Athens, GA – Athens, Georgia has its first LEED certified home setting a new standard for modern green home designs in the traditional, Southern college town. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded its highest designation – Platinum – to the custom-built home owned and designed by Lori Bork Newcomer, principal of Bork Architectural Design, Inc.

Lori Bork Newcomer has designed the first LEED Platinum home in Athens, Georgia. Photo by Elizabeth Maves

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building standard is quickly becoming the norm for new and renovated public buildings across the U.S., as commercial and government building owners recognize green designs are more marketable and result in happier and healthier occupants. Newcomer’s project is significant in that it is among the first to bring the same high level of environmentally responsible design to the residential scale. Her home is only the seventh in Georgia to receive LEED Platinum certification.

Newcomer already is known for some of Athens’ most distinctive modern home designs, with the kind of clean lines and gracious living spaces regularly featured in publications like Dwell or Atomic Ranch. For her own home, she wanted to incorporate that contemporary appeal but remain sensitive to the architectural context of her historic, in-town neighborhood. To do this, she designed a deceptively compact front façade for the 2,632-square-foot home, blending strong horizontal and vertical modern lines with the traditional gabled form and large front porch indicative of the neighborhood’s cottages.

The side elevation reveals shotgun-style length – another Southern tradition that also allows natural passive ventilation. Tennessee fieldstone, stucco and white clapboard siding echo the native and traditional materials used in many of Athens’ oldest homes. “As much as I love modern aesthetics, we didn’t want to build something alien to the neighborhood,” says Newcomer. “So I borrowed signature characteristics of the cottage vernacular to envelope a contemporary living space that fits our lifestyle.”

Inside, the sculptural vault of the glass-clad front gable provides natural light to the open floor plan’s kitchen, living, and dining areas. Newcomer’s architectural studio is located at the back of the house, below a traditional sleeping porch connected to the master bedroom. Locally-sourced reclaimed heart pine floors and salvaged wood from an old shed on the lot further connect the house to the local site and culture. Large windows provide natural lighting as well as passive-solar heating in winter months.

The ingenuity with which she references the traditional craftsmanship of the early 20th Century while designing for the needs of today earned Newcomer the 2011 award for Outstanding New Construction in a Historical Neighborhood from the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation.

Responding to rising energy costs is one of the growing concerns of 21st Century homeowners, and it’s why green homes like Newcomer’s are beginning to draw more attention industry-wide. Thanks to air tightness, superior insulation, reflective roofing, Energy Star windows, solar hot water and a host of other energy-efficient features, Newcomer and her husband’s utility bills are roughly the same as they were in a previous house that was a third the size of their new home.

Energy efficiency is just one of the benefits of Newcomer’s green home. Low-flow fixtures conserve water inside the house, and a 1,100-gallon cistern captures rainwater for irrigation outside. With drought-tolerant landscaping, Newcomer’s yard looked vibrant even through the worst of Georgia’s drought in the summer of 2011. Interior finishes, adhesives and cabinetry all have low or zero VOCs (volatile organic compounds), meaning healthier air for Newcomer’s young family.

“The advantage of LEED for Homes over other energy savings centered programs, like Energy Star, is that it looks at green building from a more holistic viewpoint: tackling not only energy reduction, but also responsible site selection, water conservation and the reduction of construction waste while also promoting recycled materials and healthy indoor air quality,” says Leesa Carter, Executive Director of the U.S. Green Building Council – Georgia. “A Platinum-certified home like Newcomer’s represents the pinnacle of what is possible with green-building practices.”

Other energy-saving and environmentally friendly elements included in Newcomer’s LEED platinum home design include:

• EPA-certified low-emissions wood burning stove
• Mineral paints by San Marco, USA on interior walls
• Polished concrete floors with 20 percent fly ash (recycled waste from coal-fired power plants)
• Recycled FLOR carpet tiles by Interface
• Formaldehyde-free EccoDoors with 100 percent recycled content
• Cellulose and ecobatt recycled wall insulation
• High-efficiency heat pump with an ERV (energy recovery ventilator)
• Infrastructure for future solar power installation
• Spray-foam icynene insulation in the roofline
• LED and CFL light bulbs in more than 50 percent of light fixtures
• Pervious paving systems

Although the perception is that a green home of this caliber comes at a cost premium, Newcomer says people are shocked to learn the home only cost around $125 per square foot. In some parts of the country standard home construction costs far eclipse that amount, which is one reason Newcomer suspects the housing industry will emerge from its current slump with greener practices in the Southeast. Newcomer notes that while initial construction costs are higher for some green elements such as windows, insulation and heating-cooling systems, savings in monthly utility bills offset the slight increase in monthly mortgage payments.

