set.

2. “Share your green philosophy.”  This ties in closely with the next point, but consumers want to know that their home builder is doing all they can to reduce their impact on the environment, as well as reduce costs.  Including a green philosophy in your marketing materials may make the difference between who a consumer chooses to buy their house from.  It is important to make sure this philosophy extends beyond just buildings and construction practices.  Take a look at day-to-day business practices to see if they can be “greened up.”

3. “Find your green niche.”  Cardis advocates knowing your potential customers “so you can combine tangible value with the green benefits they want and can afford.”  Whether it be high-end or low-income housing, each presents its own green design challenges.  Knowing what your customer base can afford, and where their money is best spent, can help you gain their confidence, and, hopefully, their business.

4. “Avoid green washing.”  Basically, don’t make promises you can’t keep.  Some home builders are guaranteeing that their houses will not cost more than X dollars a year to heat and cool.  If you can make such a promise, great, but be ready to pay if the house doesn’t perform.  Be sure to research materials and equipment carefully, as the green claims of some products are not always true.  Make sure that if you are advertising a “no VOC” (volatile organic compound) house, that all of your materials measure up.

The folks over at Food Service Warehouse are celebrating the announcement of their Certified Green Commercial Kitchens program by announcing a green commercial kitchen contest, with $40,000 worth of kitchen equipment and supplies going to the winner.  If you operate a commercial kitchen and have taken steps to make it greener, fill out the form by October 31 to enter the contest. It’s free and the prizes include a refrigerator/freezer, steamer, fryer, ice machine, oven, and more.

Food Service Warehouse is an online source for commercial kitchen equipment that has taken impressive steps in encouraging green commercial kitchen practices.  They have devoted dozens of pages to explaining the advantages of going green and giving practical advice on how to achieve it. Read the rest of this entry »

Early pioneers of the green movement must be conflicted: Their message has been heard and the green movement has seeped into every facet of our lives, from cars to buildings to food.  But with the movement’s popularity has come what many see as a hijacking of green sensibilities by people and companies who are trying to sell their products, many of which are either only marginally green or completely unnecessary. If the goal is to leave a smaller carbon footprint, to reduce waste, or to conserve energy or resources, we should buy fewer products, not more.

Let’s not start demonizing the corporations, especially those who have advanced conservationism through energy and fuel saving technologies, new environmentally-friendly products at lower prices, and new ways to recycle.  It’s no coincidence that the popularity of the green movement increased dramatically when corporations began to adopt – and promote – green practices.  Conservationism cannot be seen as the enemy of consumerism, but rather a lens through which to view it. Read the rest of this entry »

“Greater energy efficiency drives consumers to choose a green-built home,” according to a survey by the National Association of Home Builders.  With the cost of fuel skyrocketing, and consumers looking to fuel efficient cars to help at the pump, it is no surprise that they would also be looking for energy efficiency from their buildings.

According to the survey, which polled 800 registered voters about how important certain features would be in their decision to build a green home or remodel their current home to be more green, 64% said that energy efficiency would be the most important feature, the healthier environment of green homes came in second at 55%, and 49% percent believed it would be the right thing to do for the environment.

Home builders and designers who can provide energy efficient homes will have a better chance of surviving the recent housing slump.  While general home sales are down, recent studies have shown that the sale of green homes is remaining steady.  Green houses also tend to be worth more.

The one concern most consumers have is the cost of green homes.  While tax credits and rebates help, home owners should be looking at the long term benefits of owning green.  With lower energy and maintenance costs over time, the additional premium is worth it.  Also, as technology and building techniques evolve, construction costs will come down.

In today’s volatile fuel market, energy efficient buildings are going to be all the rage, and delivering quality homes at a reasonable price will help many builders rise above the slumping market.