Southern California Green Real Estate Blog

FIGURING OUT LEED STANDARDS FOR OLD BUILIDNGS

FIGURING OUT LEED STANDARDS FOR OLD BUILIDNGS

To figure out how to apply Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - LEED – standards to historic buildings, the National Trust for Historic Preservation partnered with the American Institute of Architects, the Association for Preservation Technology International, the National Park Service, the General Services Administration, and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers to work with U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to ensure that the LEED system promotes preservation.

The National Trust and its partners have been developing preservation recommendations to inform future LEED rating systems. The criteria will likely include acknowledgment of the durability and long life cycle of existing buildings, as well as the social and economic capital to be gained in preserving community landmarks.

“The retention of existing buildings conserves the materials and the energy embodied in their construction,” says Rhonda Sincavage, a Trust public policy associate. “And in thinking about what you’re conserving, we also want you to think about the impacts that you’re avoiding by not demolishing your building.” The Trust is also tracking federal, state, and local measures that deal with preservation and green building.

Windows are a particular source of contention between sustainability designers and preservationists. Contrary to popular belief, replacing old windows does not always improve energy efficiency and also wastes the energy and resources that went into building them—and it requires the use of new materials for their replacements. “The vast majority of heat loss in homes is through the attic or uninsulated walls, not windows,” wrote preservation economist Donovan Rypkema in a paper he presented at the Trust’s 2005 annual conference. “Properly repaired historic windows have an R factor nearly indistinguishable from new, so-called ‘weatherized’ windows.”

Having the statistics to back up such assertions is the focus of the initiative’s research component. Last fall, the Trust convened more than 30 academics and experts to discuss research priorities related to sustainable preservation. In addition, Patrice Frey, the Trust’s new director of sustainability research, has begun to quantify the value of preserving older buildings by gathering data on such topics as embodied energy and building life cycle analysis. She will also be studying the less-tangible cultural and social implications of preservation, which are more difficult to quantify in a credit-based rating system. Over the coming year, her findings will be posted on the National Trust’s website and blog and disseminated in a variety of other venues. “Our ultimate goal,” Frey says, “is to provide tools for preservationists to make the necessary calculations to see the environmental, social, and economic impacts of their work.”

Increasingly, the National Trust is also greening up its diverse portfolio of historic sites. At its Washington, D.C., headquarters—a former luxury apartment house built in 1915—the organization has begun conservation measures. President Lincoln’s Cottage in northwest Washington features a LEED-certified visitors center, the first Trust site to go for USGBC certification. Kykuit, administered by t.he Rockefeller Brothers Fund on behalf of the Trust, will implement equipment upgrades and other plans to achieve its ambitious goal of a 25 percent energy reduction within five years and a 50 percent emissions reduction by 2023. Not far away, staff at ?Lyndhurst, the Gothic revival mansion once owned by a succession of New York tycoons, has just formed its own sustainability committee.

http://www.nationaltrust.org/magazine/current/yourtrust.htm

Solar Loans for Residential Systems

Solar Loans for Residential Systems New Resource Bank has created five special solar loans that allow you to install a solar system with nothing down. They are based on the equity in your home, have a streamlined application and approval process, and no upfront fees, closing costs or points. The loan may adjust to reflect the savings being generated by the solar system, as the chart above demonstrates.As the homeowner and system owner, you can take advantage of rebates and tax credits. Today’s low interest rates (in the range of 5 1/2%) make this type of financing very attractive.For information, contact Gary Groff at New Resource Bank, (415) 995-8134 or 1 (800) 772-8190.

LEED STATISTICS

LEED STATISTICS

Since the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program in 2000, the council has certified more than 1,000 sustainable buildings, and thousands more have been registered with the organization as a first step toward certification.

More than 40,000 architects, contractors, and other consultants have taken the rigorous USGBC exam to become LEED “accredited professionals.”

 

HOLLYWOOD BUILDS APARTMENTS FOR THE HOMELESS

HOLLYWOOD BUILDS APARTMENTS FOR THE HOMELESS

Hooray for Hollywood! Finally other cities besides Santa Monica are stepping up to help the homeless. The Community Redevelopment Agency has approved a plan for a $27 million, 70-unit multifamily development called the Villages at Gower that will be designed to house the formerly homeless and will be developed by A Community of Friends (ACOF) and PATH Ventures. The CRA considers the project “a highly unusual affordable housing development for formerly homeless persons that provides comprehensive support services in a campus setting.”

Pending approval by the Los Angeles City Council approval, the project will be built on CRA/LA land at 1726 N. Gower St. The CRA sees the new project as one way of “delivering on (Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s) commitment to build permanent supportive housing for the homeless,”says Cecilia V. Estolano, CRA’s chief executive officer. The project, expected to be mainly financed by tax credits, supplemented by a variety of public and private funding, is slated to start construction in November. It will serve will serve adults and families who are homeless and have special needs, Gallo explains.

