Jetson Green - Development

Bill McDonough's Mixed-Use, LEED Greenbridge Developments

You’ve heard of William "Bill" McDonough: "Hero for the Planet." He’s co-author of the wildly popular Cradle to Cradle book and co-founder of the product and process design firm MBDC, which is behind the Cradle to Cradle Certification (C2C) process. Most recently, the November 2006 issue of Business 2.0 included an article about his sustainable building projects around the world. McDonough is an architect and the designer of the incredible Greenbridge Developments in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Developers expect to break ground on the project in June 2006 and it will be complete two years later (Spring 2009). Greenbridge will be the first mixed-use project in North Carolina to achieve LEED certification.

There will be about 100 residential units in two buildings (7 + 10 stories each), 25,000 square feet of retail space, and 15,000 square feet of office space. The units include studio – three bedroom offerings ranging from 600 – 2,400 square feet. As for pricing, we’re talking about $225,000 – 1.2 M. This development promises to keep in line with sustainable principles boasting amenities such as green roofing and courtyard gardens, solar panels, an urban-style market selling local + organic foods, and a wellness center offering holistic medicine, acupuncture, and massage therapies. Greenbridge is already 40% sold and is accepting reservations.

What’s important, however, is that this development is another example of where real estate development for the future should be heading. Cities are full of buildings that need to be renovated and retrofitted to be more efficient, use less energy, and waste less resources. These new LEED developments will lead the way in showing other developers that green building has substantial economic + societal benefits. See also The Daily Tar Heel.

By Jetson Green|November 1st, 2006|LEED, Modern architecture, Modern design, Nature, Solar|1 Comment

If you’ve heard of the Husten-Haskin house (mentioned in NYTimes + SF Chronicle), then you’ve heard of the architect behind the the Vital House prefab: Erin Vali of Ulterior Mode. The Vital House is designed to be both economical (1,500 sq-ft. at $300,000) and eco-friendly. Practically speaking, the firm is Brooklyn-based, so this prefab design will serve the east coast, at least in the near short-term, but this four-bedroom model was designed to adapt to virtually any location. The prefab utilizes solar-power and passive heating during the winter (with double-height walls on the south + east orientation). It also has water-filled tanks placed on the south + east spaces, which absorb radiant energy and distribute it through the house. Interestingly, construction is raised slightly off the ground, which accommodates both flat and sloped land sites. Another benefit of raised construction is that wind + air can cool the home. Some of the other specifics on the Vital House are still in flux, but I think this is a good start.

By Jetson Green|October 30th, 2006|Modern architecture, Modern design, Prefab, Solar|0 Comments

This is a building I saw first on Archidose. Since the website project description is in Dutch, it’s hard to get specific information on this building, but I’ll share what I’ve been able to get translated. Urban Cactus is a project of the Rotterdam-based architectural office UCX Architects, founded by Ben Huygen + Jasper Jagers. It will have 98 residential units on 19 floors, and because the project abuts the harbor, the architects chose to give the building a more green, natural feel (rather than the urban feel common to neighboring architecture). I’m thinking that this layout provides an interesting mixture of sunlight + shade with the perfect amount of green space that is usually lacking in most vertical high-rise buildings.

By Jetson Green|October 28th, 2006|Modern architecture, Modern design, Nature, Skyscraper|0 Comments

OMD Prefab Video + Jennifer Siegal Interview

Recently, I blogged about Jennifer Siegal and Office of Mobile Design (OMD) and wanted follow up because I found this video of her Venice, California show house. It’s a short, 2-minute video packed with modern + green information and mentions the following products: Japanese recycled grass board called "Kirei" (Japanese for pretty or beautiful), radiant heating ceiling panels called "People Heaters," the in-wall iPod sound system called iPort, energy-efficient appliances by Sub-zero, a tank-less water heater, and industrial-grade flooring in the bathroom to withstand heavy use. Take a look at some of these products if you’re doing a renovation and enjoy the video if you’re interested in modern + green prefab.

By Jetson Green|October 25th, 2006|Gadgets, Modern architecture, Modern design, Prefab|2 Comments

Cincinnati City Council Passes Ordinance Granting Tax Benefits to Green Builders

On September 20, 2006, Cincinnati City Council took a bold step to pass an ordinance, at the motion of council members Laketa Cole and Chris Bortz, that provides tax and $ incentives to residential and commercial developers that build or rehab structures to LEED standards (Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum). Even more notable was the simultaneous creation of a Community Development Block Grant, which aims to provide financing to residential (low or qualified mixed-income) structures built to LEED standards by paying the difference between the cost of the LEED building versus the cost of the building if it were built to standard codes.

City Council is thinking also about establishing a "green permitting" process, which would allow green developers to bypass the bureaucratic bottlenecks and move to the front of the line for development approvals. This is great news. Developers are always looking for a way to get their projects approved, so green permitting will force them to rethink their options.

The LEED-H standard, which is the USGBC‘s standard for residential green homes, is relatively new, when compared to the LEED standards for commercial building. LEED buildings will start to gain in popularity and provide tangible benefits to the city because green buildings use less water, less energy, and pollute less. And from what I understand, there are tons of cities out there (other than Cincinnati) that have water shortages, energy shortages, and dirty skies–why not empower your citizens and businesses to solve resource problems by building green? It’s one of the smartest things you can do as a politician, regardless of your partisan affiliation.

By Jetson Green|October 25th, 2006|LEED, News, Solar|0 Comments

Skyscraper Sunday: Hunt Consolidated Office Tower Going LEED Green?

About one year ago yesterday, Hunt Consolidated Inc. broke ground on a new office tower, which borders on Akard Street and Woodall Rogers Freeway. You’ve probably seen it, it has massive cement beams curving on its northerly face. The building is being developed by Woodbine Development Corporation, which is partially owned somehow in the Hunt Consolidated Empire. I heard from a friend (hearsay, I know) that Chairman Ray Hunt, or some other c-level executive, was asked at a luncheon whether the building was going to be green and he equivocated saying something like, "Well, we’re not going to build green just to build green, but we’ll do it if there are tangible economic reasons to do it."

I did some research and it looks like Hunt Consolidated Office Tower is registered with the USGBC as LEED-CI v2.0, otherwise know as the green ratings standard for commercial interiors. If my understanding is correct, that building is to be 100% owner-occupied, so Hunt is going green inside? Not sure. Here’s what I know. It will be a $120 million, 400,000 square foot, 15 story building. Gensler, which is #2 in the US for having the largest number of LEED Accredited Professionals, will be doing the interiors. So they have the know-how to go green on the inside. The entire structure was designed by Dallas-based Beck Group and the general contractor is Austin Commercial. Looks like it may be going green, but if the decision is still in the air, here’s my two cents: what’s more economic incentive to build green than a $6.3 million tax abatement over 10 years? That abatement should cover the 1% premium (if that) required to go green.