MHN Blog

Green Building Grows In California—And The Multifamily Market

Last week, California became the first U.S. state to issue a mandatory green building code that will require energy efficiency and less water consumption. Regulations for single-family, multifamily and commercial structures are also part of the new code.

It was a big move for the golden state, and a popular one--the California Building Standards Commission voted unanimously for the green building code, which was designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

As MHN reported Monday, the new code will improve water usage in both commercial and residential plumbing fixtures and aim for a 50 percent landscape water conservation reduction.

• Builders will also be encouraged to reduce energy use by 15 percent more than today’s current standards.

• The code also emphasizes using recycled content in building materials and carpets and suggests site improvements like hybrid vehicle parking and stronger storm water plans.

• Until 2010, the code regulations are optional; after 2010, they’re mandatory.

(Other areas are embracing green building, too. In Seattle, the mayor recently suggested changes to the multifamily building code that included adding green roofs and less--or no--parking in developments that are close to mass-transit, according to the Seattle Times.)   

California Building Standards Commission Chair Rosario Marin praised the commission for uniting construction and building industry representatives, environmental groups and labor organizations. 

It’s certainly something to be proud of—by taking a decidedly sustainable stand, California is working to reduce the environmental impact of new construction.

And it’s a decision that the multifamily market can feel good about.

• It’s a strong marketing technique. It’s true, green building can produce some higher upfront costs--but it also offers long-term savings for owner/investors, and provides leasing agents with an added-value for renters.   

And--according to news on the single-home front--in a recent article about builders attempting to move unsold homes, the San Jose Mercury News pointed out that one major technique builders were using included "trying to woo customers with green building techniques and energy-saving features."

• Green urban areas—designed to negate car usage—are more popular. Energy costs are also persuading buyers to look in urban rather than suburban areas.

As gas stubbornly remains above the $4 mark—with little sign of dropping--they’re eager to avoid long commutes and trips to stores, restaurants and other locations.

"People are now saying affirmatively they want to live closer to town centers and have a shorter commute," Lawrence Yun, National Realtors Association economist, told U.S. News & World Report. "And smaller homes mean less energy consumption."

That’s more good news for the multifamily market.

It’s good news, too, for urban planners who have been trying for decades to get Americans to embrace a more compact geographical pattern, according to U.S. News & World Report.

"To be honest, I feel that rising gas prices...are going to do more for good, sustainable urban planning than the entire urban planning profession," says Thomas Campanella, an associate professor of city and regional planning at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill.

Space constraints in urban areas have typically meant multifamily buildings were the best, or only choice for development.

If more buyers are looking in downtown areas because high gas prices are making them reconsider long commutes and car-intensive lifestyles, it could be a huge boon for multifamily building.

(Sort of makes the hefty cost of filling your car up seem a little less painful, doesn’t it?)

Cost remains a concern, but the evidence is overwhelming: Green fever is spreading, and going green is becoming increasingly popular in the multifamily market.

And one day, apartment renters and buyers will simply expect it.

Green Building: Good For the Environment, Good for Sales

Green building has grown exponentially in the past few years. Since 2003, the number of cities with green building programs has increased 418 percent, according to the American Institute of Architects.

And green building is about to grow even more: The green home market is forecast to increase from $2 billion to possibly $20 billion over the next five years, according to a recent report that was co-sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders.

Across the U.S., the frenzy is growing in states such as:

• North Carolina: Between June 2007 and January 2008, the number of certified and completed homes built in western North Carolina as part of the NC HealthyBuilt Homes program--a voluntary, statewide green building certification program--more than doubled, according to the Western North Carolina Green Building Council. Almost 668 are currently in development.

• Indiana: About 60 members of the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis have joined its new green building committee, Indy Green Build, which is a local branch of the National Association of Home Builders' National Green Building Program.

Roughly 141 Indiana residents have attended a two-day workshop and earned the programs' new Certified Green Professional designation since February, according to the Indianapolis Star.

The Price Is Right

Feeling like the home you bought or built could help save the world is one thing. But there's another reason green building is picking up steam: People are looking to cut costs.