Composed of 15 studios, 20 two-bedroom and 35 one-bedroom units, the four-level building will include a community room and administrative facilities. Open space surrounding the building will provide ample opportunities for outdoor recreational activities.

The development is conceived as a “campus of hope for the homeless,” according to principal Wade Killefer of Santa Monica-based Killefer Flammang Architects, the designer for the project. Killefer is former chair of Lamp Community, an organization that develops housing specifically for the mentally ill homeless.

“The zinc-clad building, which is being designed to Silver LEED certification standards, will provide residents with lots of light and project a contemporary profile rather than an institutional setting, emphasizes Will Longyear, KFA designer and project manager. On-site services will include counseling, employment and training services, parenting classes, independent living skills, after-school tutoring and nutrition and cooking workshops. Off-site medical and mental health services also will be provided to residents.

The city and the county consider the Villas at Gower a pilot project and, possibly, a model for housing developments for homeless people with special needs.

http://www.cityfeet.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?Id=30552

GREEN BUILDING STATISTICS

This year, green building is expected to represent 6 percent of the residential construction industry, according to a survey conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction Research & Analytics for the U.S. Green Building Council. That’s up from just 2 percent in 2005.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT - SACRAMENTO IS THE ONLY CALIFORNIA CITY IN THE TOP 10 GREEN POWER PROGRAMS

BELIEVE IT OR NOT - SACRAMENTO IS THE ONLY CALIFORNIA CITY IN THE TOP 10 GREEN POWER PROGRAMS

Which utilities are having the greatest success with their green power programs? The the following “Top Ten” lists of program characteristics and results: total sales of renewable energy to program participants; total number of customer participants; customer participation rates; and the lowest premium charged to support new renewables development.  As of this December, 2007 report, Sacramento was the only city  in California that made the list…while San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, Berkeley, West Hollywood keep on boasting…  

http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/resources/tables/topten.shtml

CALIFORNIA ENDORSES STATEWIDE GREEN BUILDING CODE + LOOKS TOWARD 2010

CALIFORNIA ENDORSES STATEWIDE GREEN BUILDING CODE + LOOKS TOWARD 2010

When it comes to green building, California continues to lead the way in adopting environmentally-friendly building codes. Most recently, the California Building Standards Commission has taken the opportunity, along with other state agencies, to develop green building standards that will establish California as a leader in the efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from structures. This is part of an ongoing evolution of how California will build.

“By adopting this first-in-the-nation statewide green building code, California is again leading the way to fight climate change and protect the environment. This is literally a groundbreaking move to ensure that when we break ground on all new buildings in the Golden State we are promoting green building and energy efficient new technologies,” notes Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The recently amended California Green Building Standards Code, CCR, Title 24, Part 11 now includes mandatory features with a delayed effective date for housing, and voluntary standards for hospitals and other non-residential occupancies. The Commission will continue to work with state agencies and the many stakeholders as we develop a comprehensive set of mandatory provisions in the 2010 edition of the California Green Building Standards Code.

“California continues to lead the nation and I commend the hard work of the Building Standards Commission to adopt the first-in-the-nation statewide

green building standards,” proudly observes our Governator.

“Cars and buildings are two of the leading users of energy – we’re already addressing cars, and these new building standards will ensure that California remains at the forefront of reducing our carbon footprint and conserving valuable natural resources while also protecting our economy,” he concludes. “We have already committed to making our state-owned buildings more green and energy efficient and this statewide code will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency and conserve water in all new buildings.”

http://www.bsc.ca.gov/prpsd_stds/default.htm

THE FIVE PRICIPLES OF SMART GROWTH

THE FIVE PRICIPLES OF SMART GROWTH

There’s no stopping growth. By 2020, this country will need to house 53.7 million more Americans than in the year 2000.

Each community defines smart growth for itself, but those in the know say all such efforts guided by five principles:

1. Make a commitment to housing opportunity and choice, a wide range of urban, suburban, and rural homes at all price levels for a diverse population.
2. Build better communities with good schools, low crime, quality public services, efficient transportation systems, ample recreation areas, open space, a strong employment base, and a viable commercial sector.
3. Protect the environment by controlling pollution and encouraging preservation of natural resources and properties of historic significance.
4. At the same time, respect our Constitutional rights to freely own, use, and transfer real property.
5. Implement fair and reasonable public sector fiscal measures to ensure that the cost of new infrastructure is shared proportionally among those served.

For more information on the NAR Smart Growth program please visit:

http://www.realtor.org/smart_growth.nsf