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Breaking New Ground

Sustainable building practices prove good for residents, the environment and the bottom line.

Say goodbye to the sprawling suburban home, with its quarter acre of thirsty lawn and two cars in the garage for travel to distant work and shopping. The latest residential and mixed-use developments in the North Bay are designed to save water, energy and driving distance, and to bring people into closer contact with their communities.

Florence Lofts

Architect Steve Sheldon radiates pride as he shows off the recently completed Sebastopol development, Florence Lofts. The units, he says, were designed with three goals in mind: water conservation, energy conservation and creating a zero carbon footprint (meaning that the project and everything associated with it—including product manufacturers, suppliers, transportation and energy—nets out to a zero carbon release into the atmosphere). And, in a thoroughly modern way, Florence Lofts revives the ancient tradition of tradespeople living where they work.

It’s the first mixed-use building for Sheldon, even though, throughout his 30 years as a Sonoma County developer, he’s pursued a vision of renewable energy that dates back to the renewable energy renaissance of the 1970s. Sheldon is a founding partner and architect at IBIS Builds, a company that specializes in green development.

The Florence Lofts development consists of a two-story commercial building facing Healdsburg Avenue with a restaurant, office and commercial space; and 12 three-story live-work units, each with commercial space on the ground floor and living space above.

The live-work units mimic an old-world design prevalent in Holland and other space-starved countries since the Middle Ages: commercial, living and sleeping spaces stacked vertically on a relatively small footprint. Though the units are a snug 1,520 square feet, the open floor design of the kitchen-dining-living area and balcony feels spacious. The plan doesn’t waste much floor space on the bedroom, a loft with an attached bathroom overlooking the living area. But the cozy bedroom is lined with generous built-in closets, shelves and drawers, so the only furniture you need—besides a bed—is a nightstand or two (and perhaps a chair). Every inch of the building is green.

“We’ve searched to find products that use as little energy as possible,” says Sheldon.
In the Florence Lofts sales office, prospective buyers can see and touch samples of the development’s skin and bones—from the light-gauge recycled steel walls to the PaperStone countertops made of a surprisingly attractive blend of recycled paper and natural resins. A fluffy, oddly appealing material in shades of blue and white is the insulation—it’s made of recycled blue jeans and underwear.

A jar of Green Planet paint—clay-based with a soy binder—yields no toxic smell. Although the paint is somewhat pricier than conventional paint, it requires no sealer, so it takes only two coats to do the job (instead of the three coats of conventional paints).

Cabinets and paneling are of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified plywood produced under sustainable forestry management as assessed by the FSC, and contain no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Ground floors are earth-colored polished concrete, providing thermal mass that helps steady the temperature on hot or cold days, and heated by piped water from the same 97 percent energy-efficient, on-demand boiler that warms the bath water. Top floors and stairs are of fast-growing, renewable bamboo.

Right now, the exterior looks a little bare. Rusty steel trellises over the walkways and balconies do little to keep out the sun. But in time, says Sheldon, these trellises will completely disappear under an abundant growth of vines that will provide summer shade.

In many urban areas, rainwater that lands on roofs and pavement often has no place to go. It’s collected in downspouts and gutters and sent through a runoff system, instead of being allowed to soak into the ground to replenish the water table.

The parking lots and walkways at Florence Lofts are designed to be permeable; the parking lot is made of six-inch pervious concrete over a 10-inch base of drain rock, and the pathways are similarly constructed of two-inch angular gravel over six-inch drain rock. Rainwater collects at the drain rock level and slowly seeps into the soil. Only after the soil is saturated does excess water become runoff, flowing from the drain rock into a bioremediation tank that doubles as a pond garden. Plant roots and microbes cleanse the runoff of toxins and oils. From there, it’s dispersed into runoff systems that flow to the Laguna de Santa Rosa.

You won’t see the familiar photovoltaic solar panels at Florence Lofts; instead, photovoltaic film is laminated directly onto metal roofing. The goal is to produce enough electricity to meet residents’ yearly needs. Those who use less than their allotted share can get rebates, while energy hogs end up paying a little extra.