"Everything [green] is going through the roof and shows no sign of stopping," Stephens Farrell of Stephens Smith Farrell Architecture in Asheville, N.C. told the Ashville Citizen-Times. "The thought of owning a 4,500-square-foot, poorly conceived and insulated house 45 minutes from work send shivers down people’s spines when they think about $4.50 gas."

Green building's energy-saving advantage also has helped it gain industry approval.

• A National Association of Home Builders study found that 90 percent of homebuilders were using green ideas in 2007, according to an article in the Economist.

• Even banks are getting in on the action. As we discussed in September, lenders like Bank of America have created financing packages for green building.

Its popularity is growing in part because it is cheaper to build green these days. It used to cost 15 percent more at least, according to Christi Graham, president of West Coast Green. Now building green ads just 5 percent or less to a project, according to estimates from industry leaders like the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

A Reason To Buy

As residential building continues to slow--according to the most recent government report, single-family home starts hit a 17-year low in May--homebuilders are finding that energy efficiency can be a big selling point because it can help homeowners save on housing expenses over time.

However, it's important to distinguish between greater energy efficiency and green, says Phoenix-area remodeler Philip Beere, who owns the Ecofresh Planet cleaning business and formed eco-friendly development company Green Street Development in 2007.

"I think it's great that the big builders are getting on board to make a better home," Beere told the Arizona Republic. "However, it should be advertised for what it is, which is an efficient home, not a green home."

Some builders-like Shea Homes, headquartered in San Diego--have made sweeping efforts to go green.

The company--which is one of the largest U.S. homebuilders--kicked off an initiative in January to cut the carbon footprint of each new home by 20 to 30 percent in its Trilogy communities, which have water conservation features and use less lumber, the Republic said.

And--even though the homes don't quite meet LEED standards--it's important not to get caught up in classification and remember that they're helping the environment, right?

Shea's Area President of Shea Homes Active Lifestyle Communities Hal Looney thinks so.

"We're building a couple of thousand homes, so the [environmental] impact will be a lot greater than four or five custom homes," Looney said.

He has a point. The company predicts that its Shea Green Certified Home program will save it from using more than 8.5 million gallons of gasoline and have the same effect as planting 1.9 million trees over the next 10 years.

It's Time To Build Green

However, even with noble efforts like Shea Homes' program, we still have (green) work to do: According to a report by Bethesda, Md.-based investment company The Calvert Group that studied the 13 biggest publicly traded homebuilding companies, most still could add more green offerings, the Gazette reported earlier this month.

According to the report, "while every major homebuilder has incorporated some environmental and efficiency programs and products into some of their new homes, none has fully embraced the emerging market of sustainable building design and construction."

The economy is down, and green certification takes time and money; getting LEED certification on a project does, too.

But as new home sales continue to be rocky--the amount of signed contracts increased 6.3 percent in April, according to the National Association of Realtors, but the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder confidence index reached a low point for the second time in the past 12 months in June--builders need to be looking for any sales hook they can find.

And the truth is, saving homeowners money is probably sustainable building's biggest sales advantage.

Which is why, as energy costs rise, to developers, builders, real estate agents and--most importantly--buyers, green homes can look decidedly golden.

Isn't that reason enough to go green?

Focusing on Green Building Means Encouraging Green Living, Too

Last Sunday, I had brunch at my friend's somewhat-new apartment--she moved in a couple of months ago--and although the building may be older, her unit is cutting-edge green from back to front.

I've known for years that Michelle preferred locally grown, organic produce; but this place takes that mentality to a whole new level.

Although she doesn't have a car, Michelle has made two trips to recycling centers to drop off bottles and cans since moving in. And, even more amazingly, there is a worm bin on the back porch that is used to turn fruit and vegetable waste into compost, a process which I've since learned is called vermicomposting (and the EPA says is great for apartment-dwellers).

In contrast, my building--which is significantly larger--posted an announcement last week in the elevators that although the board is looking into other options, for now, all recycling can be placed in blue bags and thrown in with the rest of the trash.

The garbagemen, we're told, will take those bags to a separate site.

Riiiight.

"Do not do that," Michelle said, laughing, as she served up our omelets. "Seriously. That's a total waste of time."

I have to admit, I think she's right.

Not just because I'm a doubting person by nature--but because the city recently decided to end a similar program, introduced by Mayor Richard Daley in 1995, in which citizens were told to place recyclables in blue bags and--you guessed it--assume they'd find their way to the proper recycling centers.

