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Painting the town green
By Shelia Watson
Contributing Writer
Since the Civil War, “Charleston green” has been the label given to the ubiquitous black-green color found most often on shutters, porches and verandas throughout the Lowcountry.
Today, Charleston green is more likely to describe the movement sweeping the tri-county that promotes environmental awareness, sustainable living and energy conservation.
The green movement is not new to the area. For several years, several programs and initiatives have been promoted, such as biking, walking and public transportation (Charleston Moves); environmental conservation (the S.C. Coastal Conservation League); and a glut of blogs devoted to healthy, sustainable lifestyles.
What is new is an upcoming green home building project that will thrust the tri-county area into the national spotlight, along with a variety of green standards making their way into the construction industry.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing has chosen Charleston as the site for its second concept home. The first PATH concept home was completed in Omaha, Neb., last month.
The home, called a model of sustainability, disaster resistance, flexibility and cost-effectiveness, will be built at Poplar Grove, the 6,000-acre nature conservation community in the Ashley River Preservation District. Bennett Hofford Construction was selected as builder for the project.
Hank Hofford, president of Bennett Hofford Construction, called Poplar Grove “the perfect place to create what we hope will become a laboratory for the housing industry to explore exciting new building processes and technologies.”
Like the first concept home, the one in Poplar Grove will feature advanced products and systems that demonstrate how design and technology innovation can create sustainable, efficient, durable and cost-effective homes.
The home will meet national green building standards, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, also known as the LEED program, as well as Energy Star, EarthCraft House and National Green Building. Darlene Williams, HUD’s assistant secretary, said the program is designed to demonstrate the value in the new technologies available in the housing market. Construction on the house is expected to begin next spring.
The PATH concept home is among several other sustainability initiatives catching the attention of the construction industry in the Lowcountry.
For instance, EarthCraft House, the building program for energy-efficient homes managed by the Atlanta-based Southface Energy Institute, is becoming more common in the Charleston area. The program uses recycled and natural building materials as well as energy-efficient appliances and lighting in its homes.
Phillip Ford, executive director of the Charleston Trident Home Builders Association, said about 400 EarthCraft homes have been built or are under construction in the Lowcountry.
On Oct. 18, the Sustainability Institute held its third annual Sustainable Community Awards Event, which recognizes two companies and one individual for their contributions to making long-term sustainable change in their communities.
The 2007 corporate winners were Half-Moon Outfitters and the Charleston County School District, and the individual winner was Bill Stanfield, executive director of Metanoia Community Development Foundation and resident of the Chicora/Cherokee community. In each case, the recognition involved a green building project.
Ilderton Contractors Inc. is one of the companies embracing green building methods in its construction projects.
“When we started building a couple of years ago in a development near the old village in Mount Pleasant, it was before LEEDS certification had come to the fore,” said President and CEO Pat Ilderton. “We just drew up specifications for what we thought would be green, addressing both sustainability and energy consumption.”
Ilderton said much of what his company does is common sense.
“We try to build houses so they’re airy, so you’ll want to open windows instead of using the heating and air system,” he said. “We have lots of porch presence, which opens the house up, and we have tall ceilings. In fact, the homes we build are much like the traditional Charleston single homes, which were engineered to keep the house cool.
“Downtown Charleston was energy conscious before it was cool to be so.”
Ilderton’s company now works according to LEED standards, he said.
“What we were doing initially, working off of our own specs, was a good idea, but this is better,” he said. “I have to admit it’s a bit trying after you’ve gotten used to not working with such a rigid standard, but somebody has to call the shots on national standards.”
The company just broke ground on what will be one of the first LEED homes in Charleston. Until the local inspectors have gone through LEED certification, the home will require an additional inspection for the LEED program. Currently, the closest LEED inspector is in Atlanta.
Ilderton sees the sustainability trend picking up speed.
“The whole idea of energy consumption is going to take a campaign,” he said. “Right now, the people buying into it are fairly well-educated and well-read. That’s who gets it right now, but down the line everybody will get it. Just like it took a campaign to make people believe there’s such a thing as global warming.
“I think it’s a matter of not just wanting to save money but also wanting to get on the right page with the way the world works. People are really taking energy consumption to heart.”
Ilderton estimated the cost of going green to be slightly higher than traditional building methods, with the LEED home costing about 8% to 10% more to build than a home built without green methods.
“I don’t see that price staying there, though,” he said. “It’s like when we started using unleaded gas and it cost so much more than leaded. We were working our way into a system and eventually the price of unleaded gas leveled off. When this new building system gets more accepted and more commonplace, the price will come down.”
At the end of the day, he said, it’s all about comfort.
“What we’re aiming for is making these homes a good fit for human beings, not only in a physical way but also in a social way,” he said. “Do they make you feel good to be in them? We’re not just putting up a structure that a body can live in. The social and spiritual (aspects) and aesthetics of the green building shouldn’t be discounted.”
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