Archive for the ‘Green real estate’ Category
November 9th, 2008
Doing Business in a Green Office Building
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Written by John Ivanko, courtesy of Sustainablog.org
For a growing number of people, sustainable living means endeavoring as ecopreneurs for organizations with missions they believe in while working in a “green office” space that incorporates green or sustainable design. Typically, “green design” addresses energy efficiency, preservation of resources and the minimization of detrimental effects of construction - if not also improving the health and well-being of the local community as a whole. Some ecopreneurs might work from a home green office, like me, while others find it necessary to gather in office spaces that are, in various ways, ecologically sound and healthier for all.
In State College, Pennsylvania, I had the opportunity to tour the 2,400 square feet Matson & Associates Eco-Building, home to three ecopreneurial enterprises: Matson & Associates, an environmental assessment services company, often engaged to provide “expert witness” testimonials on some of the most timely waste processes issues; Envinity, a green building and home energy audit consultancy; and Matson Biofuels, a company developing a more ecological and non-toxic approach to making biodiesel called Green Biodiesel. For all three of these triple bottom line green enterprises, it’s not just what you create with your product or service — but where you work to create it.
As one of the first examples of green architecture and integrated energy efficient design in State College, the Matson & Associates Eco-Building received the Energy Star certification as a residential office in 2007. The Energy Star certification designates buildings that use 30 percent or less energy than similar code compliant buildings. As an added bonus, the construction cost of this green building was no greater than that for a conventional one.
“It’s a healthy and beautiful building, flushed with sunlight,” says Kevin Gombotz, partner with Matson & Associates who heads up their special projects and new business development. “It’s been landscaped with native plants and embraces its sense of place.” For the building, much of the mixed grade lumber of pine, hemlock and maple used in the framing and finishing were locally harvested.
“I came from an engineering background, working in both a laboratory and cubicle,” continues Gombotz, who lived in a portion of the residential office space for three years before the entire building was converted exclusively to office space use. “This building has a powerful impact on our physical and psychological well being. With daylight pouring in the windows and surrounded by nature on our narrow lot, it inspires our professional collaborations and serves as a canvas for what it possible for either residential or commercial office space.”
In addition to many low or non-volatile organic compound sealers and paints, the Matson & Associates Eco-Building features passive solar design, tongue and grove maple from a local mill, and concrete slab floor which functions as a temperature regulator and also contains an in-floor radiant heating system. The foundation incorporated 35 percent slag, a waste product of iron smelters. Given its four season climate, great efforts were taken to maximize insulation using cellulose made with recycled newspaper as well as polyurethane structural insulated panels, or SIPs, cutting down the use of materials since the framing is included with the insulation.
Heating is provided with an eighty-five percent efficiency, propane fired, tankless hot water heater for both in-floor radiant heat and hot tap water needs. By using ceiling fans and a heat chimney to promote air movement, the building requires no air conditioning, lowering energy needs and eliminating emissions of CFCs and halons. The roof employed 57 percent recycled steel with a fifty to eighty year life expectancy.
As I write about in ECOpreneuring, in an increasingly challenging business environment and economy, not only will the triple bottom line enterprises tend to thrive, they will also be even more profitable than their more conventional competition due to their carefully and sustainably crafted workspaces.
Popularity: 2% [?]
November 5th, 2008
Your Eco-Friendly Home: A Guide to Your Dream Green Abode
If the current buyers’ market has you ready to buy the eco-home of your dreams, pick up a copy of Your Eco-Friendly Home: Buying, Building, Remodeling Green by Sid Davis. This guide gives you all the general home building, buying or renovating information you need, be it the low down on mortgages, credit scores, or contracting. But Your Eco-Friendly Home then takes you a step further, explaining how to make your home as green as possible while keeping your budgetary and other individual needs in mind.
Your Eco-Friendly Home is divided into 3 sections — buying, building, and remodeling — so readers can skip ahead to the section that’s most relevant to them. This no-nonsense book wastes no time convincing you why a green home’s desirable, as anyone who picks up the book is likely already aware of both the environmental and personal benefits a green living space provides. Instead, Your Eco-Friendly Home dives right into the thick of things, kicking off the first chapter by explaining why you should begin your home search not by immediately looking at houses, but by get your loan pre-approval letter.
Throughout the book, Your Eco-Friendly Home provides helpful checklists, such as “11 Things to Consider Before Making an Offer” and “Avoiding the 7 Biggest Mistakes that Many New Green Homeowners Make.” There’s advice on finding the help you need, whether it’s an eco-friendly real estate agent, a green architect, or a knowledgeable contractor. And there’s easy-to-understand information on how you can accrue passive energy savings, pick out the best ventilation system, and decide on whether to invest in solar and wind power, among other helpful tips.