Not surprisingly, many of them didn't. According to the Chicago Tribune, the city actually kept just 8 percent of waste from landfills--not the 25 percent officials claimed.

Which is why I don't believe my cans are going to end up anywhere but a dump, no matter what color bag I toss them out in.

In our recent annual condo board meeting, we were told that the reason our mid-rise building didn't have a recycling program was because there is an extra charge for a truck to come pick up the recyclables.

So am I supposed to assume that the current waste management guys, out of the goodness of their heart, will take it somewhere else for free? Probably not.

The blue bag program, in fact, was thought to be so infective that local environmentalists aren't even upset that, because of its phasing-out process, the city will be without any recycling for a few years until the new system--which involves blue bins--begins.

"It's taken 16 years," a recent post on the Chicago Recycling Coalition's homepage said, "but the City of Chicago announced on May 2nd the end of the Blue Bag program and its replacement with the Blue Cart program, just as the Chicago Recycling Coalition has been advocating."

Until I receive my blue recycling bin, I'm told I should drop my trash off at one of the city's 16 recycling drop-off centers.

And I should. But realistically, we all know that the harder you make it for people to recycle, the less likely they are to do it. Which is unfortunate, because larger buildings like mine could really have an effect if they did recycle.

But it's hard. Our building doesn't have balconies or fire escapes, so there's no outdoor space to store old cans or utilize Michelle's worm box; and that garbage chute down the hall is pretty tempting when the garbage gets stinky.

So what gives, Chicago? Everybody's green. Best Buy is now taking old computers and electronics for free.

Sam's Club is letting members exchange used digital cameras, laptops, MP3 players and printers for gift cards ranging from $1 to $1000, CNNMoney.com reported Wednesday.

And Mayor Daley--whom I feel is a generally good mayor--gets the importance of being green. This is a man who has said that he wants Chicago to be the greenest city in the U.S.--and planted 500,000 trees to prove it, according to the New York Times.

Granted, he was talking about building--the city has focused on growing green construction and wind and solar energies, according to a 2006 Time article--but still. How many cities have a City Hall with a green roof? (We do.)

For a city of this size to have such a fragmented recycling program it's a shame. OK, so the blue bag program didn't work--but why isn't the city offering financial incentives for buildings like mine to recycle? Think of the impact our multifamily structures could have!

According to the Trib, only a third of Chicago's 600,000 homes with city garbage service will have the new blue bins by the end of the year. That leaves a lot of citizens without easy recycling options.

Which is--pun intended--really a huge waste.

Chicago Green Issues Showcase Need for Direction

The design industry and many city governments have made serious efforts in the past few years to encourage sustainable building--but the average homeowner may still find going green is anything but easy.

Even homeowners with the most carefully constructed plans are hitting sustainability snags, according to a recent Chicago Tribune article that ran last week. The article began by outlining the troubles Plainfield, Ill. homeowners Nora and Richard Parkman encountered when trying to add a solar energy system to their home. The Caton Ridge Homeowners Association shot down the Parkman's proposal because they didn't like the way the solar panels it required looked.

Legislation preventing associations from ruling out solar panels for aesthetic reasons passed the Illinois State Senate in 2007, but is still awaiting approval from the House, according to the Tribune, which criticized the Chicago area (the suburbs, especially) for its slow acceptance of green design.

That's a big blow for a city whose mayor once famously declared he wanted it to be the most green in America. And, to be fair, Chicago has done quite a bit to encourage green building. A Cook County ordinance, passed in 2002, requires all new county buildings to be LEED certified. The city has a Green Homes Program, which encourages green residential building and offers builders incentives, including a  system that cuts the time it takes to receive a permit in half for registered sustainable projects.

Yet still, as the Trib points out, green building faces some challenges in Chicago, such as:

• Financial Incentives Aren't Widely Publicized. Illinois offers $10,000 in incentives and the federal government will give $2,000 in tax credits--but many homeowners don't know about either option.

• Inspectors Aren't Equipped to Approve Green Design. "A lot of inspectors are old school and don't understand the new technologies," David Broderick, a permit expediter and principal at Chicago's Phase 1 Consulting told the Trib. It's an inspector's job to use building codes--but, in many cases, those codes haven't been updated to include green building principles.

