We got GOLD!!!

Beautiful Roofs

The sheathing is done on Building A (all with FSC Certified Plywood) and we're getting ready to start sheathing building C. At the same time we'll start installing the natural cedar shingles, which eliminate any heat island effect the roof might have.

Roof Sheathing

The roofs are starting to get covered and all of the plywood sheathing is FSC certified, relevant to MR 7 Certified Wood.

Floor Joists

These Tru-Joist beams from the iLevel series of products are an excellent alternative to metal and use recycled wood material.

Septic Tank and Storm Drains

The storm drains and septic tanks are going in today and it's a bittersweet event, not simply because of what will eventually fill these tanks. The local government is not really up to speed on a what a green building entails and thus enforced building requirements that in reality are completely unnecessary for a green building. For example, this property will save 100,000 gallons of water per year once it is in operation but according to county requirements, an office space uses a certain amount of water and an apartment uses a certain amount of water and that is what you have to plan and provide for.

So for these storm drains, we are forced to install over two dozen of these massive concrete rings in order to capture the apparent deluge of water that we regularly receive out here. The problem is that that as a green building project, we have achieved a ground surface that is 100% permeable. The parking area is crushed pea stone and the rest of the property is native grasses. So all stormwater will naturally percolate into the soil and will never even reach these catch basins. 80% of them may never see a drop of water, EVER. The carbon emissions released by manufacturing, transporting, and installing these, not to mention the cost is frustrating to us since it goes against the green principles of this project and is only this way because local government has not caught up with the green building trend.

Steel Goes Up on Building C

Building C is now taking shape as the steel goes up. We just confirmed today that all of the steel we are using is formed using the electric arc furnace process and as such contains 95% post consumer recycled content, a major contributor to MR 4.1-4.2 Recycled Content .

Beautfiul Steel

We are finally building upwards with the installation of steel on building B. Next week all the steel should be up and we will really be moving towards our goal of being completed in October. The steel comes from a town in Connecticut that is within 500 miles of the project making it a regional material according to LEED-NC MR5: Regional Material.

Waterproofing

The black stuff around the foundation of building B is a spray on waterproofing. According to LEED NC EQ 4.1 Low-Emitting Materials: Adhesives & Sealants a sealant of this type can have a maximum VOC content of 420 g/L. The product we are using has a VOC content of 73 g/L. It's called Watchdog and is manufactured by Tremco.

Finally Building

Well we had a few weeks hiatus due to a mixup with our building permit but now it's all sorted out and we are moving full steam ahead. We dug the foundations and have started pouring today. The concrete we are using contains fly ash, a by product of burning coal which counts as a recycled material under LEED-NC MR4.1-4.2: Recycled Content and a very good use if you ask us.

Recycling

Witness the beauty of separated construction debris that will never see a landfill...

Plant Rescue

We are rescuing 50 feet of mature major privet as well as other trees that were originally on the property. Most will be replanted on site, the ones that don't have already been donated to other property owners. Though we are not seeking a LEED credit for these, people have previously gotten Innovation in Design credit for Plant Rescue.

Construction Waste Recycling

As per LEED NC MR 2.1-2.2 Construction Waste Management the demolition of the existing structure will be divided into concrete, metals, and other construction debris so that it can be properly recycled and thus avoid heading to the landfill. Our demolition and recycling is being handled by Guillo Contracting.

Asphalt Reuse

LEED NC MR 3.1-3.2 Materials Reuse requires that a portion of construction materials be of reused content. Here you can see the beginning of a pile of crushed asphalt taken up from the existing parking lot. It will be ground up and used as a permeable substrate for the crushed pea stone surface of the new parking lot, which will be lined with the Belgian block seen in the background, also a reclaimed material as posted earlier.

Hay Bales

These are just some detail shots of the hay bales and silt fencing keeping our construction site contained.

It Has Begun!!!

Today we started clearing the land in preparation for the demolition of the existing building on Monday.As is required by LEED-NC SS P1 Construction Activity Pollution Prevention, we must keep any construction debris from running off the site into the town sewer system or into any natural water sources so silt fences and hay bails are being put in place all around the perimeter of the property while we work.

Belgian Block

As far as LEED is concerned, any time you can reuse a material rather than producing new material, you are doing the environment a service. My first development project was in Binghamton, New York. The Depot Lofts is a mixed-use adaptive reuse project with 9 residential lofts and 2 commercial spaces. I bought the buildings back in 2003 and after some negotiating with the city, I bought the street in front as well. It turned out to be one of the last remaining cobblestone streets in the city. We had to tear it up to put down a new water main and I wanted to put a lot of the cobblestones back. In the end we couldn't use them all so we just stacked them on palates and they waited for some better use.

When we started working on Watermill Ateliers it hit me that we could reuse these block to line the parking lot as well as making rain permeable walkways across it to allow water to naturally filter into the ground.

I'll post pictures once we install them.

LEED

The LEED Pro, LLC is our LEED Consultant for this project. We decided a long time ago that we were going to make a commitment to green building and we have. When we complete Watermill Ateliers, we hope to achieve LEED Platinum status under the LEED for New Construction rating system. We are shooting for 53 out of 69 points. The project will be 42% more efficient than a comparable base case structure, and save over 100,000 gallons of water each year. The parking lot is made of crushed pea stone so as to allow for storm water drainage and filtering as well as eliminating any heat island effect. Every main area of the project will have direct views to the outside and 97% will receive direct sunlight. We have also dug wells to utilize a geoexchanger for heating and cooling. These are just some of the ways in which Watermill Ateliers will be better for the environment and the health and happiness of its occupants.