The commercial portion of the development employs a novel cooling system. On hot days, a 5,000-gallon underground tank circulates cool water through the floors using the same radiant system that circulates warm water on cold days. The system is controlled automatically by thermostat.
At night, the underground water is pumped to the roof and through a system of sprinklers along the roof’s peak. As it trickles down, the water is cooled by evaporation and by losing heat to the night sky, collected in gutters and routed back to the underground tank. By morning, the water is chilly enough to cool off the building when the day warms up.

How well does the cooling system work? According to Lowell Sheldon, co-proprietor of the upscale and very organic Peter Lowell’s restaurant [Wine, Dine & Deal, Feb. 2008]—and the architect’s son, “We’ve seen anywhere between eight and 12 degrees below the temperature outside.” While this isn’t always sufficient for a restaurant with multiple heating elements on the hottest days, Sheldon predicts that other commercial tenants, minus stoves, will probably find the cooling system more than adequate. Meanwhile, Lowell’s customers can find a cool spot in the outdoor seating area.

LEED certification

Florence Lofts was designed for LEED gold certification. If you haven’t heard the acronym “LEED,” prepare to hear it plenty in the future. It stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and it’s a green certification based on a rating system designed by the U.S. Green Building Council. The rating system uses a point-based sustainability checklist to award four levels of excellence (basic, silver, gold and platinum). As of 2006, there were only six LEED platinum structures in California, and 14 gold. This year, the numbers have (so far) risen to 12 platinum and 41 gold, respectively.

It’s not just about renewable energy. Builders receive points for:
•    Building materials that are recycled or recyclable, nontoxic, low VOC, locally or sustainably produced and/or certified-renewable;

•     Energy conservation measures, such as high levels of insulation, use of natural light and energy-efficient appliances;

•     Renewable energy, such as solar panels and wind turbines;
•     Sustainable site development, such as infill building, high-density housing, proximity to work and transportation; and

•     Water conservation measures, such as rainwater capture and graywater systems.

LEED isn’t just for new construction. There are also certifications for major renovations, schools, commercial space and other categories.

A March study by the CoStar Group, a real estate information company, found that LEED-certified buildings outperform conventional buildings financially. According to the study, LEED buildings command rent premiums of $11.24 per square foot more than their non-LEED equivalent and have 3.8 percent higher occupancy. LEED buildings also sell for a stunning $171 more per square foot than conventional buildings.

Reduced operating costs over time also offset the higher costs of building green. Marin-based EAH (Ecumenical Association for Housing), for instance, recently installed the largest solar power array on any affordable housing property in the United States, as well as many other green upgrades to Crescent Park, a 348-unit 1960s-era complex in Richmond, California, to save more than $200,000 a year in energy costs. EAH is a nonprofit developer that recently celebrated 40 years of developing affordable housing for low-income families and seniors in California and Hawaii.

Graywater systems

Graywater is wastewater from hand sinks, showers, washing machines and the like. Also known as “sullage,” this non-industrial wastewater comprises an estimated 50 to 80 percent of residential wastewater. Concerns over potential health risks often lead to intensive treatment requirements, and the North Bay, like many communities, is dotted with illegal and quasi-legal graywater systems, some as simple as a garden hose that drains into a backyard garden. But Florence Lofts boasts the first legal graywater system in Sonoma County. Approved in 2005 by the city of Sebastopol, the system was even a test case for county water regulations.

Graywater is used to irrigate the landscaping at Florence Lofts, allowing the recirculation of 150,000 gallons a year of water that would otherwise go into the sewers.

“Because of the graywater savings,” says gardener Shannon Leach of Gemini Landscaping, “the city let us use non-native plants.” Leach organically maintains the hydrangeas and other landscape plants.
Not just an environmentally sound solution, water adds to the development’s outdoor ambience as well, flowing along a channel in the center of the courtyard. In the summer, it’s filled with city water recirculated with a pump. In winter, the channel carries rainwater and any overflow from the permeable walkways.

As the North Bay faces the possibility of increasingly frequent droughts spurred by global warming, and as county officials gain experience in graywater design, expect to see more and more of these systems in place.