• The System is New. Expediting permits is great--but, since the green home programs are still new, anything sustainable often involves significant delays. Remember our earlier blog (way earlier--back in August) about Frank and Lisa Mauceri's green home renovation? They had planned to  include a roof-mounted wind turbine to generate energy--but the city's zoning code didn't have a provision for that kind of a device on top of a building. The Mauceris met with the city for three months and ended up changing the code: admirable, but more effort than many would likely put into a remodeling job.

Not all Chicago green design news is bleak: The city has a number of green-friendly private residential buildings that are in the works or were recently completed--such as 340 On the Park, which is expected to achieve a silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating, and Michigan Avenue Tower, which says it will be the first residential condo in the city to use 100 percent renewable energy to power the entire building.

Chicago is not alone in its effort to publicize green design; and it's not alone in its stumbling blocks, either.

Even cities focused more on building, rather than renovation, are finding green building can be a tough sell because of a lack of information or resources. San Diego--seriously damaged by wildfires last fall--is encouraging homeowners who lost property in the fires to rebuild green; initial homeowner hesitation involved concerns about builder green design competency and--you guessed it--delays.

The Southern California Sustainable Rebuilding Task Force recently held a forum at a local museum to address homeowners' green building fears, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Maybe that's what we need a little more of--some homeowner hand-holding and a few helpful how-tos. If new condos are using green design as a marketing tool to sell units, there is undoubtedly a desire to go green--unfortunately, in many cases, homeowners are still waiting for the guidance they need to do it.

 

From Fad to Phenomenon: Growing Green Design

Several prominent building organizations are trying to encourage green building and design--but is green building already a big focus for today's builders? Or are the promotional efforts not even close to enough?

The current level of green design chatter is more than we had a year ago, that's for sure. And it's what the industry wanted: Just look at the reaction to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED for Homes  guidelines.

In early December, the USGBC released the final version of its green housing design framework, opening up a whole new sustainable world. For years, LEED procedures have served as the benchmark for large commercial projects and city green building initiatives--but housing was left in the dark. It seemed the  residential industry just needed a little push, a little attention paid to its needs--and then green design would be the biggest thing to hit building since the hammer.

Turns out, the USGBC's efforts were all it took, because housing developments all over the country--which were planned long before the final guidelines came out--have seemed eager to become certified since LEED for Homes' official debut (in a way, retro-certified).

California builder Olson Homes' all-solar, multi-family Depot Walk in Orange, Calif. became California's first attached, new home community to earn LEED Certification (Silver) from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in late December. Last week, the New York Daily News reported that the Verdesian, a 26-story New York rental building, became the first multi-family, residential high-rise in the U.S. to receive Platinum LEED status. The Albanese Organization, who developed the Verdesian, also created the nation's first-ever green residential high-rise complex five years ago, The Solaire, which is also in New York.

What does it say about the industry that two large projects, designed with green principles in mind, sought LEED certification once it was available? Are they looking for street cred? Excited about the new system? Throwing support to the new guidelines? Hoping the certification will offer new marketing opportunities to woo renters and buyers?

Sustainable Structure

Developers aren't the only ones buying in to green building--and they aren't the only ones who seem unsure about how to encourage it.

True sustainability starts with a building's design, which many U.S. cities have realized in the past year, prompting 92 with a population of more than 50,000 to put citywide green building programs in place. An additional 36 cities are working on programs.

In 1997, just two cities had green planning initiatives, according to a recent American Institute of Architects (AIA) survey.

Of the current 92 city green building programs, architects were directly involved in creating at least 14 of the plans--which the AIA maybe considers too low because this week it announced a new green building education campaign called "Walk the Walk," designed to promote sustainability to consumers, business owners and architects (basically everybody).

In addition to industry promotion and marketing campaigns, the Walk the Walk campaign includes GreenStep, an informational series detailing the benefits of sustainable design, which will debut on the AIA's site at the end of January.

Other than that, the Walk the Walk campaign details seem somewhat vague--the press release just seems to imply the AIA still feels there is a strong need to get the word out there about green design. But to who? And how?

Big Changes; Wider Scope

Kudos to the buildings like the Verdesian who planned their design based on LEED for Homes' pilot program guidelines or using other green principles strong enough to garner LEED certification after it was released.

