Understanding the Living Building Challenge Midwest Fall Courses

Understanding the Living Building Challenge provides a 6-hour in-depth introduction to the Living Building Challenge. Attendees are the green building leaders in their community: design professionals, contractors, developers, owners, government officials and employees of public agencies. In short, anyone and everyone who can impact the development of the built environment.Living Building Challenge

Workshop Overview:

9:00-10:00 The Philosophy of the Living Building Challenge / Petal rationale + strategies: Site
10:00-10:15 Break
10:15-11:45 Petal rationale + strategies: Water, Energy, Health / Small Group Discussion
11:45-12:30 Lunch + Case Studies
12:30-2:00 Petal rationale + strategies: Materials, Equity, Beauty / Small Group Discussion
2:00-3:30 Breaking down Barriers / Community + Tools / Full Group Discussion /

Learning Objectives:
– Identify the key components of the Living Building Challenge
– Discuss the rationale for restorative design principles
– Understand successful strategies for compliance with each performance area
– Recognize financial, regulatory and behavioral barriers and incentives related to high performance design
– Describe the Living Building Challenge Community resources and certification process

Added Benefits:
– Applicable toward Living Future Accreditation
– Approved for 6 GBCI Continuing Education hours
– Approved for 6 AIA Learning Units
– Morning coffee and lunch included

Price*:

Ticket Type Registration
ILFI/Cascadia Members, Community subscribers, Ambassadors, Partners, Partner Org. Early Reg. $195
General Registration Early Registration $295

Non Early Bird

ILFI/Cascadia Members, Community subscribers, Ambassadors, Partners, Partner Org.  Late $215
General Registration Late $345

*Registration Fee includes workshop materials, morning coffee and lunch.

Sponsorship Opportunities are available. Please contact development [at] living-future [dot] org for details.

 

Wed, Sep 25, 2013
9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Understanding the Living Building Challenge 6 Hour Seminar 
Emanuel Community Center
Cincinnati Ohio
6 AIA/GBCI
Mon, Oct 14, 2013
9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Understanding the Living Building Challenge 6 Hour Seminar – Grand Rapids
Herman Miller GreenHouse
Holland Michigan
6 AIA/GBCI
Thu, Nov 7, 2013
10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Understanding the Living Building Challenge 6 Hour Seminar 
Energy Center of Wisconsin
Madison WI
6 AIA/GBCI

Our Expert Faculty: Richard Graves

Richard has extensive experience establishing and supporting green building programs in national and international settings. A registered architect with degrees from Rice University and Virginia Tech, Graves was the U.S. Green Building Council’s Senior Vice President of Community. He has over a decade of field experience working on leading-edge green building projects and is a staunch advocate for transparency and responsibility in the building industry.

 

Metro Detroit's 1st LEED Platinum Gut Rehab Home

The Ferndale home is 45.6% more efficient in its energy use in comparison to an average 2,000 sq. ft. existing Michigan home.  The average is 3,948 kWh a month, while the Ferndale house used only 2,195 kWh. The overall cost for the electric use in the Ferndale residence is $74.56 a month, using 603 kWh, which is 34% less than the average, which costs $121 a month and uses 908 kWh. Heating for the Ferndale home uses 5.3 MCF and costs $23.85 a month, while the average uses 10.1 MCF and costs $127.46 a month. Altogether, the operation costs are 32% less than the average household to heat. 

