It became evident to the city staff in spring 2006 that the effectiveness of the emergency services in Alexandria may be compromised by the desired layout and size of the proposed development. The resolution came in the form of the Station at Potomac Yard, a multi-use structure complete with a fire station on the first floor and upper levels consisting of retail space and four stories of residential housing. PYD and the city of Alexandria worked with architect Andy Caldwell and contractor Frank Curtis to create a building that was referenced in the Washington Business Journal as an “outstanding model of sustainable design.” The Station at Potomac Yard boasts 44 long-term affordable rental units and 20 apartments, built to the Atlanta area’s stringent EarthCraft standards for Green Building, while the ground floor was granted LEED certification.

The city’s goal to incorporate sustainable building principles in all facets of the project aligned perfectly with Integrity’s dedication to innovative, energy efficient products and practices. PYD selected 434 Integrity Wood-Ultrex Double Hung windows for their Energy Star performance, further reinforcing the building’s green design. Integrity’s 10 day delivery schedule and commitment to timely information exchange facilitated all communication and the resolution of any difficulties. Unparalleled service, matched with strong relationships in the industry gave this commercial project the opportunity to change and revitalize the Potomac yard community.

Although the fire station was only completed it 2009, its appearance is much more traditional and its architecture transforms the previous regional rail center. The Evergreen finish on the double hung windows flawlessly complements the station’s brick exterior and frames an even greener landscape outside. The fire station looks out to an open recreational area, ideal for socialization and fostering a sense of community. By improving public safety and infrastructure, exhibiting Smart Growth principles and meeting crucial requests for affordable housing, the Station at Potomac Yard stands as an excellent example for future collaborative housing authority projects.

Photos courtesy of Integrity Windows and Doors, Hayman Studio Inc.

Please let us know which sites you find the most informative, and feel free to post any of your favorite blogs or twitter accounts in the comments section!

Twitter Accounts:

NAHB Green –  “The National Green Building Program offers resources & tools to help builders, remodelers, home building associations, and homeowners learn how to build green.”

NAHB Remodelers –  The National Association of Home Builders has its remodeling experts keep you up-to-date on what is new in the remodeling industry.

Green Intel – Christine Costa, Sustainability Practice Leader, tweets on environmental issues. Check out her blogs as well!

Sarah Susanka -  Architect and best-selling author of “The Not So Big House” comments on architectural trends, the homebuilding industry and why bigger isn’t always better.

Blogs:

Construction Informer – This blog, geared toward the construction industry, is an excellent place to find quality information and discussion about building. Topics covered range from products to processes, finance to industry news.

Build Intel – “Marketing experts [with construction/homebuilding industry expertise] share their views on the building industry.”

Matt Rinsigner’s Blog –   Homebuilder Matt Risinger writes a very informative blog with his first-hand experience in the business.

Constructonomics -  “[This] blog covers everything in the architecture, engineering, construction and real estate industry and focuses on economics, leadership, and management. Constructonomics tries to provide readers with valuable and useful content that is also quite fun to read. ”

Ebuilders -   “From flooring to roofing and everything in between, find valuable technical advice and design ideas to ensure your success and boost your pride of ownership.”

The Handy Guys Podcast -  Two avid DIYers share their experiences working around the house. Q&A, tool tests, how-to’s, the works!

The first viewpoint comes from Richard Florida, author of the book “The Great Reset: How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity.” In a nutshell, he believes that when the economy recovers, it “will demand cleaner, more efficient ways of living, traveling, working and arranging our communities if we hope to climb out of our hole and catch the next wave of prosperity.”

Smaller homes and better, more efficient public transportation seem to be two of his main viewpoints. And this idea of transforming the way we live is important and valid and may come to pass.

But MinnPost also featured the viewpoint of author Joel Kotkin (“The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050″). His view is that the new green urbanism is a bit of a pipe dream. Partly this has to do with psychology: a large number of Americans will always prefer single family suburban homes to multi-family urban living.

But isn’t the problem of urban sprawl something cities are racing to fix? Kotkin believes that cities will decline in importance. Jobs and services will keep moving outwards to where people live, hopefully cutting down on time spent in the car.

