Practical Eco

NC Biotech Center adding a LEED Silver addition of 20,000 sf

The N.C. Biotechnology Center (BioTech Center) is starting a $10.4 million addition to its headquarters in Research Triangle Park, adding 20,000 sf of office and conference space. The expansion is aiming for a LEED Silver certification.

The original 47,000-square-foot center was built to house 50 employees. It's now pushing 65.

Construction is planned to begin in October and is expected to be completed in fall 2010. The job is being managed by Skanska, which also built the Durham Performing Arts Center. The designers are Charlotte architectural firm Perkins+Will, which designed the original building.

From the Herald Sun.
Press Release

New FBI field office in Charlotte NC to be LEED certified

Highwoods Properties, Inc. (NYSE: HIW), announced their joint venture with USAA Real Estate has been awarded a build-to-suit lease by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to develop an approximate $45 million field office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The 171,000 square foot, five-story Class A office building and annex, with structured parking, will be built on an 11.6-acre parcel of land they are acquiring. This building will be LEED certified. Construction is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2010 and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2011.

Read the full press release here.

Chapel Hill Subway Earns LEED Certification

North Carolina's first stand-alone LEED-certified restaurant is a Subway on Market Street in Southern Village, Chapel Hill. There will be a ceremony next Monday, June 29 at the store. It will be only the second LEED-certified store in the entire Subway system (which totals more than 30,000 stores) and the first of some 740 Subways in North Carolina.

Franchisee Mike Abdallat, who owns two other Subways, said, "I am sold on 'green' and will definitely do another eco-friendly store." Subway and Abdallat have been working with Cary-based Green Tech Consulting Inc. to earn a LEED certification for the Chapel Hill store.

The eco elements for the restaurant include recycled floor tile, high-efficiency Energy Star-rated HVAC systems, low flow and flush fixtures in public restrooms, less lighting power, and more natural light for seated customers. Overall, the new Subway store was renovated within its existing shell, thus avoiding a new building footprint.

Other eco-friendly elements include: building materials used from sustainable sources and extensive use of recycled products and furnishings; LED interior and exterior signage; remote condensing units for refrigeration and ice-making equipment; Energy Star-rated kitchen equipment; low VOC adhesives, sealants, paints and coatings; recycling collection of post-consumer recyclable waste generated in-store; and Forest Stewardship Certified (FSC) wood.

LEED certified Ritz-Carlton hotel to open in Charlotte this October

Ritz-Carlton has announced plans to open its first LEED-certified hotel right here in North Carolina. Opening in October, the 147-room Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte Hotel will be located at the Bank of America Center in downtown Charlotte. 

The green design elements include a reflective roof vegetated with living plants, an air transfer system that circulates large amounts of outside air into the rooms and suites, and use of the Natura Water Purification System rather than bottled water.

The hotel will offer complimentary hybrid-vehicle transportation to guests and storage spaces for guest bicycles will be provided to encourage their use throughout the city. Some hotel staff will even wear uniforms made of fabric created from recycled plastic bottles.

It will be the first Ritz-Carlton hotel to receive LEED certification and the first building in Charlotte to be certified too. The hotel will offer over 12,000 square-feet of meeting space with eco-friendly furniture and supplies such as recycled aluminum tables and recycled leather furniture.

Mecklenburg County Plans LEED certified Project

Mecklenburg County purchased the mainly vacant Freedom Mall and surrounding areas in 2003 planning to convert it into its county offices. It's on the west side of the county at the corner of Freedom Drive and Ashley Road. The mall was built in the early 60s but most of the retailers left in the late 90s. Now it seems to be a pretty run down mall with no real anchor stores.

The county began a renovation last year for its offices spaces and it looks promising, with a more modern and industrial look in deep greens, tans, red glass and metal. Mecklenburg County plans to get certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Program (LEED.)

The plans for the building: photovoltaic roof panels, ice created made by chillers to help cool the building on peak electrical consumption days, rain gardens that filter and clean surface water in the parking lot before it drains into the storm sewer and a parking lot made of light colored fiber glass reinforced concrete to reflect rather than absorb sunlight.