*The project team attempted to get actual past utility bills to determine the success of the upgrades. However, they did not know who the previous homeowners were, and since, DTE and Consumers Energy have outdated privacy laws, they do not allow for the retrieval of data without homeowner permission.See full Ferndale Home Energy Report

The purpose of this project was to revitalize an abandoned home in disrepair, and through environmentally-friendly construction practices, to transform it into an energy-efficient home.  The house is 95 years old, had gone into foreclosure and had been vandalized while sitting empty, so it required a complete overhaul. Lee Purches, HP3 Group and project Green Rater helped ensure the quality and sustainability success of this home.   Lee connected the owner with Herzog Homes, which was willing to pursue LEED certification with some budgetary constraints. The goal of this project was to restore this old house, but also make it better through green building design and LEED certification.  The design team followed LEED protocol for local labor and materials, using renewable or sustainable products in aiming for Gold LEED certification.IMG_6158a

The result is an efficient, practical, and affordable home that is no longer an eyesore in an established neighborhood. This home is the first of its kind in metro Detroit, setting an example for others to invest in Green Homes and to restore existing homes rather than build new.    The home has been enlarged and now has a freestanding garage that also serves to capture water.  The house also has its own high-efficiency controlled irrigation system that evenly distributes water in the front and back yards.The backyard contains a 200 square foot vegetable garden, which includes fruit trees.  The garden benefits from the irrigation system and passive water collection to yield produce four to six months out of the year.  The indoor air quality 10 times better due to the ERV and high efficiency furnace.  The furnace is a two stage furnace that only runs at high capacity when necessary, and is 97% efficient.

The house is fully enclosed with open cell spray icynene insulation, from the basement wall all the way up through both floors to and the roof deck. The interior finishes, walls and trim contains almost no VOC other than the drywall glue and paint, which have low VOC ratings below 100.  New Jeld-Wen windows were also installed with a U-factor and solar heat gain of 31 for additional energy performance and reduced air leakage.

Take a tour! August 3rd! Sign up Here!

Lewiston Checklist

 Project Details
Project Type               Single Family
Conditioned Space   2,027 sq ft.
Bedrooms                     3
Bathrooms                   2
Lot Type                       Infill
Construction Type   Gut Rehab

 Key Features
Air Filtration              MERV 13
Insulation                    R20
Window U-Value       31
HVAC Efficiency        97%
3.5 Air Leakage Rate in ACH50
Backyard Garden

 

Ferndale Project Profile

Herzog Homes
Check out the gallery for some before and after pictures of this LEED Platinum home.

Green Your Home: HVAC Systems

In this day and age, everyone is crazy for “going green”—which is great, obviously. With all of us pulling together and changing the way we impact the environment, we can implement a positive change for good. When focusing on your daily routines for going green, your HVAC system is no exception, especially for areas with extreme inclement weather and harsh climate changes throughout the year. With my experience as a technician for Griffith Heating and Air  for 23 years,  I am here to help you not only gain the “eco-friendly” stamp, but also help you stay comfortable and cool in your home while doing it.

Reconsider how you regulate the temperature of your home. Most people immediately turn the temperature down to what they think is the necessary cooling they need for the house. But research shows that our comfort in an environment is equal parts mental as it is physical. In fact, many office buildings install dummy thermostats to give employees the impression that they’re adjusting the temperature – and it works, too. This is not to mention that each time you lower the temperature by one degree, it takes up 5% more energy to cool your house.

Use fans to help improve your airflow. Place them near the vents in your house, and use them as a way to spread the cool air around. This can keep your air conditioner at a lower level, and reduces the amount of energy used. For mild days, you might be able to avoid using your HVAC system altogether if you use window fans to pull in cooler air rather than constantly relying on your HVAC equipment for your climate control.

Seal gaps and cracks in your doors, windows, and floorboards to make sure that none of the energy you’re using is being wasted. Use weather-stripping on movable parts and caulk on inoperable areas to seal your home’s environment as cleanly as possible. Poor insulation, particularly in lofts or historical homes, can be a massive sink on your energy bill.

Adjust your blinds depending on the season. In the midst of winter, you can save your heater some work by letting the sun do its part on warming your environment. Likewise, closing the blinds and curtains during summer can deflect a great deal of heat generated by sunlight. The difference between a home with fully closed blinds and a home with open ones can make a substantial difference in shaping a comfortable environment.