Newcomer’s designs for two EarthCraft-certified homes built by the nonprofit Athens Land Trust (ALT) in 2010 further dispel the stigma of a “green premium.” Those homes incorporated clerestory windows to allow for natural lighting, sustainable hardwood floors, Energy Star appliances, low-VOC paints, and numerous other features for less than $100 per square foot. However the most remarkable thing about the ALT houses is the open, expansive feel that Newcomer was able to achieve with a minimal footprint.

“We couldn’t have built the same quality of home if we had used an off-the-shelf green home design,” says ALT Director of Operations Heather Benham. “So much of what makes a house livable and efficient is designing it for the site, and that’s why it’s so valuable to work with someone like Lori.”

Watch a video slideshow at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfNDXeZ9hPM.

About Bork Architectural Design, Inc.

Founded in 2005, Bork Architectural Design (www.BorkArch.com) creates regional-based designs in response to site, climate conditions, historical context, and local materials for both residential and small-scale commercial projects. Principal Lori Bork Newcomer received her professional degree in Architecture from Rice University before going to work for world-renowned architect and former Yale Architecture School Dean, Cesar Pelli, in New Haven, CT. Newcomer was made an Associate of the firm at the young age of 25. In addition to having worked on professional baseball stadiums, skyscrapers, and academic campuses, she was one of the senior designers and Project Manager on the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Orange County, CA. Lori teaches studio courses in Interior Design at The University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art and is a founding member of the Athens branch of the US Green Building Council.

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Contact:
Lori Bork Newcomer
(706) 355-3010
lori@borkarch.com
www.BorkArch.com

This post was submitted by Bart.

OK. So, we’re not talking about the high-speed rail or flashy streetcars: They’re actually the off-track, miniature variety tailored to tots, which tend to circulate a bit more this time of year.

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Turner Construction Atlanta, a leader in environmentally friendly building practices, recently received a Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the United States Green Building Council for renovation of their own Atlanta offices. Turner is Atlanta’s largest LEED builder and incorporates sustainable elements into every project.

For Winston Williams, the company’s Green Champion, the space is a demonstration of Turner’s real commitment to sustainability. “Green building practices are an important movement in construction today,” he says. “We embrace those values not only for our clients, but for ourselves as well.”

Green features of the space include:
• Decreased water and power consumption by over 40%
• Daylight responsive lighting controls on more than 50% of lights
• Occupancy sensors on more than 75% of lights
• 100% of office equipment is EnergyStar-rated
• Green Power will supply 100% of its energy needs for the next two years
• About 85% of construction waste was diverted from landfills
• Rapidly renewable materials, like bamboo, used throughout
• Low-emitting adhesives, sealants, paints, flooring and systems furniture
• Green housekeeping practices are used to maintain the space

The office’s proximity to public transportation and public services such as banks, pharmacies and supermarkets also helped the project achieve this certification.

As proud as he is of the company’s environmental achievement, Williams makes sure to point out one more important design feature. “It’s also a beautiful, functional space to work in.”

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This post was submitted by msleff.

Evolved from the principles developed by New World Home, EcoClassic Homes provides a variety of LEED-certifiable housing options at prices that can fit most budgets. EcoClassic is expanding its portfolio to include not only detached single-family homes, but also attached single-family options including townhomes and duplexes, and multi-family options. The company is also designing a new line of live/work homes with the owner’s commercial space on the ground floor and residential space above, representing the ultimate green commute – just a short trip down the stairs to work. Every size and style of home posts unsurpassed energy-saving performance. Plus, the design of the EcoClassic Homes building system can produce a move-in ready home in about 100 days.

These homes introduce a variety of regionally-appropriate, timeless housing solutions to the housing markets in the Southeast and West Coast that are uniquely designed and engineered. They are greener, healthier, more cost-effective to operate and maintain, as well as being more sustainable, enduring and valuable than other housing options.

EcoClassic homeowners can save more than 50 percent on their energy costs and reduce their water consumption by tens of thousands of gallons per year over the operation of a similarly sized, code-built house. They also enjoy superior indoor air quality thanks to the use of advanced mitigation techniques and zero-VOC and urea formaldehyde-free materials.