And much thanks to the AIA for continuing to offer a solid online sustainability resource--with examples, tips, programs and more--on what could just be a standard association Web site.

But we're not done yet. PR is great; but let's really focus on getting people building--and not just talking--green.

Where are the federal incentives to build green, which would encourage developers concerned about the extra upfront costs of using specific materials and design? Last year, home builders were eligible for a $2,000 tax credit for each new energy efficient home that achieved 50 percent energy savings for heating and cooling over the 2004 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).

Homeowners could deduct up to $500 for adding insulation, replacement windows and certain high efficiency heating and cooling equipment.

But the federal consumer tax credit expired at the end of 2007 and wasn't renewed by Congress, so consumers only can report the credits on their taxes through April. Next year, you're out of luck.

And where are the special architect and builder certification programs that properly prepare industry professionals to tackle--or suggest--green building projects? Some schools, like UCDavis in California, have added green design certification programs to educate professionals about the architecture, civil engineering, landscape architecture, environmental and land use planning and construction management knowledge sustainable building requires.

UCDavis' class is in its extension, or part-time, program, which allows working professionals to participate and is designed for planners, architects, developers, contractors, landscape architects and interior designers.

It's a great start; we need more. How else can the industry promote and encourage green building? Post your thoughts below.

Kitchen Supplier Arrives in the U.S. Mixing Style and Green Design

Did you know that October is National Kitchen and Bath Month?

It is, and although we didn't get them a thing, Italian kitchen designer  Ernestomeda last week gave Chicagoans a new kitchen store/showplace to celebrate.

We're the first in the country to host Ernestomeda, currently nestled snug in our Merchandise Mart, which opened in 1930 and has since become the world's largest commercial building and largest wholesale design center.

More than 60 percent of the Mart is showrooms. It was Kennedy-owned (they sold it in 1998) and sees more than 3 million visitors a year.

Some of them stop off at the Mart's 29 LuxeHome boutiques, more than 100,000 square feet of space featuring the finest kitchen and bath products for luxury home building and renovation. It's open to the public, builders, architects -- just about everybody.

As such, many kitchen designers are debuting renovated showrooms or new products this month at the Mart, and likewise, the  Ernestomeda showroom is debuting the company's Barrique and Elektra designs (shown, left), which DuPont Building Innovations, Public Relations and Media Relations Manager (Europe, Middle East, Africa) Claudio Greco says is one of Ernestomeda's most exciting lines.

Barrique is a wine-lover's dream: a designed homage to the tradition of Italian winemaking, its Chicago display features some of Italy¹s finest vintages (which is enough to make me want to buy it, but I think I'm what is considered an "easy sell.").

But what's interesting is Ernestomeda's designs aren't just sleek -- they're sustainable, too.

Take, for example, its Corian surface material, which has a number of green qualities (and is pictured in the Elektra-style kitchen featured above):

• It's good for the air (even if you burn dinner). DuPont(tm) Corian(r) solid surface has been designated by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) as GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified. (And so have the sealants and adhesives used to install it.)

• It's made close to home -- wherever home is. Corian designs and installations are manufactured locally by a network of 4,000 DuPont Certified Fabricators/Installers, thereby reducing environmental impact from transporting finished products long distances.

• It's environmentally independent. Corian doesn't react readily with other chemicals, so it has a low impact on both indoor and outdoor environments, including ground, vegetation and water resources.

• Corian can be reused. Unlike natural stone, homeowners can buff out stains or scratches easily, minimizing the need to replace or toss it. It can also be removed, re-sized and installed elsewhere or as part of a new design.

In addition, using  Corian for a number of specific installations can help construction projects earn LEED points in several categories, including Materials & Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality.
 
 Chicago has some green building suppliers -- Greenmaker, for one, which offers recycled glass countertops to cork flooring. We also have a mayor who fully supports green building and has said he wants Chicago to be the greenest city in the nation. (Ever since Men's Fitness named us the Fattest City in America in 2006, we've just gotten so competitive!)

But we're not crawling with them -- and the truth is, working with a supplier who understands LEED certification, if that's your goal, or even just one who knows the different sustainable material options  makes building green a whole lot easier.

