Green construction and affordable housing

[eridani]

http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/135508/the_housing_revolution_in_the_bronx%3A_green%2C_affordable_and_for_low-income_women/?page=entire

Thirteen-thirty Intervale celebrates light from its airy entrance through its large foyer to the interior. Wide hallways are brightly illuminated through windows at corners and near elevators. Off-white Italian tile flooring, donated by the upscale company, Artistic Tile, increases the luminosity and lends a feeling of buoyancy to the hallway space. Fresh air, thanks to the "green" ventilation system, contrasts dramatically with the outdoor air in the South Bronx where toxic industries and waste disposal continue to take their toll with one of the highest asthma rates in the country (although environmental activists are having successes in and out of court). Inside the apartments, birch-colored floors warm a space that seemed enlarged by the winter light streaming in. The sconces and pendant light fixtures in the apartments and hallways are reminiscent of Art Deco, inspired by the extraordinary buildings on the borough's Grand Concourse.

"Green construction is only 2 percent to 3 percent more than conventional construction," said Victoria Shire, deputy director of Enterprise New York, a not-for-profit specializing in affordable housing. These costs could easily be cancelled out, she said, by subsidies available from city, state and federal governments. While the budget didn't allow for items such as solar panels, WHEDCo still succeeds in reducing its carbon footprint with properly sized boilers, efficient insulation, double-pane windows treated with a metal transparent coating to reflect solar heat outside in summer and radiant heat inside in winter, Energy Star appliances, compact fluorescents, and occupancy sensors to turn lights on and off as a person enters and leaves an empty room. The result: a 30 percent decrease in energy use over that of a conventional building, reducing both resident utility bills and WHEDCo operating costs. With its 128 units, it is the largest affordable apartment complex in the country to receive a federal Energy Star certification. In this economy, said Biberman, residents "can spend the money saved on utilities on food and other essentials."

The beautiful flooring in the apartments is another green item. While it looks like a light-colored wood such as birch, it is made of vinyl, more durable than wood. Other amenities, not necessarily beautiful or green, are very useful. Laundry rooms on every floor are unusual even in expensive Manhattan buildings, but Intervale Green has them. Even more important for tenants with little means, each unit is equipped with a free computer. And low cost high speed Internet service is available.

With buildings accounting for nearly 80 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions in New York City, greening and beautiful design are an unbeatable combination. And with Intervale Green, they are no longer an oxymoron with housing for the poor.

[XemaSab]

1. Why did they put vinyl floors in?

Wood floors are beautiful, sustainable, durable, and local.

Vinyl is a nasty chemical from a factory in China.

:shrug:

[eridani]

2. I think it was made from recycled plastic. n/t

[AZCat]

3. Not bad, although I have a few nits to pick.

I'm particularly glad that Steven Winter Associates realized the ventilation rates previously required were excessive and requested a waiver. They still meet ASHRAE 62.2, so the rates should be sufficient (although this depends strongly on outdoor air quality). They seem to have a pretty good handle on envelope, too.

My beef is with the idea that the building uses 30% less energy than a conventional building. This is a pretty common comparison in the green building community, yet it's based on predicted performance of buildings rather than actual use profiles. LEED does the same thing, only requiring that the energy model show an improvement over a "budget" version of the building. What I and the other engineers would like to see is a shift to requiring comparisons between building energy use over a period of several years to some standard (perhaps developed from surveys like the CBECS). Everybody forgets that you can design the best building in the world, but your energy consumption can still be high if it isn't installed, operated and maintained properly.