With offices in Atlanta and Los Angeles, EcoClassic Homes is helmed by an experienced executive team, including Chief Executive Officer Michael A. Natbony, President and Chief Operating Officer Steven R. Fader and Chief Marketing Officer Jason R. Scheidt. Natbony and Fader are pioneers in the evolving field of systems-built homes, having helped establish and guide New World Home through its introduction to the market. Now, in response to increased demand, they are taking their expertise to new regions and to new products.

“We have used the best practices that we have introduced, tested and perfected throughout our careers as a foundation to deliver an even broader variety of homes now being requested by our customers. EcoClassic is working with homeowners, architects, specialized vendors, developers, builders and an increasing array of organizations including academic institutions, government agencies and non-profit groups to create truly enduring housing options and more sustainable communities,” Natbony said.

Fader said he is eager to take his extensive home building and New World Home experiences to the next level. “By leveraging a strong base of experience and principles, EcoClassic Homes employs a proprietary, whole-systems design that can enhance market demand and create value,” he noted. “I’m excited about the projects we’re currently working on. This approach to modular building science integrates state-of-the-art products and proven practices that we’re confident will provide many benefits that make tremendous sense for the homeowner at competitive pricing.”

Scheidt is new to the company, and spearheads its branding and marketing activities. “The minute I first stepped in to one of these incredible homes, I knew I had to be part of this innovative team. It thrilled me that such high levels of green performance could be so well executed in such classic and enduring designs. To us at EcoClassic, that’s what sustainability really means – homes that continue to be appealing and practical for generations to come.”

EcoClassic’s single-family homes are offered in three categories:
• Select Homes – The up to 2,000-square-foot classic homes make green living surprisingly affordable and attractive.
• Signature Homes – Ranging in size from 2,000 to 3,500 square feet, these flagship homes offer more room and more amenities while still being ultra-efficient.
• Custom Homes – Choose from among an almost inexhaustible variety of options and a wealth of expertise to create the healthy, green, efficient home of your dreams.
Attached and multi-family options are also joining the EcoClassic Homes’ offering:
• Live/work complexes
• Duplexes, triplexes and other attached dwellings
• Townhomes
• Institutional housing for students, faculty or campus visitors
For more information on EcoClassic Homes, visit www.ecoclassichomes.com, follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ecoclassichomes) and Twitter (@EcoClassicHomes), or call 1-855-602-8898.
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CONTACT:
Julie Hairston
A Brown-Olmstead Associates
julie@newaboa.com
404-659-0919
EcoClassic Homes Launches
in Southeast and West Coast Markets

EcoClassicHomes_Formation_Release_Final.pdf (127 KB)

This post was submitted by Julie Hairston.

Slated to start the second quarter of 2012, the targeted LEED Silver CMC adds approximately 100,000-square-feet spread out over four floors to the existing facility. The project also includes 40,000-square-feet of renovation complete with a 600 car parking garage. With these improvements, the facility will be equipped to provide around-the-clock medical care and services to Kaiser members.

“This project win speaks to our commitment of building and sustaining partnerships with outstanding companies,” said Southeast Division President Kevin Kuntz. “We are honored to have been chosen for the project and look forward to working alongside the Kaiser Permanente team on their latest pursuit.”

About McCarthy

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (www.mccarthy.com) is the nation’s 2nd largest healthcare construction manager, 6th largest education construction manager, and 10th largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2011). With nearly 150 years of experience, McCarthy is also one of the nation’s oldest, privately held construction firms. Committed to the construction of high performance buildings, McCarthy provides general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for healthcare, educational, parking structure, entertainment, retail, laboratory, biotechnical, microelectronic, and industrial facilities; office buildings; tenant interiors; ports; bridges and highways. In addition to Atlanta, McCarthy has offices in Newport Beach, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston and St. Louis. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.

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This post was submitted by McCarthy Building Companies.

As part of a major streetscaping project in Midtown Atlanta, Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh (TSW, www.tunspan.com) was asked by the Midtown Alliance (www.midtownalliance.org) to improve the aesthetics and function of Juniper Street. The streetscape project extends from 14th Street to North Avenue, and 12th Street is included from Juniper Street to Piedmont Avenue. Although Juniper Street is home to some of the city’s most popular restaurants and theatres, and is part of the Midtown Business District, the street had sections that were in need of repair, and weren’t pedestrian or bicycle friendly.

The TSW team’s design keeps three lanes of one-way travel and incorporates a bike lane, as part of the City’s existing bike lane system to provide alternative commuting options. Off-peak parallel parking was realigned, and new trees and more spacious sidewalks will be added. Additional planters, benches, bike racks and trash receptacles will tie the street together visually and make it much more appealing and safe for cyclists and pedestrians.