Smaller remodeling projects — from creating a green roof to simply setting up a composter — are also covered, along with some basic information on cost-benefit analyses in evaluating what project to undertake. Of course, LIL’s own Environmental Impact Calculator can help you crunch the numbers on green renovation projects you have in mind!
I especially loved the way Your Eco-Friendly Home shows how green living extends outside the home by emphasizing the importance of location. As many environmentalists have pointed out, an eco-mansion in a far-off suburb that requires a lot of driving to get anywhere still gives you a pretty big carbon footprint. The book strongly recommends considering issues such as proximity to good schools, work, and amenities, with an eye to keeping your footprint as small as possible.
The appendix points to a wealth of resources and green websites to help you towards your eco-friendly journey — and even includes tips on selling an eco-friendly home!
Want a preview? Read the 12 Easy Ways to Make Your Home Green, a list adapted from Your Eco-Friendly Home. The book’s available for $17.95 now at popular retailers.
Popularity: 6% [?]
November 4th, 2008
Green Home Design in Missouri: Massey Modern Design
Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Jordan Massey, founder and CEO of Massey Modern Design/Build, based in St. Louis Missouri. Jordan is one of several brave individuals working to bring green design to the good people of Missouri. As a Kansas City native myself, I tip my hat to Jordan, and wanted to share some of his interesting experience and insights with you.
Q: Thanks for speaking with me, Jordan. Can you tell us a bit about how you got interested in green design?
Jordan: Well I watched my own home being built about four years ago and I was really pretty disgusted. I saw all of the waste and the wood used and I thought there had to be a better way. I had been listing to NPR and reading Dwell Magazine and was learning about sustainable architecture and building. I was working in finance then and it wasn’t my passion– not what I wanted to do long-term. So I made a decision to jump ship and get into green design.
Q: Who are your green design inspirations?
Jordan: I idolize Michelle Kaufman. And I love the work that Kieran Timberlake is doing. And I love Ray Kappe.
Q: And what were your first steps to starting your own endeavors?
Jordan: I wanted to start my own business and my dad had been talking about sustainable construction, too. I had been interested in SIPS and ICF from way back…my dad got me started on researching sustainable building materials, that led me to getting started.
I wanted to start a company that designs and builds green houses. We had studied LEED NC (New Construction)– this was before LEED for Homes existed– and we got fired up about that. We started by forming a company that did building demolition and reclaimed the materials. That was and is Modern Development and Reclamation, Inc. That service didn’t exist in St. Louis at that time. We reclaim and warehouse the building materials and then resell them. We see really strong demand for recycled materials now, which is great. We help people realize you don’t need to spend $3000 for recycled glass! And you can still get the LEED points.
Then we started Massey Modern Design/Build. We started by designing the Genesis House– that’s our flagship home. The house is cutting-edge green—built with ICF & steel. It will have solar panels, a living roof, a tankless water heater, high efficiency HVAC systems and LED lighting. We’re very focused on air quality as well, so it’s all no- or low-VOC. It took us over 18 months to design it and we’re getting ready to start building it. It’s an amazing home. We’re working with Matt Belcher of Belcher Homes, who is a great established builder here in Missouri.
Q: I love the look of the Genesis. Are there a lot of folks in St. Louis looking for modern green designed homes? I think we’re spoiled out here in Los Angeles….how’s it out your way?
Jordan: Welllll….I have to admit there’s not a lot of modern design out here. We’re trying to get people on board. But there’s a lot of push-back. Consumers here don’t know about sustainable or green building. They don’t like “curly light bulbs” and they don’t want to use a shower they think won’t get the job done. We’ve got a lot of work to do out here in the Midwest. People are more concerned, sadly, with living for today rather than to think about what the world will be like for their children.
Q: Any other challenges?
Jordan: Well it’s hard to find contractors in St. Louis who are familiar with the sustainable materials and practices we’re looking for. Like working with SIPs. And the banks in the Midwest are scared of these types of green building projects– they don’t understand them. They think that if the project goes wrong and they have to take it over, they won’t know how to finish it. What we really need are private investors or established home builders to get involved. That’s the path we’re taking now.
Q: Are you part of the USGBC in St. Louis?
Jordan: Absolutely. It’s a very active chapter. We’ve had lots of great LEED programs for members—really educational. We’re a very supportive group. We help connect one-another, and get our names out in the community. (Editor’s note: you can visit the St. Louis USGBC chapter by clicking here.)
Q: Well I wish you huge success, Jordan! Good luck and thank you for bringing green design to the Midwest!
Popularity: 3% [?]
September 29th, 2008
Playa: A LEED Platinum Home in a McMansion Neighborhood
Some diehard environmentalists consider eco-mansions an oxymoron at best, with militant types even setting fire to greenwashed mega-homes! But eco-mansion haters sometimes ignore an inconvenient truth: Huge homes are constantly getting built, and most of these are anything but green.