The industry wants more green material options, more water and heat conservation methods, more ways to reduce construction site waste. As green building continues to catch on, we're seeing a lot of personal innovations in residential design -- wind turbines added to roofs; unlikely materials given a second life as flooring. That's part of the excitement of this field -- no idea seems impossible, and a little trial-and-error may lead any homeowner to discover the Next Big Green Building Thing.

But that process takes time. That's why we're welcoming outlets like Ernestomeda -- as our citizens test out new ways to tap solar energy, our retailers are creating new indoor fixtures that offer style and sustainability.

Hopefully Los Angeles feels the same way: Ernestomeda's second U.S. location will open in LA in late 2007. And if that makes them greener than Chicago well, we already lost the Fattest City title this year to Las Vegas. (We didn't even make the top 10. Shameful.)
   

Retail's Hot Color This -- and Every -- Season: Green

I was reading an article in the Community Times today about a new shopping center in Maryland that will be built with green design when something caught my eye.

The actual project details weren't anything too out of the ordinary for green building -- the structure will include use of natural light, a high efficiency HVAC system and possibly a green roof.

What stuck out to me was one sentence -- "Eldersburg will get the first green shopping center in the mid-Atlantic region with the addition of Main Street Eldersburg, a 90,000-square-foot shopping center on 12.5 acres on Londontown Boulevard behind the Wal-Mart."

Really? The Mid-Atlantic region has no green shopping centers?

The article went on to say that, according to the U.S. Green Building Council's Web site, there are more than 150 LEED-certified buildings in Maryland, the majority of which are commercial offices or mixed-use buildings.

OK. But it got me to wondering: With all the hype about the public works sector of commercial building adapting green design policies -- thanks to the many cities who have signed on to using it -- and the increasing effort of the housing industry to go green, which receives a considerable amount of press, what about retail?

It maybe isn't as flashy a story as homes that break the style mold to incorporate ecology, or as headline-friendly as mayors demanding all new city buildings give back to the environment, but it turns out the retail industry has been -- rather quietly -- embracing green design for quite some time.

Which is a good thing. Retail sales are up -- from total sales of $298,986 in January to $343,880 in June, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. True, they've dipped over the year, notably from May to June, which may have hurt industry confidence, but things are on the upswing.

Take, for example, a recent CoStar report said that Phoenix was the nation's leader in retail construction, with 13.4 million retail square feet under construction; other areas on the list included California's Inland Empire, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth and Cleveland, according to the Arizona Republic.

Megaretailer JC Penney this week issued a positive earnings statement. Kohl's and Nordstrom also reported having a good quarter.

Not all retailers can say the same -- Wal-mart and Macy's did not fare as well -- but there is evidence the industry is keeping above water, and, as a whole, is backing sustainability. The EPA in 2006 released a list of its "Green Power Partners," retailers who had made the largest retail purchases of renewable energy. Topping the list: Whole Foods, which wasn't a huge surprise, followed by Starbucks. But other additions included Safeway, Staples. Liz Claiborne and FedEx Kinko's: big retailers.

And this isn't brand new. Consider the Retail Traffic magazine article back in 1999 that said green design's influence was already spreading through the retail community,  citing a collective feeling that "a cost-effective and energy-efficient holistic approach for new and renovated retail properties" just made sense.

So what's next? A little help is on the way to get more retailers on board. LEED currently has two retail rating systems in the pilot stage -- one for renovation and new construction and one for interiors -- which address lighting, sites, security, energy and water concerns. The retail systems came about because LEED got so many calls from concerned retailers, according an interview the retail program coordinator did in May with CoStar.

Testing is ongoing for the interior program. The public comment period for the New Construction system is over; now we await LEED's final draft.

Surely a set standard and checklist for the retail industry will encourage even more retailers -- large and small -- to operate using green methods, ask future landlords and developers to incorporate green building practices into new construction and maybe, just maybe, provide consumers with a new product: sustainability.

And that will be the best deal in the house.

Challenging the Windy City To Use Its Wind

Today's MHN Industry News postings included a story about a Chicago couple who recently renovated their house to include sustainable features -- and a little flair.

Frank and Lisa Mauceri will be running Frank's Smog Veil indie record label, which moved to Chicago about two years ago from Reno, out of their home in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood.

