Renters want to be green, too, and developers respond - Finance ...

Posted: 7:30 am Tue, January 3, 2012
By Dan?Emerson
Tags: Armand Brachman, Curt Gunsbury, Dan Pellinen

The apartment building at 701 Second St. N. in Minneapolis is under construction and slated to open later this year. It will include several green building concepts, including food composting and energy-efficient HVAC and plumbing systems. (Staff photo: Bill Klotz)

Composting food waste is an eco-conscious activity typically associated with single-family home neighborhoods rather than apartment complexes. But composting will be easy for residents of the green-centric apartment complex being built at 701 2nd St. N. in Minneapolis, which will open later this year.

Next to the chute that carries residents? trash to the building?s ground floor, a second chute is designated for organic food waste, to be picked up by a trash hauler for composting.

It?s one of a lengthy list of green features incorporated in the 100-unit building being developed by local developers Curt Gunsbury and T.E. Miller. Green design and construction has become the rule rather than the exception, according to local apartment developers and architects.

?A lot of green elements are becoming commonplace,? said Dan Pellinen, a senior associate architect at Minneapolis-based Tushi Montgomery & Associates, which designed the 701 building.

One of the building?s most obvious green features will be a white roof, designed to deflect summertime heat, along with some green roof areas. Another will be two 5,000-gallon tanks to collect rainwater, reducing the storm water management bill charged by the city.

The building?s HVAC and plumbing systems were chosen for their energy efficiency, along with doors, windows, insulation and Energy Star-rated appliances. Contractors are recycling at least 70 percent of the materials they use. Bike racks and nearby access to Hour Car car-sharing are other elements intended to reduce the project?s environmental impact.

Of course, there are costs associated with going green: Along with the upfront expense are costs for operation and maintenance, Pellinan said. But developers are willing to invest in green features ?when they see that consumers are requesting them, or they think it will be an important factor in their decision making? ? especially among the under-35 age group most landlords are targeting. Payback periods of five years or less also help make the decision ?a no-brainer,? he noted.

The green building trend ?has affected the whole building industry,? Pellinan said. ?These are things architects and engineers are taking as commonplace right now. Even if they are not going after LEED certification ? because that takes a lot of time, effort and money to produce the documentation ? they are opting to do a lot of ?green? things just so they can reap the benefits.?

Gunsbury, who has developed several other green apartment complexes in Minneapolis, contends that going green has enabled some residents to reduce their utility costs by as much as 75 percent compared with their previous residences ? ?especially in heat and electricity use,? Gunsbury said. ?Not many properties sub-meter water use like we do (instead they do a percentage of gross building use), so it?s hard to get a comparison for water use. It would be interesting to do a full study of comparable buildings to verify our anecdotal data.

?Underwriters have been surprised by our low energy use in our common areas and usually ask for our bookkeeper to verify the numbers,? he added.

?All construction materials and methods evolve over time,? Gunsbury said. ?Pretty much all new construction is green now, based on changes in building codes and what customers are asking for.?

Dan Pellinen is senior associate architect at Tushi Montgomery & Associates, which designed the green-centric apartment complex at 701 Second St. N. in Minneapolis. The green building trend ?has affected the whole building industry," he says. ?These are things architects and engineers are taking as commonplace right now.? (Staff photo: Bill Klotz)

Green elements have become standard features in apartments built by Plymouth-based Dominium Development and Acquisition LLC, the largest Minnesota-based owner of multifamily housing, said co-managing partner Armand Brachman. Dominium?s most recent Twin Cities projects have featured energy-efficient HVAC systems, lighting and plumbing, along with Energy Star-rated windows, shingles, insulation and other products.

Often, ?when people come to rent an apartment they will ask whether a building has energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs. Everybody wants to do their part,? Brachman said. He added that if there?s a choice between moving into an apartment project that has green features versus one that doesn?t, most people choose the former.

As developers, ?we all try to achieve as many green elements as we can, just to help preserve natural resources,? Brachman said. Another factor is that costs have come down on products like carpet and flooring made from recycled materials, he added. Some of that is due to federal tax credits intended to incentivize the production and use of green products.

The green apartment trend is not confined to market-rate and upscale complexes. Energy-efficient components and materials reduce occupants? costs and provide durability, which make them ideal for affordable housing complexes, said Sheldon Berg, an associate at Minneapolis-based DJR Architecture. Berg cited the example of Audubon Crossing, a 30-unit affordable housing complex his firm designed in northeast Minneapolis.

One product example is engineered flooring, which sometimes costs less than traditional hardwood flooring but provides similar high-quality appearance and durability. A one-eighth inch layer of hardwood covers a plywood base, instead of using 3 or 4 inches of solid hardwood.

Another durable but economical product is structural insulated panels ? a sandwich of high R-value foam insulation between two sheets of plywood ? which can be used for walls and roofs.

Today, there are green versions of just about every type of product manufactured to build and furnish housing, Berg noted. ?It?s become more of a collaboration among manufacturers, architects and developers.?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 7:30 am and is filed under Construction & Development, Energy, Top Story. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Source: http://finance-commerce.com/2012/01/renters-want-to-be-green-too-and-developers-respond/

blue bloods temple grandin texas rangers marie osmond st louis cardinals josh hamilton beavis and butthead