Check the roof of your home for any causes in higher utility bills. A leaky, poorly insulated roof might be wasting a significant part of your energy cost. Another aspect to consider is if your roof is a darker color; particularly in warmer climates, this will lead to its absorbing more heat, resulting in you using your cooling system more frequently. Choose a lighter colored roof the next time your home is overdue for a roof retiling.

Change or clean the filters of your HVAC system regularly. It’s one of the easiest and most frequently overlooked aspects of maintaining a system. Depending on your environment (shedding pets, people with allergens, amount of dust in the area), you may need to perform filter maintenance between every 1-3 months. If your filter has a cardboard frame, it’s likely the replaceable variety. If not, vacuum the filter, rinse it with hot water, and allow it to air dry before returning. It’ll raise the quality of your indoor air and stop your system from having to wheeze around a thick carpet of dust to do its job – meaning better efficiency.

These are quick and simple tips to change the area of living in your home to be a more green and energy efficient space. By following these simple steps, you can see your bills lowered, and your carbon footprint several sizes smaller: a win-win for all.

Jason Wall is an HVAC technician who writes for Griffith Energy Services. When he isn’t working or writing, he can be found enjoying a good baseball game or spending time with his family.

College of Saint Benedict Senior Housing, LEED Platinum Certified

The Centennial Commons townhouses were designed to be a sustainable part of the colleSustainability Photoge’s landscape. The 32 townhouses were intended to be at least LEED Silver certified. The townhouse were originally considered in order to provide affordable housing for the 90% of students that live on campus, particularly the seniors.  These townhouses were also built to represent the college’s commitment to sustainability, as well as the first college student housing in the state of Minnesota to have any LEED certification. Each townhouse has been outfitted with as many locally sourced materials, furniture, carpeting, and wood, as possible. The exterior is decorated with native plants and landscaping. Each townhouse is also individually metered for teaching students about their energy consumption and sustainability.

The 2-story townhouses were designed for a durable 100-year life and to be as efficient as possible.  The townhouses provide housing for 125 students, accommodating 3-4 students in 4 bedrooms, with 2 full bathrooms.  Each townhouse also has two bathrooms, laundry room, living room, kitchen and front porch.  Also included in this project was the Commons Building to provide the community with a gathering space, study rooms, computer lab, kitchen and a multi-purpose room.

The townhouses are clustered for a compact development within half a mile of community resources; churches, libraries, convenience stores, fitness centers and shops. The building site was selected as it was not a habitat for endangered or threatened species, a wetland or public parkland. The townhouses also utilize outdoor LED lighting, non-toxic pest control and low flow plumbing inside.  During construction 37% of waste was diverted, documented, and recycled while  erosion control was also put into action in designing and installing the landscape.

One unique feature, according to Judy Purman, CSB’s Director of Sustainability, is that each unit is individually metered for gas, electricity and water usage. Judy Purman also stated, “Each apartment will receive a ‘mock’ bill so that the residents will understand what their actual usage is,”  which in turn provides a “life skills learning opportunity. We’re integrating an educational component so that they will understand what it’s like to pay gas, water and electricity bills when they leave campus.”

CSB checklist     Project Details
Project Type                Custom
Conditioned Space     1,492 sq ft. per townhouse,  11,936 sq ft per building,  52,167 sq ft total (32 units),  4,423 sq ft (Commonss Building)
Bedrooms                     3
Bathrooms                   2
Lot Type                       Edge
Construction Type    New Construction

      Key Features
Natural Lighting
Merv 8 HVAC Efficiency
Provides Community Space and Access to Amenities
Provides Housing for Higher Education Students
Teaching Tool for Sustainability

 

Project Team
DLR and Associates
-Architect
Sand Companies Incorporated
-General Contractor
Judy Purman
-CSB’s Director of Sustainability/Project Team Leader
NEC: Neighborhood Energy Connection
-Green Rater

CSB Centennial Commons Project Profile

St. Cloud Times Article on CSB Townhomes

College of Saint Benedict’s Official Page for the Centennial Commons