As with many Chicago two- and three-flats that are now living spaces, the Mauceri's building itself was a form of recycling; it had, in the 1880s, once been a tavern. Renovation plans included more material reuse,  grinding up old vinyl records with sledge hammers and blenders to use in the "new" flooring.

That's a stylish twist on recycling materials to use in home construction -- but the Mauceri home received a much more revolutionary addition during its redesign. The owners actually took the extra step to challenge local laws that, as a result of their redesign, have now become more green-friendly.

Chicago's CBS affiliate reported that the home may be the only type of its kind in the country, due in large part to the rooftop wind turbines, which can provide energy with winds as low as 5 mph. The city zoning code previously did not allow such turbines; but these silent models have inspired the city to change the code and publicly endorse turbine usage.

"Their project paved the way for other people to do the same thing," Green Projects Administrator Erik Olsen, who certified the project through Chicago's Green Permit building program, told the Chicago Tribune last year. "We basically went to the Department of Zoning and revised the code."

In fact, the revision was so successful that in the CBS news report, Executive Director of the Chicago Dept. of Construction and Permits Richard Rodriquez encouraged Chicagoans to "strongly consider" the technology.

The Mauceris figure the 10 megawatts of electricity generated annually will pay back the initial investment in seven and a half years -- but the investment was as much social as it was financial.

"My goal is to set an example for the music industry that you can maintain your business, even grow it, by instituting sustainable practices," Frank Mauceri told local Web site Gapers Block last year during construction.

The area is the perfect fit for a sustainably influenced record label headquarters; long known for its bohemian culture, Wicker Park is part artists' colony (thanks to the large artist studio in its center that began renting space for $1 a foot in 1985) and part residential investment oasis (the median value of single-family homes in the area rose 198 percent from 1990 to 2000).

Yet despite its hot real estate area tag, many locals are fiercely adamant about keeping the area diverse and full of independent retailers -- expressing dismay when Starbucks moved in back in 2001 and throwing bricks through the windows of the Real World house when filming began the same year.

Green design is not a far cry from the area's vegan coffeehouses and new solar-powered street signs, installed this summer to alert drivers as to whether or not a street has been swept and is safe to park on without fear of being towed. Still, the zoning laws needed to be changed.

The lesson learned: One homeowner can make a difference. When the Mauceris decided to add green design to their home/office during its renovation, they pushed the limits of what they anticipated was possible, and what the city did, too. As a result, Chicago homeowners can now explore adding wind turbine energy sources.

Green design has come a long way, but it is still a relatively new science to many. Cities are slowly beginning to accept and encourage its use, but the responsibility still in many cases lies on developers and project planners to request city ordinance revisions and work with the city officials as needed.

This is especially true in residential housing. Outside of large project LEED certification and similar programs -- and remember, the LEED for Homes pilot project doesn't even conclude until this fall; we're still waiting for the final system -- the rules are hazy at best.

And yet, as the Mauceris discovered, the possibilities are endless.

A Green Interior Design Scheme

I was flipping through my CB2 catalog the other day, admiring the comma-shaped plates, when I stumbled across a $50 corkboard. The price caught my eye. Fifty bucks? For something most often found in a dorm room?

But then, thanks to the product description, I realized why: It's sustainable. Under the heading "eco message," CB2 describes the product as a "recyclable, lightweight cork alternative" that "lives the green message." (It's made of charcoal polypropylene.) Ah ha. Well, OK, maybe that is worth a little more. But I was surprised to see CB2 thought so, too.

Which got me to wondering -- does CB2 now live the green message? I've been a fan of the Crate and Barrel offshoot for years, mostly because it's only two retail stores are in Chicago (New York is getting one this fall), which made browsing easy because I live in the Windy City, and also because CB2 for some reason always carries a large amount of orange-colored items, and I painted my apartment orange two years ago (it is not unlike living inside a giant yam, but I like it.)

As it turns out, not only has CB2 added green products to its shelves, its sister store, Crate and Barrel, has also. From an eco-travel book at CB2 to an entire furniture collection at Crate and Barrel, ecology appears to be making its way indoors via major retailers.

Crate and Barrel's Lockport Collection is made with sustainable materials, including a soy-based poly-foam that fills its cushions, and contains hardwood frames certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the Forest Stewardship Council. And it's practical, too: The couch is available in 18 color options, with washable slip covers.

