We had the opportunity to work with Susette on a project that ultimately did not get built, but we were impressed with her care and attention to detail. She and Dennis were kind enough to talk with us about their take on green building in Santa Barbara. Both are LEED-accredited professionals, demonstrating their "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design."
What are the most important green design considerations?
Dennis: I think energy is most important because of global warming. The way you position the building on the land in relation to the sun, the breezes, and so forth is for me the most important consideration in designing a building to be environmentally friendly.
Susette: What I consider most important is to always keep in mind a framework of ideas such as regenerative and biophilic design. It's important to think not just about how a project can be low-impact so that you slow resource depletion, but at some point we have to consider replenishing resources.
Of course the first precept of sustainability is to conserve what you have. Many existing buildings were designed and constructed to keep you connected to nature and its cycles, so you have lots of windows, natural ventilation, landscaping and courtyards. These are great elements to try to preserve-or to be brought back in designing new construction.
Doesn't the new California building code go a long way toward making all new construction a lot greener than it has been in the past?
Dennis: Definitely. The California building code puts us on a par with what's being done in Europe. It's the most progressive state in the union; far ahead of most of the rest of the country. But because of global warming we need to do more. The City of Santa Barbara requires that new buildings exceed the California building code by 15 or 20 percent. Some other cities have done that, as well. Our firm follows "Architecture 2030" in which we're trying every year to use less and less fossil fuel so that by 2030 all new buildings are using no fossil fuel to operate. That's the goal.
Do you find that your clients are willing, or even eager, to go along?
Dennis: A lot of them are. Our clients are kind of self-selecting because we've developed a reputation in this area. So about two-thirds of them are really interested in green building, and the other third we introduce things to as we go along.
Susette: And that last third, while they may not be as initially concerned about climate change or green technologies, certainly 'get it' in terms of lower utility bills and greater comfort.
In our experience, utilizing certified sustainably farmed lumber, which is one of the first things we as general contractorcan recommend, often sounds good until clients discover that it's going to cost them 10%-15% more than conventional lumber.
Dennis: Not everyone wants to pay extra for a decision that benefits all of society rather than themselves personally. It's easier to sell energy conservation when their energy bills are going to go down each year, and non-toxic materials that affect their family's health.
Susette: Many of our institutional clients-who are either required to be or would like to be LEED-certified -get points for things like sustainably harvested lumber. All State of California buildings must meet minimum LEED standards.
Dennis: And UCSB has set an even higher standard. All its buildings must be LEED Silver or better. Typically governments have set a higher bar for themselves.
Susette: And then many nonprofits want to follow suit. They want to align themselves with what's good for the community.
Dennis: They want to set an example; and they may have grants that require them to be LEED-certified.
How do you feel about Rastrablock, or hybrid blocks?
Dennis: We haven't had a chance to use them yet, partly because of the cost, but they make a lot of sense. Some of them come from recycled materials; they last a long time; they insulate well; but they cost more. You can't beat stick framing for cost.
But some are made from Styrofoam, which is made from petroleum. So you're saving trees, but you're using fossil fuel.
Dennis: But there are some that are made from wood scrap-wood waste plus cement. They don't insulate quite as well, but they're avoiding the fossil fuel. This part of our industry keeps growing and changing rapidly. There are a bunch of annual green building conferences and trade shows, and they keep growing with more and more manufacturers taking out booths and selling new products.
Do you have a favorite green technology?
Dennis: Because of the cost issue, our favorite material right now is icynene spray-in foam insulation, which we combine with advanced framing-in which you space the sticks farther apart. This allows us to use less lumber and gives us a very well-insulated, sound-controlled, solid structure. Icynene isn't that expensive-it's about two- to three-times the cost of fiber glass insulation, but is so much better. That's our favorite.
Susette: We use it in roof insulation, too, which allows us to have non-vented roofs, which is an advantage in high fire areas. There are a lot of benefits from that single technology.
Susette, do you have a favorite green technology?
Susette: No, not a favorite technology. My favorite strategy is siting the building correctly on the property. Making the right choices for each particular structure in each particular setting and climate.
Do you have a favorite example in mind?
Dennis: We have a favorite energy-efficient building. It's the visitors' center on the Sedgwick Reserve in the Santa Ynez Valley. UCSB owns it. There the climate is much hotter and colder than on the coast. We found almost accidentally that there were two big old 30,000-gallon water cisterns with water sitting there at 60 degrees all year. So we're looping coils of liquid through the cisterns and bringing it at 60 degrees into the building, which is perfect for air conditioning. We just have to warm it 10 degrees for heating, which we do with solar electricity. That building will be net zero energy, incorporating geothermal cooling, photovoltaic electricity, and some passive solar design.
Susette: Yeah, that's my favorite -it's making use of what's already there.
When will it be completed?
Dennis: July or August of this year. It's a good example of our general goal-to get closer and closer to net zero energy.
Susette: That is our goal, and I also maintain that simple things like making the site a closed-loop system, for example through the reuse of gray water, is a really good idea. That, and always striving to make buildings responsive to the site and to nature. Bringing in all of the members of the design-build team at the beginning-the engineers, the landscape architects, and the contractors-that's also an important strategy. That way you benefit from everyone's ideas at the outset so the client gets the best solution at the lowest cost.
Welcome to the Micheal Parks Construction e-newsletter, a periodical forum for sharing tips from the trade and spotlighting some of Santa Barbara's exceptional architects, designers, and craftspeople. Within these emails you'll find information about industry trends, building techniques that garner the best results, and work from some of the best artisans around.
