Practical Eco

Caravan Village Aims Higher Than Green

Caravan Village is the vision of architect Tim Watson, as an eco-restorative community of homes. This community, in Franklinville NC, will go beyond the usual concepts of green building. It aims to put more back into the environment that it takes out. That's an almost unheard of idea for housing developments - even so called green developments.

Caravan Village seeks to create a positive inter-generational community by accommodating the needs of aging and infirm in inclusive ways that integrate them into the wider community. So it goes beyond usual concepts of Universal Design or Aging In Place too. It will create a place where people of all ages and abilities can live happily in harmony.

Some of the amenities planned for the community include:

• Solar Photovoltaic Golf Cart charging
• Golf cart lanes
• Shuttle bus stop to other areas
• Space for communal or individual gardening
• Rain Gardens
• Living retention pond
• Permaculture systems
• On site utility co-op

One of the things I particularly like about it is the utility co-op concept where several homes can share resources like solar photovoltaic, solar hot water, air conditioning, rain water storage etc. This can lower the up-front cost for each home to enjoy these benefits which offer cost savings, security and social improvements.

Plus, Tim intends for one in every five homes to be partly subsidized with the occupant taking responsibility for upkeep of the utility co-op in return.

see www.tlwarchitect.com for more information

Dramatically better concrete - iCrete

Concrete is ubiquitous. It's the world's most widely used building material, but has long been recognized as having high embodied energy and a relatively large carbon footprint. Yet, there are many great and very sustainable aspects to it as well. It's clearly not going anywhere soon. So it's wonderful to see innovations that take a good product and make it better.

iCrete is such an innovation. It’s a system that simply optimizes and customizes the mix designs for concrete. They do this partly by optimizing the void space between aggregates. This allows for a reduction in the amount of cement paste used to create a bond. Using the same basic materials, the company creates a formula specific to local resources and the project requirements, optimizing the production and the procurement or raw materials.

The result you get with iCrete is a stronger concrete that uses fewer raw materials, 25% less cementitious material and is more consistent batch after batch.

The iCrete product has clearly impressed people and they've gained endorsements from Frank Gehry Partners and from Collavino Construction Co., who are working on the Freedom Tower in NYC.

Some of its other benefits and efficiencies include:

• labor savings from shortened construction cycles and improved workability
• fewer rejected loads due to reliable consistency
• less dependence on steel
• higher strength than standard concrete
• greater workability
• faster finishing times
• reduced shrinkage
• reduces the amount of cement used in concrete by up to 40%
• reduces carbon footprint up to 40%
• less material waste because of high quality control and increased consistency

Green Historic Preservation Workshop - Greensboro Feb 10th

Participants of a workshop sponsored by Preservation Greensboro will learn how to preserve our environment by going green.

The event will be chaired by Carl Elefante, Director of Sustainable Design with QUINN EVANS ARCHITECTS from Washington DC and lecturer on historic preservation.

The workshop will meet in the Carolina Cadillac Building at 304 East Market Street  downtown Greensboro. Participants of the workshop will review plans for the building; explore state and federal tax credits; learn of green building initiatives in Greensboro and examine the potential for LEED certification. The case study will familiarize architects, developers, and downtown property owners with the process for qualifying for both tax credits and “Green” initiatives.

Attendance for this event is FREE. The doors will open at the Carolina Cadillac Building at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 10th, followed by review of the following topics:

• Historic Preservation and Tax Credit Projects
• Sustainability / Green Building in Greensboro
• Cadillac Dealership Project
• Green building and LEED certification
• Cadillac Dealership Project Case Study

This workshop is for anyone interested in investing or improving downtown structures, citizens and businesses interested in sustainable architecture and design.

For more information about this workshop, please contact Judi at 272-5003, extension

How much less does it cost to build green?

Barry Katz, in his excellent blog "the future is green" argues that asking how much more it will cost to build green is simply asking the wrong question. He re-frames the issue as life-cycle cost rather than just build cost to say we should really be asking "how much LESS" will it cost to build green.

This is a case I've heard before but really it needs to be said over and over again until we start to look at life-cycle costs rather than outright build costs. Or at least until the standard of buildings is all equally great which means effectively that all building is green.

Mr Katz looks at an excellent example in Adobe System's HQ retrofit which cost $1.4 million but is netting a cost savings of $1.2 million per year. Of course it, and other green buildings offer softer benefits too like improved productivity and reduced absenteeism which could be much larger.

So, how much less does it cost to build green, anyway? See the story here.

Truly green playground systems by EcoPlay

There are several manufacturers in the Commercial Playground industry who are now claiming to be green.  One company in Marietta GA, called Safeplay Systems is the real deal.  Safeplay Systems designs, manufactures, and installs playground structures made of EcoPlay®, a green building material made from post-consumer recycled HDPE plastic (i.e. milk jugs). A single EcoPlay playground keeps an average of 30,000 milk jugs out of landfill.  And, installation can be applied toward LEED certification points.

Not only are EcoPlay green playgrounds made of post-consumer recycled material, but at the end of their useful life [estimated at 50+ years], the playgrounds can be recycled yet again and used in the building of new playgrounds.

Safeplay Systems, initially manufactured and sold wooden equipment. Being familiar with the inherent flaws of wood, and the high maintenance issues of metal, President, Bob Gredys began searching for a new green building material. Recycled plastic proved to be the answer. Working with a top polymer chemist, Safeplay Systems introduced EcoPlay -- one of the strongest materials available. EcoPlay is impermeable to water, cannot be eaten by insects, never needs painting or sealing, and it won’t splinter, crack, rust, swell or degrade in any way. So its a green material on several levels.

Safeplay custom designs their play structures, outdoor classrooms and site amenities – really, anything goes. 

EcoPlay Playgrounds from Safeplay Systems meet and exceed industry standards and all installations are conducted by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) to assure compliance with all safety codes. 

See: www.safeplaysystems.com.

If your green building design or green retrofit project calls for a playgroud then contact me, or call Sandra Cummins on 770-314-1720 for more information.