A key issue was stormwater run-off since the drains feed water into a combined sewer system that can easily be overwhelmed by a heavy rain. Because the stormwater ultimately outlets into the area’s main water source (the Chattahoochee River), TSW proposed a bioswale system to help capture the runoff and allow it to be treated naturally.

TSW has used these systems in other areas, but not in an urban streetscape project. The idea behind the bioswales is to capture the first flush of stormwater off the street and sidewalk and treat it by using soil, vegetation, and microbes in a sustainable method as it is absorbed into the soil. This process will reduce the amount of stormwater entering the combined sewer and increase groundwater recharge.

In addition to its important water diversion and cleaning functions, the bioswales will beautify Juniper Street. Each bioswale will be created from local river rock with native plants and trees that adapt to wet soils. The team plans to build a pilot project in early 2012 for testing to determine the infiltration rate and amount of pollutants that can be removed. The entire streetscape project could be complete by 2013. If this solution is determined to be successful, then Juniper could become Atlanta’s first “Green Street”.

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About Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh & Associates
Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh is a full-service planning, architecture and landscape architecture firm. The award-winning company was founded in Atlanta by Bill Tunnell, Jerry Spangler and Thomas Walsh in 1990 and specializes in developing sustainable communities, greenspaces, homes and commercial buildings. TSW is a leader in the New Urbanist movement and employs a community planning and design process that links tradition and context with today’s cultural and environmental demands. By integrating the disciplines of planning, landscape architecture and architecture, TSW delivers a continuum of design services to its clients, which has resulted in some of the Southeast’s most appealing and successful mixed-use communities, campuses, commercial buildings, resorts, streetscapes, homes and parks.

Sustainable design is an integral part of all TSW work, from the master plan level to the individual building components. Most of TSW’s staff are LEED Accredited Professionals and their designs incorporate a range of ideas for progressive energy and resource saving solutions. For more information, visit www.tunspan.com.

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This post was submitted by Julie Herron Carson.

Many efforts have been made to ensure the Legacy Montrose Clinic is both community and eco-friendly. The clinic is designed to lower operating costs, reduce waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The end result sports a breadth of green features, including:

• Solarban R100 glass
• A rainwater collection system that harvests both rainwater and condensation from the air conditioning system
• At least 20 percent recycled materials and using only low emitting carpets, paints, adhesives, and sealants used
• Motion detecting sensors shut lights off when a room is not in use
• Close proximity to four separate METRO bus lines
• A waste-management plan diverting roughly more than 75 percent of construction waste from the landfills
• Reserved parking spaces for low-emission vehicles
• Bike racks
• Shower facilities for staff to encourage staff to bike to work
• Blueprints drawn specifically around the limits of large oak trees on the property

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This post was submitted by amy.noesser.

MAGE SOLAR introduces simple and easy installation system with highest quality components plus long material warranty

Dublin, Ga. —MAGE SOLAR USA, part of the globally operating MAGE GROUP, announces the introduction of its newly developed and highly innovative mounting system, MAGE SYSTEMTEC.

MAGE SYSTEMTEC was engineered considering demands and challenges for integrators when working with mounting systems and parts under real life conditions. Upholding highest quality standards, MAGE SOLAR has created a universally adaptable, easy to use mounting system that reduces installation time by about 30% over conventional systems. MAGE SYSTEMTEC is designed to provide flexible, customized solutions with strong results on a wide array of pitched roofing situations, including asphalt shingles, roof tile or metal roofs.

Since the easy-to-use slide-and-snap connectors and clamps require only a few tools, a speedy assembly process will cut down installation costs for customers and further accelerate the clients’ return on investment at the same time. Although MAGE SYSTEMTEC is a truly an all-rounder when it comes to utilization and simplicity, it entirely possesses the quality MAGE SOLAR customers can expect. Made with the most durable components, MAGE SYSTEMTEC is accompanied by a 10-year material warranty.

“MAGE SYSTEMTEC is a mounting system that comes from a company with a strong and successful background in PV systems and a focus on complete system solutions. We know what integrators need and which demands and expectations they have of a perfect mounting system. MAGE SYSTEMTEC is easy, quick, and adaptable to many roofing situations installers face daily, yet this highly durable and intelligently designed,” says Joe Thomas, President and CEO of MAGE SOLAR USA.

