Home Earns LEED® Platinum Rating

LivingHomes® (www.LivingHomes.us), a leading developer of modern prefab homes designed by world-class architects, has received the highest rating possible from the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) new pilot, LEED® for Homes rating system, making it the first residential project in the country to attain a Platinum rating and setting a new national standard in sustainable construction. The LivingHomes model home is a Zero Energy, Zero Water, Zero Waste, Zero Carbon, Zero Emissions residence, proving that less is indeed more.

“While the residential market is a new area for LEED and USGBC, the LEED for Homes pilot program moves us closer towards our ultimate goal of transforming the built environment on all levels," said Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC President, CEO & Founding Chair. “The LivingHomes’ model home is expected to demonstrate that incorporating sustainable design into the construction process will help to lower operating costs, increase home value, reduce maintenance issues and improve indoor environmental quality in the long-term. With fewer than 20 LEED Platinum-certified commercial buildings nationwide, achieving Platinum certification is by no means a simple endeavor. LivingHomes demonstrates an unwavering commitment to sustainable design and will be pivotal in building awareness for the program.”

Since the LEED program’s inception in 2000, 550 buildings have been certified and only 20 have achieved Platinum. In Los Angeles County, three projects have achieved a Platinum rating, including the NRDC Robert Redford Building in Santa Monica, the Lakeview Terrace Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, and the Audobon Center in Northeast Los Angeles. No residences have received a Platinum rating to date, making LivingHomes the first homebuilder in the United States to reach such a level of environmental achievement. Through careful design, rigorous testing, and thorough integration of comprehensive environmental systems, LivingHomes has set the benchmark high for sustainable residential design.

The USGBC, a non-profit organization, developed the LEED green building rating system as a set of voluntary, consensus-based national standards for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED for Homes, which is scheduled for a full public launch early in 2007, is a voluntary initiative that promotes the transformation of the mainstream home building industry towards more sustainable practices and rewards the top green home builders who are the first to move in that direction. The program is meant to provide national consistency in defining the features of a green home and to enable builders anywhere in the country to obtain a ‘green’ rating on their homes. Builders of LEED certified homes will be able to differentiate their homes as the best homes in their markets, using a recognized national brand. Launched in 2005, the pilot program to date includes 125 builders and 725 units, with the numbers growing weekly.

Similar to the LEED program for new commercial construction, the LEED for Homes pilot is based on a four-tiered rating system (Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum) that awards points to projects based on their efficient use of energy resources, water resources, building construction resources, land resources, and consideration of enhanced indoor environmental quality. The LivingHomes model home, designed by iconic Southern California architect Ray Kappe, FAIA, was awarded a total of 91 points out of 108, establishing the prefab developer as a leader in sustainable design.

To meet the high standards set by the USGBC and to respond to the market’s appetite for healthy, sustainable living, each LivingHome is designed to attain at least a Silver LEED rating. The model home incorporates a unique blend of materials and innovative environmental systems, earning the Platinum designation. The home’s anticipated energy use is 80% more efficient than a conventional residence of similar size, which qualifies the home as an Energy Star® home. The majority of the home’s energy will be produced by on-site photovoltaics. Water for irrigation will be reclaimed. Most of the materials in the home are re-used or sustainably created. The home was produced with 75% less construction waste compared to traditional home construction.

Sustainable features include: a photovoltaic system from Permacity/Gridpoint to produce the home’s energy; solar water heating and radiant floors from ACME Environmental and Creative Climate; a native landscape and rooftop garden designed by Richard Grigsby of The Great Outdoors to divert stormwater and alleviate the heat island effect of conventional black roofs; super resource efficient Energy Star appliances from Bosch; LED lights that use a fraction of the power of conventional lights from Permlight; an integrated stormwater management which includes sub-surface irrigation, a 3500-gallon cistern and grey water recycling system designed by Bill Wilson Environmental Planning to divert sink and shower water for irrigation; special fans from Panasonic that exhaust moisture from the bathrooms; and a whole-house fan from Tamarack that automatically vents hot-air. A 175 CFM fan from Tamarack in the garage tied into the garage door automatically exhausts carbon monoxide from the garage. LivingHomes also uses low-e Solarban60 glazing on the Fleetwood doors and windows and Polygal polycarbonate glazing that has greater thermal properties than regular glass, allowing the model home to preserve both the aesthetic and the practical.

In addition to the environmental systems, a number of other steps have been taken to reduce the home’s ecological footprint. Most homeowners complete major renovations of their homes every few years, a process which is disruptive, time-consuming, expensive and incredibly wasteful of resources. LivingHomes, therefore, include movable walls, modular millwork, and a structural system that allows for the easy addition and reconfiguration of space.

For projects on land with existing homes, LivingHomes works with The Reuse People to deconstruct the structures and donate the materials to Habitat for Humanity. This means materials that would normally be demolished and sent to landfills are reused and repurposed (landfills are typically comprised of about 40% construction waste). In order to make the homes carbon-neutral, LivingHomes pays for a carbon off-set for each home it sells as well as first year operation. Finally, to make it “cradle-to-cradle” compatible, the home has been constructed with materials and processes that will make it easier to disassemble and reuse in the future.

Acknowledging that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Science Advisory Board have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health and that recent studies show that the levels of many airborne pollutants may be 25 to 100 times higher indoors than outdoors, LivingHomes is one of the first home developers to take such proactive design measures to minimize the home’s environmental impact, both inside and out. The home features low-emitting finish materials, low-Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) paints and stains from AFM Safecoat, and a steel structure that does not support mold growth. A radiant heating system embedded in the floor of the home warms the space more effectively and healthfully, rather than forcing air laden with contaminants through the home. LivingHomes also provides customers with optional indoor gardens as a way to produce and cleanse indoor airThe model home features an indoor garden filled with plants that filter indoor pollutants and are prolific oxygen creators.

To reduce the adverse environmental impacts of conventional materials, the home features Forest Stewardship Certified (FSC) wood for the millwork, ceiling, siding, and framing, along with a variety of recycled materials including 100% post-consumer recycled paper based countertops from Paperstone; recycled glass tiles from Oceanside Glasstile; recycled porcelain tiles from Coverings Etc; and Green Fiber 100% recycled denim insulation. Also, through key partnerships with companies that are equally committed to sustainable design, the model home will showcase organic bedding and linen from Matteo; water-efficient fixtures by Kohler; FSC certified cedar from Eco-Lumber Co-op; special roofing by Carlisle - Syntec; interior design by Heidi Toll Design; an energy-efficient spa by Jacuzzi; and furnishings by Design Within Reach, Herman.

About LEED®

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a performance-oriented, consensus-developed rating system under which credits are earned for satisfying specific green building criteria. The five major environmental categories of review include:  Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of LEED certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each category. LEED can be applied to various building applications including new construction and renovations, commercial interiors, core & shell developments and existing building operations and maintenance. LEED programs are currently under development for neighborhood development and homes. LEED has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and private corporations as the benchmark for leadership in sustainable building. For more information, visit http://www.usgbc.org.

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