Drake’s Way

Groundbreaking for Drake’s Way, EAH’s 24-unit low-income development in Larkspur, took place in late May. “We aim to be the first LEED-for-Home certified multi-family affordable residential development in the North Bay,” says project manager Andy Blauvelt.

The green elements at Drake’s Way are fairly modest compared to those of Florence Lofts, but include solar panels supplying 11.6 kilowatts of energy to maintain the office and common areas only. Other green details include recycled and locally sourced materials, energy-efficient hot water and space heating, high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, high-value insulation and various measures to improve indoor air quality. Rainwater is circulated around tree roots for cleansing before flowing to the bay.

Landscaping is largely native—based on the oak grassland that preceded development. The fact that the project is infill will add LEED points, though zoning prevents high-density housing in the area.
The big energy payoff will be in transportation savings for low-income workers who would otherwise have to commute from cheaper housing outside of Marin County. The complex is located near jobs and near the Larkspur Ferry terminal and other public transportation, and has already achieved the maximum number of LEED points for transportation access. Plus, it already qualifies for rebates as a PG&E EnergyStar-approved development.

One amenity not usually seen in affordable housing is fantastic views. “Every unit will have a view of either the bay or Mount Tam. Most will have both,” says Blauvelt.

EAH acquired the property from Monahan Pacific, which planned luxury homes and was required to include low-income units to meet local housing laws. EAH will build on 2.5 acres of the property and has donated the remaining three acres to the city to extend parkland located next to the development.
Financial and regulatory hurdles have beset the project, now nearly nine years in the planning.

“Construction costs have risen 10 to 15 percent annually for most of the 2000s,” notes Blauvelt. To meet these changing cost estimates, EAH had to apply for supplementary grants several times. Funding for the whole project faltered when the initial investors backed out as the credit crisis began seriously deteriorating the value of affordable housing tax credits in the second half of 2007, but Union Bank of California, which holds its own portfolio of tax credit investments, stepped in at that time with adequate funding.

Despite the delays, Drake’s Way has already benefited from its green status. In addition to rebates and paybacks for reduced energy costs to tenants, EAH received a grant to fund a green consultant who advised on the most cost-effective green elements to add. For instance, floors are covered with Green Label Plus carpeting, which meets the highest standard for very low VOC emissions.

Drake’s Way comes on the heels of another recent EAH project in nearby Corte Madera—San Clemente Place, which celebrated its grand opening in June. That complex was one of two California Developments to win HUD’s Robert Wood Johnson Award for affordable housing. Corte Madera isn’t known for its affordable housing, but a few years back, advocates sued the city for not allowing for affordable housing.

Today, San Clemente Place features energy-efficient windows, heating, lighting and appliances. Because it’s built close to jobs, 90 percent of residents work in the county, and 40 percent were able to shorten their commute by moving to Corte Madera. Even though San Clemente currently has no renewable energy, EAH estimates the complex will save some 700 tons of carbon dioxide per year in reduced travel time alone. And planning foresight makes it possible for San Clemente to go solar in the future.

Student dormitories at the CIA

Turning attention to the east finds Bob Massaro, founder and CEO of Napa’s Healthy Buildings USA, which is currently working on six development projects in the Napa Valley that are targeted for LEED ratings (silver or gold) or Green Point rating from Build It Green.

Past projects include Valley Oak Villas, a 45-unit green townhome project in a modest neighborhood in west Napa. These Craftsman-style units, like Florence Lofts, have light-gauge steel framing; uncarpeted, polished and stained concrete floors; and VOC-free interior details such as wheatboard cabinets.

Massaro, a builder and real estate developer since 1981 (he founded Healthy Buildings in 1999), is a frequent speaker on the benefits of green building and a member of both Sustainable Napa County and the Napa County Asthma Coalition. Massaro likes to characterize the environmental cost of wood versus steel framing as, “one acre of new-growth forest versus six recycled cars.”

Healthy Buildings is project manager and general contractor for perhaps the most ambitious and spectacular green project currently in the North Bay: a new student dorm facility in St. Helena for the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.

The facility will supplement existing dorms at the Vintner’s Lodge about a mile from Greystone itself, and will reach for LEED gold (possibly platinum) certification.