With an experienced engineering department on staff, MAGE SOLAR also provides complete design assistance to integrators implementing MAGE SYSTEMTEC. Based on a host of data from local codes and regulations to weather records and more, MAGE SOLAR prepares solid customized solutions for any clients’ needs.

MAGE SOLAR – New Energy For A New World
MAGE SOLAR USA, headquartered in Dublin, Georgia, specializes in complete solar systems and provides high-quality photovoltaic modules, intelligent mounting systems and high-performance brand inverters. As a subsidiary of the international MAGE GROUP, it uses the Group’s 35 years of know-how to develop optimally coordinated system solutions. A competent partner network guarantees profitable solar energy systems for customers throughout the Americas and in thirteen more countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

For more information, please visit: www.magesolar.com.

This post was submitted by sfquinn.

A few of the highlights include adding more efficient spray valves and faucets, CFL and LED lighting, low VOC paints and coatings, and cardboard recycling as well as removing all polystyrene from the restaurant.

At the same time, Moe’s menu boasts a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan offerings many of which feature organic tofu. Moe’s also offers all natural cage-free chicken, grain-fed steroid-free pulled pork, both with no hormones added, and 100% grass-fed steak.

“As a brand, we are committed to sustainability,” says Paul Damico, president of Moe’s Southwest Grill. “We’re excited to share green best practices with the franchise system, now that we have completed the process of earning a Green Restaurant Certification at one of our company restaurants.”

This announcement comes on the heels of Moe’s earning LEED Silver Certification at a franchised restaurant in Williston, VT and only nine months after the brand introduced its Food Mission.

About Moe’s Southwest Grill
Moe’s Southwest Grill is a fast-casual concept featuring fresh southwest fare in a fun and engaging atmosphere with over 420 locations in 32 states, Canada and abroad. At Moe’s, each meal is prepared right before your eyes and is served with free chips and salsa, including the Homewrecker burrito, the Billy Barou nachos, and the Close Talker salad. Founded in 2000, Atlanta-based Moe’s Southwest Grill was ranked #1 in category in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 in 2010 and is a Gold Award winner of the 2008 Consumer’s Choice in Chains Awards. For more information, visit www.moes.com.

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This post was submitted by Amy.

Division Rebrands from “Turner Special Projects” to Better Communicate Services

Turner Construction in Atlanta announced today it is rebranding its Atlanta interiors and renovations division as “Turner Interiors” to better reflect the specialized skills the division brings to local companies. Formerly known as “Turner Special Projects,” Turner Interiors provides interior construction and renovation for corporate and commercial clients.

Turners Interior Division specializes in focusing on the flexibility, efficiency and sensitivity that clients require for their interiors projects. Turner provides the experience and special requirements needed to deliver high quality tenant fit-outs in new and existing buildings. The assignments are fast-paced and require flexibility and efficiency to address client needs.

Turner Interiors has been delivering positive results to clients by focusing on the needs of clients who have chosen to expand, renovate or relocate. Recent clients have included Atlanta companies such as Novelis, J. Walter Thompson, Thompson Hine, Haworth, King & Spalding and ServCorp.

Every renovation involves the challenge of working with an existing space or building, bringing with it all of its idiosyncrasies. The planning process is a key part of Turner Interiors’ success.

“One of the strengths Turner Interiors brings to the table is helping our clients decide what they want and need in their renovation,” said John Lichtenwalter, general manager, Turner Interiors Atlanta. “But we also go beyond that, showing them possibilities they hadn’t considered.”

Lichtenwalter added: “We bring a full team of construction professionals into the planning and evaluation process to maximize the potential of the space for the client.”

Turner Interiors takes clients through every step of the complicated process, beginning with evaluating what they already have, through construction, project closeout, and a one-year walk through promise that ensures client satisfaction.

Turner Construction is known for complex, large and high profile local and national projects. Through Turner Interiors, the company is able to provide that same level of skills, experience, and resource to smaller and more time-sensitive projects.

“Turner Interiors provides the feel of a small general contractor, with the skill, experience, resources and financial resources of one of the largest construction companies in the country,” says Lichtenwalter.

About Turner
Turner is the leading general builder in the U.S., ranking first or second in the major segments of the building construction field. During 2009, Turner completed $8.2 billion of construction. Turner is the only builder offering clients a nationwide network of offices across the U.S. Founded in 1902, the firm is a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF, a publicly traded company and one of the world’s leading international construction service providers. For more information, visit Turner’s website at www.turnerconstruction.com.

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This post was submitted by msleff.