727 Forest St: Green Features

 

Underlying all of the design decisions of 727 Forest St, is a profound sensitivity to the long-term impact of the house on the environment. The house will be certified to Tier III with the Built Green Program of the Denver Home Builder's Association and will meet the requirements of the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Silver certification. As that program is not yet open to general registration (only pilot homes in certain areas can be registered to date), the house will not be LEED certified.

Please see the Environmental Scorecard on this website for an estimate of the quantitative benefits of the green design of 727 Forest St.

We have broken down the green attributes using the categories from the LEED-Homes rating system. Using this system we would expect the house to be certified at the Silver level with an estimated 52 points out of 108 maximum available and with 50 being the minimum for Silver certification.

Location and Linkages (7 points)

  • Infill site, within 1/4 mile of public transportation, existing infrastructure and green spaces. 

Sustainable Sites (4 points)

  • Landscaping is designed to provide shade from summer sun and to minimize the use of irrigation water. 

Water Efficiency (6 points)

  • High efficiency irrigation system and high efficiency plumbing fixtures including dual-flush toilets. 

Indoor Environmental Quality (10 points)

  • Fresh air ventilation from heat recovery ventilation system that meets ASHRAE Std. 62.2
  • No-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint
  • Low or no Urea-Formaldehyde content in all building materials

Materials and Resources (7 points)

  • Many materials were manufactured locally including foundation system and exterior framing system
  • Finger-jointed framing lumber (reduces resource consumption)
  • 20% fly-ash content in all concrete

Energy and Atmosphere (15 points)

  • Exceeds the 2004 IECC by more than 50%
  • 50% of the electricity load is offset by the renewable energy from photovoltaic panels

Homeowner Awareness (1 point)

  • Owner's manual and walkthroughs/training 

Innovation and Design Process (2 points)

  • Passive solar design
  • Below grade living spaces and garage
  • SIP construction