Eco-friendly building materials such as energy-saving lights and formaldehyde-free cork flooring are well-known in the architectural community, but when it comes to decorating accents, it's a growing business:

• Pottery Barn sells bowls made of recycled glass.

• The Container Store sells newsprint bins made of recycled newspaper and storage boxes made from recycled fiberboard.

• Restoration Hardware has sustainable pool accessories, such as the chaise lounge made from Sustainably harvested Indonesian teak.

• Williams-Sonoma announced in November of last year that 95 percent of the paper used in its seven catalogs would come from sources certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Know of any other eco-friendly mass merchandised home items? Let us know. Out and About will be keeping a master list to post in a future blog -- so let us know what green items you have around your home!

USGBC Commits $1 Million to Research

June truly was a green month for those of us in summer climates -- and for design.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced in June it would commit $1 million to green building research. The money will be used to investigate change mitigation, the business practicalities of green building and more.

Although the USGBC hasn't announced when the funding will be used, its research committee will release a research agenda report in fall.

Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair of USGBC, said it was the next logical step in advancing green design acceptance.

"The industry needs to take giant steps forward in construction, renovation and operation practices if we want to see large scale improvements to health and environmental conditions in this generation," Fedrizzi said. "Our board has identified research as a key strategy to accomplish that, and has set aside a pool of research dollars so we can act now, even while encouraging others to increase their own research commitments."

Good point. As we've seen in recent news items -- and also, in recent Out and About blog posts -- while green design may sound like a good idea in theory to many developers (who can argue against working with the environment as a basic principle?), convincing residents, developers and even, as in yesterday's post, whole towns that green design is worth using can prove more difficult.

For one, you must convince project leaders -- whose job it is to keep things at a reasonable budget -- that any extra green design expenses are worth it (and in fact, that green buildings can often make that money back over time in energy and other savings).

And then there are the bonuses that are more difficult to explain. Green multi-building complexes have a number of lifestyle benefits, ranging from the relaxation foliage can offer in an urban environment to the social benefits a walking path community give its residents.

It's encouraging to see the USGBC is pledging some serious money to make research a priority. Giving planners, architects and others who work with green design the tools to properly propose and defend green design in discussions with clients is a step we can't skip in building sustainability's street cred.

So hopefully, when that "should we or shouldn't we?" conversation happens in the near future, developers and residents will find deciding to use green design is even easier.

Chicago's New Luxury Condos Want to Be the City's Greenest

Chicago's first green residential tower aims to be the country's most sustainable, the Chicago Tribune reported on Sunday.

The 62-story building, 340 on the Park, is expected to achieve a silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating, LEED's third highest.

It's a commendable intent for the building, whose first goal seemed to be luxury living. When construction on the Randolph Street complex began in 2005, early designs revealed that 340 would be an elegant complex; unit floors are said to be bamboo, not wood; views include Grant Park and Millennium Park and Lake Michigan. Three bedroom units with a den, ranging from 2,750 to 4,010 square feet begin at $1,990,000.

At first glance, it might seem like an unusual project for Related Midwest, known for its work with landmark residential and commercial properties. Renovating architectural treasures from the past is a far cry from equipping a new building with ecological tools for the future; but that's exactly what Related Midwest did with 340.

Wi-fi that works in the pool area, health club and lobby isn't the only nod to modern life at 340 on the Park. The building also includes an 11,000 gallon tank that will collect rainwater used to irrigate its two plant-filled outdoor areas and fully-insulated windows, plus a multi-story indoor garden on floor 25.

For a city as large as Chicago -- which happens to be my home -- residential construction is still going strong. (I can right now see three different under construction developments outside my living room window. And they all appear to be using jackhammers today.) I'm surprised more residential buildings haven't sought silver LEED ratings. But I'm encouraged that the developers of this one did.

Local government has already gone green: A Cook County ordinance, passed in 2002, requires all new county buildings to be LEED certified. Related Midwest's decision to add sustainability to its construction to-do list -- giving it equal importance to luxury and look -- is hopefully indicative of local developers beginning to embrace the trend. And soon, we'll be known as much for our green design passion as for our pizza. (Well, maybe.)