The department of Social Services and about half of the county’s Information Services and Technology moved to the site in February of 2007. The rest of the IST Department along with Hahns real estate serves group is slated to move in this year.

Source: Charlotte Real Estate Voice

Kohl's opening new green store in Wake Forest

Kohl's has announced it is opening 18 new stores this spring including one in Wake Forest on April 1st which are built to a design that is LEED pre-certified at the Silver level.

The store's green attributes include recycled and locally obtained building materials; high-efficiency heating and cooling systems; occupancy sensor lighting for stockrooms, break rooms and offices; water-conserving plumbing fixtures and a recycling program for cardboard boxes, hangers and packaging.

I mentioned Kohl's back in Oct 07 in an item "Retailers Flocking toward Green" and it's a trend I see accelerating across the country. It's great that NC is getting some of that.

I also notice Kohl's flaunting their green credentials with a new site www.kohlsgreenscene.com.

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

Mega LEED for Homes development in DC

Washington DC developer EYA has begun building a 210-townhouse project which will be the largest green residential project in the country. EYA is aiming for LEED standards for all of the townhomes in the project. 

“The homes at Capitol Quarter provide more energy savings, better indoor air quality, and less impact on the environment than standard new townhomes – all qualities that the LEED for Homes program is designed to promote,” the EYA press release said.

The first phase of homes are due to be available by May of this year, with the entire project expected to be completed by the fall of 2010. Prices start at $630,000.

Local Green Builder Says Homes Sales are Steady

A local green home builder in Chapel Hill NC, Zinn Design Build, says that they sold homes at a steady rate through the 4th quarter of 2008, bucking what seems to be the trend. Zinn sold 9 homes in the last quarter ranging from $515k to $1.3m in price. Meantime, according to the MLS, sales in that price band are down 39% versus 2007, across the Triangle. So it seems that green built homes are moving again in spite of the general economic malaise.

Each of their homes is certified by the Green Building Initiative (GBI), a program administered by the local Home Builders Association, and ENERGY STAR, and federal government program.

Zinn Design Build’s bestsellers are located in the communities of Claremont and Montclair. Claremont is a welcoming and distinctive community located on Homestead Road. Single-family homes are available from the $500s to $1 million and twin townhomes priced from the $350s. Montclair is an upscale neighborhood off Culbreth Road in Chapel Hill offering sophisticated single-family homes on private homesites from $1 million upward.

Greensboro to build new green library

The new McGirt-Horton Public Library in Greensboro which broke ground recently is aiming for LEED certification. The project is expected to take about a year from when construction begins in early '09.

The site of the project is the Phillips Avenue shopping plaza which is now owned by the city and will be called the Renaissance Center.

The 10,000-square-foot building is expected to cost $3.5 million which has been funded through a bond. It will have the following green features:

1. high, north-facing windows and sunlight-detecting light fixtures that dim when they are not needed cut down on electricity use for lighting.

2. A rainwater collection and storage system for watering the landscaping.

3. High-efficiency heating and air-conditioning units.

4. Environmentally friendly paints and carpet

For the full story on GoGreenTriad click here.

The Orchard: A New Development of Upscale Green Homes in Chapel Hill

Off of Jones Ferry Rd near the fork with Damascus Rd just outside of Carrboro is a new green built community of 18 homes called The Orchard. These homes are all certified by the Green Building Initiative (GBI) standards to a gold or silver level.

The homes sit on two-acre plots and are about 4600 square feet in size with prices starting at $1 million. For one of two available homes now click here.

Dale Giera, chief executive officer of Hampton Green Homes said, "By including solar thermal standard in each and every home, and by giving homeowners the option for photovoltaic solar, we are setting a new energy standard in green building."

For more information about The Orchard and a complete list of green features, please visit www.liveattheorchard.com.

