Homes By Vanderbuilt Reacts To Disputes Over Environmental Building Efforts
Online, July 26, 2012 (Newswire.com) - In an attempt to stimulate Seattle's green commercial building initiative, The Seattle City Council agreed to bypass some city design requirements for the construction of "Living Buildings." The Seattle Times reports that supporters of the council have been disappointed that the pilot program is not living up to its intended use. The program was meant to encourage innovative green construction in Seattle and develop the city as having one of the greenest commercial projects anywhere.
Supporters of the program say the rules are being bent and not for environmentally-friendly projects or reasons. A press statement released by Homes by Vanderbuilt states, "The projects that are getting the green light to bypass Seattle's city requirements might be calling themselves 'green,' but are actually far from it."
The council is receiving criticism for considerations to expand the program to include Stone 34's USA headquarters for running shoes and apparel. The proposed headquarters would need to be about 20 feet taller than zoning codes permit. To allow building to begin, Seattle City Council planners have proposed enveloping Stone 34 headquarters into the Living Building program parameters.
Homes by Vanderbuilt aren't the only one's concerned about Stone 34's potential construction. Many neighbors say that the Stone 34 site is just too big for the neighborhood and that the Stone 34 building isn't green enough to be included in the city's pilot program.
The project was said to encourage the growth of "Living Buildings." Living Buildings aim to not only conserve energy but also create it. There are 20 requirements that Living Buildings must meet, including the ability to supply their own water and process their own sewage. Living Buildings must be built on developed sites and must use local building material, nothing of which could be considered toxic. Living Buildings are considered "the most ecologically sound modern buildings in the world" and must be certified by the Living Future Institute.
Stone 34 won't have solar panels or wind turbines, but its owner Skanska says it will still be more environmentally-friendly than most office buildings. A press statement by Homes by Vanderbuilt says, "It's still not enough."
The council has responded saying their requirements were too demanding. To find flexibility, the council is proposing builders now only meet 60 percent of the required green standards in addition to the demanding energy, water and storm water conservation standards. Skanska says Stone 34 can meet those standards.
Supporters say the 60 percent alternative was intended for businesses attempting to make an effort to meet all Living Building requirements but ultimately, also experienced challenges in living up to the standards. Moreover, many critics believe that Stone 34 never intended to meet those principles.
"With a 60 percent pick-and-choose option you can really leave all the hard imperatives behind, which is what they've done," says Amanda Sturgeon, vice president of the International Living Future Institute.
Homes by Vanderbuilt suggest that when the Living Buildings pilot program expires in December that measures are taken to make the standards less flexible and more stringent. In the three years since the program has been proposed, only one building has fallen under the standards needed to be certified a Living Building.
ABOUT:
Homes by Vanderbuilt constructs prefabricated modular and double wide homes. In doing so, the company provides the opportunity of homeownership to Americans living in North Carolina, southern Virginia, and the northern region of South Carolina. Homes by Vanderbuilt provide living spaces that are built one section at a time and monitored closely by the quality control department. Once the modules are complete, they are transported to the property of the homeowner. Homes by Vanderbuilt is proud to provide an avenue to homeownership to its customers.