What do you think? Which vision will take hold after the recovery? Will you find yourself building urban mixed-used developments or suburban homes with picket fences? Or will some third building trend drive the recovery?

A blog entry on BUILDER Online posed a provocative question: Can big homes be green? The answer, as with most things, is “it depends.”

As everyone knows, there’s been a shift away from McMansions. Not only can they cost more to build, but they’ll also be more expensive to heat and cool — not to mention the homeowners will need to buy more stuff to fill it up. And yet, would you consider a large LEED-certified house built with the greenest of materials less sustainable than a small house that was built in a less green, energy-efficient way?

How about context? If a family of 10 moves into our fictional large house and needs and uses all the space there, does that make it green? What if it’s just a family of four, and all those bedrooms and dens are sitting empty? Does that make the house less green?

Now, we’re certainly not saying that people shouldn’t be able to live in houses as large as they want. And no doubt, large homes can be a homebuilder’s dream. But what about building smaller, more livable homes using higher quality, more innovative materials?

When do you think a house’s size affects its green-ness? Let us know in the comments!

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Writer Nigel Maynard surveyed a variety of professionals (LEED architects, sustainable builders, the works) to obtain an accurate prediction about the future of the industry. Furthermore, his article is enhanced by various facts and quotes regarding energy use and new building practices.

In future years, there will be a strong emphasis on the home functioning as a system. This applies to everything from plumbing to insulation; all parts are interconnected and can make a difference in energy and cost savings. Another change on the horizon is regulation of water usage and a strong emphasis on conservation.

Most important, the article discusses the role human behavior will play in these new practices. There is to be a much stronger focus on “educating green” and teaching homeowners how to properly use the sustainable features of their home, garnering greater cost savings and protecting mother earth. There is even a new feedback system available that reports energy usage levels within the home using red, yellow and green lights. “Studies have shown that when people see how much energy they are using, they will alter their behavior.”

Obviously, change is coming. Which of these trends, technologies, products and practices do you think will become most established in the next 10 years?

Image courtesy of Builder Online, Brian Stauffer

Green Homes Sell Faster, But Harder to Appraise
HGTV Pro – NAHB (Nation’s Building News)
“While official statistics may be lacking, many builders attending the NAHB National Green Building Conference in Raleigh, N.C., on May 16-18 said that they have been able to sell sustainably built homes considerably faster than the traditionally built new homes that have been languishing in today’s tough market.

Green builders, however, have little immunity from the tight financial conditions that have been plaguing the housing market and imposing difficulties for both home buyers and sellers. And the widespread problem of low appraisals — driven largely by a glut of foreclosed properties and a slow market — has been doubly frustrating for green builders because the vast majority of appraisers are unable to recognize the value that green features add to the home.”

New Lead Paint Laws Updated
Charles & Hudson
“The new lead paint rule instituted by the EPA that requires special handling when remodeling all pre-1978 homes has now been slightly altered.”

Home-Efficiency Program Takes Hit
WSJ – Developments Blog
“White House-backed effort to encourage home-energy improvements was dealt a blow Tuesday after a federal regulator said the program posed significant risks to mortgage lenders and investors. The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, suggested the mortgage finance titans should avoid participating in the program or should tighten their lending standards where the initiative moves forward.”

Plans are slowly deviating  from the excesses of the new millennium and the demands for extreme, ground-breaking style from modern starchitects are fading. There is less focus on excessive, jaw-dropping designs and more emphasis on creating a building that is functional, yet innovative and environmentally friendly.

One of the largest trends that goes hand in hand with this new design aesthetic is collaboration. Architects are working with other architects and professionals to place more attention on “urban planning, civic projects and the creation of public space.”  Looking toward the future with these collaborative projects requires more creative problem solving, yet holds the potential to benefit the community for years to come.

An example that stood out to me involves the excessive “starchitecture” that has become commonplace at the  Olympics. Year after year, billions of dollars are spent in preparation for the games, building astounding facilities and venues that showcase brilliant architecture. While during the games, this is awe-inspiring, many buildings fall into disuse after the closing ceremony and aren’t quite worth the dollars put into them.  With the 2012 London games on the horizon, only one such facility is being built, Hadid’s Aquatic Center. Other than that, the city is focused on creating pragmatic and simplified structures.