That’s the impetus behind “Playa” (above), a case study green home being built in Westchester, Calif., by Go Green Construction. The house, admittedly, will be huge — 4,300 square feet huge, to be exact — and located in a neighborhood that’s not particularly public transit-friendly. On the other hand, Playa’s also pre-rated for LEED platinum, serving as a self-described “living laboratory of green design” in a neighborhood full of ungreen McMansions.
The rooftop view from Playa (left) alone shows the need for green building in this neighborhood, where smoggy haze floats above multi-story single family homes. In contrast to the massive footprints of its neighbors, Playa will boast a full solar array, graywater recycling system, living walls, and smart house automation which allows residents to control the power of the house remotely.
When I stopped by to see the house-in-making last week, I could already see how Playa will be lit up with natural sunlight from the atrium. I also saw proof that Playa’s building materials really are green — as evidenced by the FSC certification stamps on the wood!
All the green features incorporated into Playa are enough to inspire any eco-builder: High efficiency spray foam insulation, low-E glazing double pane windows, Energy Star rated appliances, tankless water heating system, and an elecric car recharging station are just some of the eco-extras to admire. And of course, Playa’s low-VOC painted rooms will be lit with LED and CFL bulbs. Outside, a drought tolerant and native plant landscape will complement the permeable pavement.
Go Green Construction also took care to make sure the old materials didn’t go straight to the landfills. The previous structure was carefully deconstructed (above); 95% of materials were reused or recycled with the help of Habitat for Humanity and other organizations and companies.
Playa will be completed in early 2009, when it’ll open for tours and workshops to educate the public and industry professionals about the feasibility of building green. I plan to visit again in a few months to see firsthand all the state of the art eco-tech appliances and systems in action!
Popularity: 4% [?]
September 18th, 2008
Natural Building: Building an Eco-Friendly Cob House
Written by Brian Liloia, courtesy of GreenBuildingElements.com
This year, I started building my very own cob house. Cob is an extremely environmentally-friendly natural building material composed of sand, clay, and straw, and it has withstood the test of time and the elements over many past generations all over the world. Haven’t heard of it? Then read on to learn more about this creative, beautiful, and highly ecological building process.
What is cob?
Cob building dates back hundreds of years ago, and cob houses built over 500 years ago in Europe are still inhabited to this day. That’s pretty dang impressive considering the simple nature and composition of the material: buckets of wet clay and sand are mixed by foot (or by horse, oxen, concrete mixer, or even Bobcat excavators) and then combined with straw to produce a sticky, malleable material that can be rolled into palm-sized loaves (or “cobs”, which is where the name originated) and then laid onto a foundation and sculpted by hand to build thick and massive cob walls.
The properties of cob
Cob structures are monolithic: layers of material are worked together to produce one massive structure, compared to something like adobe, which is typically made into forms that can be stacked like bricks. When cob dries, it resembles rock or concrete in its hardness. With a nice thick coat of plaster, cob can withstand significant weathering before it starts to (slowly) wear away. Exterior cob walls can range anywhere from over one to three feet thick: the thicker they are, the more heat they are capable of storing. You see, cob is not very insulative, compared to say, straw bale buildings. Cob has better “thermal mass“, which means it is capable of capturing and storing large amounts of heat. The best way to do this? Stick a flue pipe through a cob bench and heat up your furniture with a rocket stove.
Cob: beautiful and environmental
The main components of cob building - sand, clay, and straw, come directly from the earth, oftentimes right beneath our feet. (For example: all of the clay I am using in my cob house comes straight from the soil on the property here at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage.) Therefore, cob has very low embodied energy, meaning there is little energy wasted in manufacturing and transporting materials over great distances. Call it a “local and organic” kind of building technique. Not only that, but it’s beautiful, too: cob lends itself to smooth and curvy home design, with rounded doorways and curved walls. Shelves and storage nooks can be built directly into walls.
Cobbing is simple and cooperative
Cob building is intuitive and requires little to no experience and no heavy machinery. People of all ages can easily start mixing material and “cobbing” together, and gain a basic understanding of the building technique. It’s definitely a labor-intensive process, so it benefits from large groups of people. (I’ve worked with up to ten people at a time and it’s nothing short of a party!)
Where to learn more about cob
Fortunately, I live in Missouri, where there are no building codes to prevent me from building with cob. Unfortunately, you can’t just go ahead and start building your own cob house without a bit of meddlesome bureaucracy in most states. However, there are plenty of great organizations where you can at least get your feet dirty and starting making cob: the Cob Cottage Company and House Alive!, both based in Oregon are two companies that regularly host workshops, internships, and work parties.
There’s many a reason why cob has been around for as long as it has, and why it’s used all over the world. It’s inexpensive (economically and environmentally), beautiful, and well, quite simply “natural”. Cob is what truly “green buildings” are made of.
(Image credit: cobworks.com, humboldt.edu)
Popularity: 7% [?]