IBM to create green data center in RTP

IBM plans to renovate a building on its RTP campus in North Carolina to create one of the most technologically advanced and energy efficient data centers in the world. It will will reuse up to 95 percent of an existing building and meet stringent environmental standards.

The project is expected to cost $360 million, and received a $750,000 incentives package from Durham County commissioners this June. The new data center will be the first in the world to be built with IBM's New Enterprise Data Center design principles. 

This new RTP data center is a key component in IBM's Project Big Green initiative to dramatically increase energy efficiency in the data center, as companies face escalating energy costs and the requirement to handle a rapidly rising amount of data. It is expected to be a core part of delivering a technology known as cloud computing, harnessing a network of computer systems around the world.

See the full IBM press release here.

Crabtree Area Office Builing Going Green

Private investors last week paid $3 million for the 32,000 square foot Navigant building at Creedmoor Rd and US 70, known for its time-temperature display.  Greg Sanchez, a partner in the ownership, said the renovation is aiming for a LEED certification, but the details are still being worked out. Sanchez is also president of Durham commercial real estate services firm Tri Properties, which will manage the building and conduct the renovation.

A LEED certification could attract new tenants who are happy to pay a premium for green offices because of lower operating costs and a healthier environment. "A lot of tenants want to be in an energy-efficient building," Sanchez said.

See the full story in the News and Observer here.

New Green Development in Greensboro

A new development of 85 Energy Star (or better) homes will begin construction soon in Greensboro. The community to be called Terrapin Ridge has 85 sites that have been sensitively cleared in accordance with Green Building Initiative (GBI) standards.  A  model home has been designed and will begin construction in a few days. Between 8 and 10 builders are sought to take on a minimum of 3 lots each. Lot sizes vary from a 1/4 to 1/3 acre in size.

The community is within easy access to Greensboro, Burlington and RTP off of the Mount Hope Church Road exit (exit 132) of the I-40/85, about a mile and a half from the freeway. It's being positioned as an "Arts and Crafts"  neighborhood of custom-built homes starting in the $300,000's.  Sidewalks will be brick pavers and street lighting will be decorative. Acres of common ground are also part of the package. 

For more information and details contact www.TeamLeung.com, part of Keller Williams Realty.

Greensboro Chalks Up First Speculative Green Warehouse Development

The new Bull Ridge Distribution Center is the first speculative warehouse building to be registered with the USGBC LEED program. The building is awaiting certification but is ready and waiting for tenants now. It offers reduced operating costs and the conservation of natural resources as well as convenient location for manufacturing and distribution businesses.

The developers, Liberty Property Trust who currently have about 3 million square feet of space that meets LEED standards, say that green buildings can reduce operating costs from 23 percent to 60 percent. PLus, the better air quality and natural light can improve employee performance up to 25 percent.

Via Springboard. See full story here.

East 54 Construction Cam is live

East 54 is a development led by East West Partners in Chapel Hill. It's yet another green neighborhood development being built in the town. Greenbridge being the other main one that broke ground a few months ago. What's quite cool is that they've got a web cam on the scene which you can view here.

East 54 is participating in the LEED^® Neighborhood Development pilot program, which they say will make them among the most environmentally sound, mixed-use communities in the country.

They're aiming at LEED Silver or better when completed. Perhaps that's why of the 53 units shown on the website, only one remains unsold, even at 660k for a 1677 sf 2 bedroom apartment. The community plan shows another building so there may be hope yet if this is what you're looking for.

Green house for rent near Saxapahaw

This 1500 square foot custom-designed passive solar home is located approximately 10 miles west of Carrboro near Cane Creek Reservoir, just south of 54.  It was build by Michael Chandler, who I've written about in the "green heroes" category.

The house is surrounded by an intensively gardened outdoor living space with a great playhouse for kids. It has three bedrooms and two baths and has radiant heated floors and an innovative cooling system that circulates well water through the floors and then distributes it into the garden’s drip irrigation system. The house sits on approximately 2 ½ acres of wooded land. The rent is $950/month utilities run about $160. Available now. 

For more details click here.