Element land planning . engineering . architecture . beyond

Good Better Best – “Green Building Standard” Series – Part 1.

The conversation about “Green” building has certainly increased over the last few years.  What started over 10 years ago as the resurgence of a movement has now, for the most part, become mainstream.  This has led to the formation of national rating systems that have been developed to guide “green” building.  Each of these has do’s, don’ts and the ever “useful” checklist.  It is, though, through these programs that we see truly where to buy property, how to design in the elements of sustainability and how it should be built….even if at times you have to dig to find those nuggets.

Over the next weeks, we will drill down into two of these programs – first, the NAHB’s National Green Building Standard and then the USGBC’s LEED for Homes.  We have had the opportunity to work on homes that were designed and built based on these methodologies.  This series will give us the opportunity to gain insight into the why’s, where’s, what’s and how’s of “Green” building from an overview perspective.

The NGBS (National Green Building Standard) begins with the first Guiding Principle of Lot Design, Lot Prep and Development.  Under this broad principle are the ideas of site selection, natural resource inventory, slope protection, home siting, and, ultimately, the site construction.

Starting with choosing your lot there are a number of things to think about.  Typically, it is never good to fall in love with a home design without a building site in mind.  That isn’t to write that you shouldn’t have ideas and concepts – but making something inflexible like lot constraints conform to a home plan (which is flexible) is absurd if not frustrating to the home owner.  Generally, a lot should be devoid of any environmentally sensitive features.  If a lot is predominantly wetlands, is a known habitat corridor or serves as a natural open space or forestland – it should be avoided both environmentally and practically.  From an environmental standpoint, land containing these types of sensitive areas is important for ecology and maintaining a natural preserve for water run-off, for flora and fauna, and a myriad of other natural resource needs.  From a practical standpoint, sites with these types of constraints can make building difficult which in turn, normally, results in higher site development and building costs.  From my standpoint, putting my house close to snakes and “critters” is not my idealized location anyway.

In addition to avoiding the above areas, areas to look for are infill, greyfield or brownfield sites.  All of these types of sites are typically located in a “developed” area.

An infill lot is either a lot that was never built upon within an existing development or district or a lot that was under utilized and is ripe for redevelopment.  Why infill?  Why not?  Kidding.  An infill lot typically has infrastructure (roads, utilities, and stuff like that).  Normally, these lots come complete with communities, future friends, and are co-located with amenities like shopping, restaurants, and the ability to leave your car at home.

Greyfield and Brownfield sites are for the more adventurous of us to dive into but shouldn’t be feared.  A greyfield site is a bit difficult in most situations to come by.  A greyfield is exactly what it sounds like – a lot with covered predominantly with an impervious surface (asphalt, concrete, etc.).  Some towns have lots such as these scattered through out and the more progressive of towns will give you incentives to utilize these lots.  A brownfield site is site filled with 55 gallon drums of uranium.  Ok, that would be a Superfund site, but a brownfield site is one in which pollutants or contaminants are present and need to be remediated in order to be built upon.  Governmental agency assistance is typically available for the remediation of these sites and is inspected for safety.  These types of lots can be more complicated but the environmental impact is BIG.  The restoration of these lots is a benefit for the community – the people and property.

As an overview, it is clear that “green field” development is not on the forefront of the sustainable movement.  The idea of sustainability is based in conservation of materials, of land and of resources.  There are buildable areas close in to “town centers” that are ripe for home building.  These sites promote the use of bicycles and walking as opposed to cars.  These sites also do not require the running of new infrastructure and more pavement.  One of the ideas that we have struggled with over the last five years is just this topic.  Some people do like to have a bit more land and some breathing room between neighbors.  None of what is written above should then dissuade you from building sustainably.  This is just one facet, not the whole.  We feel that every act of sustainability and conservation adds up. Next week we will look into home siting and natural resource inventory.