January 26 2011

The Greenest House in Baltimore: 1810 Laurens Street

Opening Day!

We are very proud to announce the opening of Ziger/Snead's latest community design project, the 'Greenest House in Baltimore' at 1810 Laurens Street! 'Greenest' in this case means that the house has extremely good indoor air quality, is very energy efficient, has tremendous natural light, will take a beating, conserves water, stays comfortable even on the most extreme days, and does all this for a price most could afford. Sounds pretty good for a 12' wide, 40' long, westside rowhouse renovation doesn't it?! We hope this is just the beginning because Baltimore does big things! Especially when there is a chance we can simultaneously improve the health, finances, and safety of our citizens through sustainability.

How does Platinum sound?

1810 Laurens is currently on track to become the first LEED for Homes Platinum project in Baltimore City, a hard earned distinction illustrating dedication to sustainability on part of both the sponsors and the design team. It means that the project has to meet a very strict set of requirements and could not afford to skip many critical aspects of sustainable design and construction.

This achievement is no accident. It challenged a number of boundaries through the bold vision of project sponsors Sandtown Habitat for Humanity, UnderArmour and the USGBC Maryland. Together, they proposed a high bar for sustainability, organized a team of green building experts, solicited donations, sought out volunteers, and followed through to ensure that the project was a success. They even laid tile in a pinch.

The project team included: Jonas Risen from Ziger/Snead, Bob Hedden from Synthesis Incorporated, Will Philips from UnderArmour, Prescott Gaylord from Hamel Green Construction, Nate Robb from Merritt Properties, Mike Barb from Sandtown H4H, Janice Romonosky from Elysian Energy, Daphne Matthews from Straughan Environmental and many more...

We are thrilled to have completed the Greenhouse House in Baltimore and think that there is a big need for this kind of development in the city. For more information please visit the project website, visit the Ziger/Snead project page, or look for our upcoming lecture on this project during the 2011 Baltimore Green Week!

See images and green features below:

During Demolition. Note that we were removing the chimneys this day.

A typical rowhouse is now one of the greenest places in the city.

The house fits into the historical context of Sandtown-Winchester.

A panoramic of the rear yard. Can you spot the house?

Rear of the house. Heat treated wood fence and decking, pervious pavers, rain infiltration garden with native plantings. You can even see the solar panels up there!

A 2.5 kW photovoltaic array provides 1/3 of the electricity needed for the house.

Wood floors are reclaimed oak finished with a low-VOC sealant. Cabinets and stair treads are reclaimed pine beams from Sandtown rowhomes right in Baltimore!

Beyond is the red front door chosen by the owner. Elegant black metal stairs with reclaimed wood beam treads head up to the second living level. Below is a basement with a washroom and mechanical equipment.

A shoe storage and changing seat at the entry landing provide a place to take off shoes before particulates are dragged into the house. A walkoff mat by Interface Carpet is installed beyond to help keep dirt in one place.

Reclaimed wood countertops and cabinet faces were integrated into a 'wet wall' for mechanical and plumbing distribution. Appliances are standard H4H Whirlpool (donated).

Upstairs corridor.

View from the stair toward the full height rear window in second bedroom.

A reclaimed wood rainbarrel collects rainwater to help irrigate and offset stormwater runoff.

The whole-house switch. Otherwise known as the "Hon-Button". Designed by Bob Hedden

Building Plans

Site Plan

Features of this house include:

Water

• Thermostatic valve on shower head to stop flow when temperature reaches 95 degrees
• Gray water reuse for toilet flushing
• Water Sense rated faucets and shower head
• CEE (Consortium for Energy Efficiency), Tier 3 rated clothes washing machine
• Rainwater collection system for watering plants
• Energy Star rated dishwasher

Energy

• LED lamps in place of CFL?s and incandescent lamps
• Energy Star rated light fixtures
• Mini-split, variable speed heat pump with dual AHU?s and dehumidification mode
• Programmable thermostats
• High efficiency doors and windows
• Thermal insulation?rigid foam board and closed cell foam throughout, including under the basement slab
• Closed cell foam infiltration barrier
• SolaTube skylights
• Vacancy sensor in basement for lights
• Door switches in clothes closets
• ?Green Away Switch? for overhead lights, half of quad receptacles and ERV
• 2 kW photovoltaic array with web accessible performance monitor
• Net electric meter
• White membrane roof
• Instantaneous, on-demand gas hot water heater with outside air and sealed combustion chamber
• Energy recovery ?Powerpipe? HX on main drain line to preheat domestic hot water
• Humidity controlled bathroom exhaust fan
• Electric bill tracking via the internet
• Clothes lines in basement

Air Quality

• No VOC paint
• Low or no VOC caulks and sealants
• Energy Star Indoor Air Quality Plus compliant structure
• ERV with CO2 sensor over-ride
• Removable/cleanable recycled carpet tile walk-off mat at entrance
• Shoe storage bench at entrance
• MERV 13 rated air filters located in RA grilles for easy access

Site

• Rain garden and native grass
• Rainwater infiltration system
• Heat-treated wood for deck, railings and fence?no chemical preservatives required
• Yard landscaped with native plants

Materials

• FSC wood?interior doors, framing, joists and plywood subfloors
• Reclaimed oak flooring through out
• Recycled content cementitious siding for rear wall.
• Reclaimed demo materials used for stair treads, window sills, kitchen cabinet doors, and pantry doors
• Recycled demolition and construction debris
• Recycled carpet tile ?area? rugs
• Recycled content steel used for railings and stair stringers
• Reclaimed bathroom vanity and sink top
• Moisture resistant, recycled content wall board used throughout
• Advanced framing techniques to minimize materials
• Finger-jointed trim materials

More to come!

January 26th, 2011 at 5:46 PM. Posted in . Share this post.