What’s [ingenious] about 2012 plans is that the British government is sinking 9.3 billion pounds into the future, not just two week of showing off for a global TV audience. When the Games are over, thousands of people living in a wretchedly poor part of East London will get to enjoy the infrastructure, park, public amenities, and new housing.

This increasingly popular notion of collectivity undoubtedly pains the lone, brilliant architect, the Howard Rourke, if you will.  However, it is for the best. Advanced planning and collaboration allow for increased sensitivity to the environment and careful consideration of social, economic and political factors in the surrounding area.

The article goes on to chronicle a variety of other architectural projects in this new era and compares and contrasts them with previous feats. You can also see Newsweek’s image gallery on Architecture: The End of Excess, which offers many great “then and now” shots.  Be sure to check it out and let us know what style you support!

Photo courtesy of Newsweek and Rafa Rivas / AFP-Getty Images

Nonetheless, the home is very modern in its energy efficiency: it has ENERGY STAR appliances, geothermal panels and plants that don’t need constant watering. And it also features Integrity windows. With energy efficient glass and Ultrex’s durability and green manufacturing, Integrity helps this house achieve an optimal green balance.

Please check out the article to learn more!

Photo courtesy of USA Today and Paul Wicklow

New Lead Paint Regulations: Do They Go Too Far?
DIY Life
Writer Kathy Price-Robinson raises the question, “Is a new lead safety law for professional renovators too much government? Or just enough?”

On Home Sales, Curb Your Enthusiasm
WSJ.com Developments blog
“Sales of homes entered into contract jumped by the largest margin in more than eight years, Weiss Research notes, with broad-based regional strength. The excitement is understandable. Housing has been so bad for so long that it’s easy to get giddy over a great statistic. But, while this is good news, proceed with caution.”

Tech coalition to Obama: Set home energy info free
CNet.com Green Tech blog
“A group of consumer technology companies, including Google, General Electric, and Intel, on Monday urged President Obama to create policies that give consumers better access to home energy information. In a letter, 47 companies and nongovernmental organizations said that making detailed data on electricity and fuel use available to consumers is a key step toward meeting national energy and environmental goals.”

Cnet’s Green Tech blog offers a good introduction:

Building the smart grid means adding computer and communications technology to the existing electricity grid. With an overlay of digital technology, the grid promises to operate more efficiently and reliably. It can also accommodate more solar and wind power, which are inconsistent sources of energy that can become more reliable with better controls. Much like computers and routers manage the flow of bits on the Internet, smart-grid technologies use information to optimize the flow of electricity.

So what exactly can a smart energy grid do for homeowners? Among other things:

• It can heal itself: Using sensors built into the system, pieces of the grid can communicate with each other, reporting problems and balance load distribution to remedy current problems or alleviate looming trouble.
• Encourage consumers to proactively monitor and reduce energy usage: If you’re able to see how much energy you’re using and which appliances or devices are using the most, you can easily make changes to save more or conserve energy.
• Enable “electricity markets”: Consumers can better control how much energy is used and even when it’s used, avoiding peaks in demand  times high demand
• Make alternative energy sources easier to use: As explained above, with a smarter, more flexible power grid, solar and wind generation become more reliable.

Some are leery of the benefits, though, and are concerned about the impact on consumers’ pocketbooks:

Consumer advocates have a different perspective. First, even with stimulus grants, consumers have to pay part of the cost of any smart meter rollout, but much of the benefit is in lower operating costs for utilities. More crucial, all consumers, including those who can’t or don’t want to be responsible for monitoring their electricity use, could be exposed to volatile prices. An elderly woman home alone on a summer day could see rates in her community triple or quadruple without being able to do much about it.

Exactly when and how smart grid technology will be implemented in homes across the country is, clearly, not yet known. But with consumers increasingly demanding efficiency-driven remodeling and renovation projects, one thing’s for sure: It’s only a matter of time.

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