Green Machine Part 3: Builders Make Green Work By Making Tough Choices

A NEW COMMUNITY IN THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE, Alys Beach, is breaking new ground, both literally and figuratively. Scott Henson, general manger, and his company, Wave Construction, owned by EBSCO Industries of Birmingham, Ala., are creating a different kind of project by taking green building seriously. Rather than just upgrading the HVAC and adding some insulation, Henson is choosing green all the way, following the environmental thread from excavation to occupancy, from relocating native trees to painting roofs and walls white. He and his team have future generations in mind.

“We have an EBSCO-salaried employee [Christian Wagley] on staff who is strictly in charge of environmental oversight,” Henson notes. “[Wagley] identifies low-VOC [volatile organic compound] paints, studies our soil treatments, and many other things. He also looks at everything from toilets to reducing freon use.”

Indeed, even on tough material choices, such as insulation, Wagley was able to explain during our BUILDER site visit why one product was selected over another. For instance, he can explain the environmental and durability differences between ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary) pressure-treated wood and the phased-out CCA (chromated copper arsenate) version. And he acknowledges that compromises sometimes have to be made, to meet market demands.

COOL COMFORT: HVAC expert John Adkins (top, left) designed the geothermal cooling system for Alys Beach. A “pump and dump” system, it returns water to the aquifer after using it to extract heat from the home.

For example, the homes contain builtin tubing for treating the home with pesticides behind the walls. While some might question the use of chemicals in a “green” home, Wagley notes that many Florida homeowners regularly wrap their entire home in a tent and subject it to a debugging fog. As an alternative, this targeted exterminating process keeps the bug juice out of living areas. It's just one of many decisions Wagley had to make, based on the reality of how people live in their homes.

A choice that fit well within the Alys Beach green building commitment was the decision to meet the Fortified for Safer Living specifications. Created by a nonprofit, industry-sponsored group called the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) in Tampa, Fla., the Fortified program adds durability and safety features and is currently being tested in the Southeast.

Fortified guidelines include features such as adding extra rebar and tie-downs to concrete-block homes and siting buildings to minimize window exposure to high winds. As a result, homes have hurricane resistance that exceeds even the tough new Florida codes. Potential buyers end up with reduced insurance costs, particularly when insurers hear that fire suppression (sprinklers) is included in every home in the development.

“The sprinklers add about $4,500 per house,” notes project manager Dean Holbrook, “but with that system and the Fortified Home details, you get a [homeowner] insurance savings of 40 percent.”

Many of the builder's efforts to improve durability have the added benefit of boosting energy efficiency. On the tile roofs, for example, Holbrook and his partners have used a “monolithic” system.

CLOSE FIT: To insulate masonry walls, pressure-treated 2x4s (bottom, left) are attached first. Then the cavities are filled with Biobase 501, a spray-on expanding foam. This foam insulation is soy-based and contains no VOCs or solvents.

“First, we use a peel-and-stick underlayment,” Holbrook says, “Then we spray a layer of adhesive foam before laying each roof tile, and screw down the tiles. After that we put a slurry coat over the top of the whole roof system.” Two coats of acrylic mastic paint and a final coat of white acrylic latex paint keep the surface from baking itself to death.

But many of the most important green features at Alys Beach are subtle, or invisible. The geothermal cooling system (see “Green Perks,” page 138) is perhaps the most significant, but the homes also include many other water- and energy-saving features, such as courtyards lined with porous paving stones and landscaping with indigenous and drought-tolerant plants. Indoor air quality is also addressed by means of solvent-free paints, coatings, and adhesives. And on the community level, compact fluorescent and LED bulbs provide energy-efficient street lighting.

Wagley says one of the 20 homes currently in progress will include a complete 4.8kW photovoltaic array. “We're also working on adding water cisterns,” he says. “That water could be recycled and used for fountains and watering.”

To streamline the recycling of waste materials on site, the builder had custom steel bins created to hold various materials prior to recycling. These boxes can be moved around the site with a forklift.

“I have two guys I pay about $13 bucks an hour to go around and separate stuff out,” Henson says. “From an economic standpoint it's probably a loser, but from a marketing standpoint and an overwhelming waste problem standpoint, it's worth it. We're also the only developer in the community that owns a Packer.”

The Packer is a versatile grinding machine (costing about $50,000) that makes short work of waste materials, grinding up everything from concrete blocks to gypsum. Henson grinds concrete block into small aggregate for use in road paving and is trying to find markets for the gypsum, such as peanut farmers who would use it as a soil amendment.

“We have cut our dumpster loads by a factor of 10 to one,” Henson says. “And around here, that's critical, because getting rid of waste is difficult.”

Of course, like any successful project, the harmony (or disharmony) among the trades can make or break the process. Henson deserves credit for assembling a first-class team. His men have tremendous respect for him—because he goes out of his way to make them feel a part of the process and share in the rewards.

XERISCAPING: To minimize water demands, the gardens around Alys Beach homes (above) incorporate native and drought-tolerant plants and flowers.

“It's like being in the military or on a football team,” notes Holbrook. “We all know our work overlaps, and we won't let the next guy down. We also have a benefit package that is outstanding, thanks to Scott [Henson].”

Every one of these guys talks like this is his project. And each in his own way has internalized the environmental vision that sets Alys Beach apart. There's little doubt that the future owners of these homes, which average 2,800 square feet, will reap the benefits of that close collaboration, as they live day in and day out in their durable, energy-efficient, comfortable homes by the sea.

Many of the energy- and resource-saving features at Alys Beach are possible because of new and improved technologies, from soy-based insulation to a machine that crushes concrete blocks into rubble. Here's how some of these advanced products and materials help the green cause.

The ecological perks of Alys Beach extend from planning to final finish. Here's an abbreviated list of the community's green features. The development and all homes will be certified under guidelines set by the Florida Green Building Coalition.

• Most home sites have an east-west orientation to catch prevailing winds for natural cooling.
• White masonry walls and roofing were used to reflect heat, reducing cooling load.
• The super-efficient geothermal cooling system reduces noise pollution and preheats domestic hot water.CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS
• Construction waste was reduced by 75 percent through careful use and on-site recycling.
• Green materials were used wherever possible, including sustainably harvested and reclaimed wood, natural cork flooring, and soy-based spray-in foam (Biobase 501),
• Low-VOC paints and solvents were used in many areas.NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN
• The development was designed in a traditional neighborhood layout to emphasize walking and bicycling instead of auto travel.
• Outdoor lighting was used minimally to “preserve a view of the night sky” and to avoid light on the beach that disturbs native wildlife.LANDSCAPING
• Native and drought-tolerant ornamental plants were installed wherever possible.
• Existing trees and shrubs were preserved—many were moved off site, to be returned later.
• Wetlands and a rural preserve area with walking trails were maintained.
• Groves of citrus, figs, blueberries, and other edibles are being planted so residents and visitors can pick and enjoy fresh fruit.