Visitors to the facility will know immediately that they’re in green territory: The student paking lot will be shaded by a trellis, supporting solar panels, that’s cantilevered out from a rainwater swale between two rows of parking spaces.

The dorms will have solar roofs with panels both generating electricity and heating water. And the facility will have its own onsite waste treatment and graywater systems, allowing for tremendous water savings. Parts of the building will be sheathed in hand-troweled stucco and the rest with cementitious batten and board sheets that mimic wood. The design style could be called “Napa Barn,” and harmonizes with existing rural Napa architecture.

Architect Rob Anglin’s enthusiasm for the project is hard to miss as he describes several unique features not found in the other buildings discussed here. One has to do with—ahem—toilets: “It seems crazy to use treated [city] water just for flushing toilets. So we’re trying to minimize the impact by using rain water during the rainy season to do that,” he says.

Some green designs provide for toilets to be flushed with graywater or rainwater when it’s available, but this entails a complicated dual-plumbing system. At the new dorm, rainwater will be captured in a large cistern that’s plumbed for the toilets. When water in the cistern gets low, it will be automatically filled with city water, so there will be no need for an alternate plumbing system during dry spells.

An important principle of green building is to reuse building materials whenever possible. The Culinary Institute does this to a degree that’s almost poetic. An existing cement-block laundry building will be taken down at the construction site, except for one wall, which will be used as a garden wall and covered with vines. The remaining cement blocks will be crushed and used as aggregate to make a curved concrete wall surrounding a terrace.

But that’s not all. The laundry’s roof joists will be used to make a mold to pour the concrete for the curved wall, so the wood grain of those old roof beams will be preserved in the concrete. Then the roof beams will be turned into a trellis for the garden.

For Charles Henning, Culinary Institute managing director, green building is a reflection of personal philosophy and upbringing.

“I’m originally from Switzerland,” he says, “and I grew up in a very environmentally conscious household and community—we didn’t waste water, we didn’t cut trees just for the sake of cutting trees. We didn’t call it ‘sustainability,’ of course, we were just using the practices we’d been using for centuries. You know, moving the crop from field to field, rotating the cows and all the animals on the farm. All those things stay ingrained in your veins.”

Like Steve Sheldon and EAH president/CEO Mary Murtagh, Henning also was influenced by the environmental consciousness of the 1970s, when a friend built his own solar home and wrote his doctoral thesis about it.

“And of course, when you live in Northern California for some time, you understand how precious water is, and how it’s something we need to be very mindful of.” Henning worked personally on the design with architects Rob Anglin and Tom Foharty from Valley Architects.

“One of the things I like about the CIA is that they came to us understanding the relationship between healthy food and healthy environments,” says Massaro. “And they wanted to elevate their dormitory housing to a much higher, fully sustainable level.”

Since these buildings are intended for culinary students, Henning insisted a large portion of the landscape be edible. There will be olives, nuts, grapes and many kinds of fruit trees, some espaliered along trellises outlining vegetable and herb gardens.

Looking to the future

Mary Murtagh has been a passionate advocate of green building since the 1970s oil crisis. In 1994, EAH sponsored Ecology House, the first development for environmentally sensitive residents, in San Rafael; and it’s Crescent Park in Richmond generates 900 kilowatts of solar power, the largest amount in the United States for low-income housing.

Funding didn’t let EAH budget solar for San Clemente Place but, ever the optimist, EAH made sure the buildings were wired for solar and space set aside for future inverters. When third-party financing can be arranged, the complex will go solar. One way this might happen is for an outside company to lease the roof, install solar panels and sell the electricity back to the property—a concept already in use on the roofs of some big box stores.

As for future projects, says Murtagh, “We’re embarking on a solar goal for EAH. We want to build 2.5 megawatts (2,500 kilowatts) of solar power in the next five years.”

With 8,000 units in California and Hawaii under its management, EAH has plenty of material to work with. And all new projects will be either solar or wired for future solar.

“For me, it’s not possible to be too green,” says Murtagh. “And it’s not everybody in the business who has 8,000 rooftops to work with.