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 Going Green: Creating Sustainable Buildings With High-Performance Materials |
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The green movement is touching all parts of our lives – from compact fluorescent light bulbs and organically grown veggies to hybrid cars and carbon credits. Consumers now know that little efforts can really add up. And that concept of accumulated environmental actions has already gained ground in the construction trades. ;)
With products like VAST™ composite pavers, developers like The Urban Project, and standards like LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a growing faction of the industry is embracing eco-friendly construction while delivering high-performance buildings. VAST pavers, used for sidewalks, patios, driveways, landscape borders and other surfaces, are made from 95% recycled materials such as car tires and milk jugs. For as much as 7000 years, paver bricks were made from concrete – heavy, labor intensive and environmentally questionable. VAST pavers changed the equation. By combining recycled materials with cutting-edge composite material technology, VAST pavers deliver high performance and social responsibility. VAST pavers caught the eye of Tom Menke and Nate Smith, founders of The Urban Project, a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based green development company focused on residential and mixed-use projects. The Urban Project is devoted to providing energy efficient, sustainable and healthy environments – while maintaining competitive market rates for their dwellings. "My dad was a carpenter, so I grew up in the building trade," said Menke. "Green building has always been an interest of mine. So when Nate and I started our contracting company four years ago, we thought we could do things differently. There's a new generation of people out there looking for green building. We can provide that. We want to respect our resources and improve living situation of our customers. That's our motivation." That motivation paid off when The Urban Project was invited to bid on a project to develop four town homes in Minneapolis' Lyndale neighborhood. "We were selected because of our sustainable elements. The neighborhood worked with us to secure funding. But the impetus was, 'keep it sustainable.'" LEED Green Building Rating System Guiding their sustainable design is the LEED Green Building Rating System. LEED is a national standard for the design, construction and operation of buildings. LEED provides a benchmark for critical areas of environmental and human health:
Developers with qualifying buildings can apply for LEED certification, achieving ratings of silver, gold or platinum. With the Lyndale area development complete, the Urban Project is applying for LEED certification for each of the town homes, now collectively called E2 City Homes. The side-by-side town homes feature a Euro-modern design with 2 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths in approximately 1500 square feet. They use geothermal heat pumps, insulated concrete poured walls, and foam soybean-based insulation among dozens of other eco and energy-efficient features. The VAST pavers are used on the front sidewalks and rear walkways near the garage stalls. "The VAST pavers helped us achieve LEED credits for use of materials that were recycled, and use of materials that were processed within 500 miles of the site," said Menke. Other considerations, as testing continues, are LEED credits for maximizing storm water management. "Points are available for permeability," continued Menke. "With porous pavers and a 1/2" - 3/4" gap between the pavers, rain water can run through the surface and into the soil. With a hard surface material, the rain water runs off into the storm sewers. Keeping that rainwater in the soil is an environmental advantage." E2 City Homes were featured in the Minneapolis Home Tour as well as the area's Concrete Home Tour. "The overall project, and the pavers as well received a lot of attention," said Menke. "People were really interested." One notable visitor is Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, who has been a great supporter of the project throughout its development. "Minneapolis has one of the most beautiful urban environments in the country," said Rybak. "Green buildings will be more and more important to our urban fabric as we work to sustain that beauty and the future of our entire ecosystem. As individuals, we can make a difference by recycling, using recycled materials, and decreasing our carbon footprint. As developers, The Urban Group is setting an example by using recycled products and energy efficient technologies in the homes they build that will make a lasting impact." Green Looks Good;)
The VAST pavers help ensure that the appearance of the town homes is as appealing as the environmental features. "The aesthetics are really nice – the smaller block size adds a different look," said Menke. VAST pavers are available in 3" x 6" (other dimensions are coming soon) and in a variety of natural and custom colors that can be blended together for a unique look. Specially designed colorants provide a long-lasting "always wet" look, unlike traditional concrete pavers which can appear chalky with age or require repeated applications of toxic sealers. While the town homes are still new, says Menke, the durability of the pavers seems solid. Unlike concrete, VAST pavers absorb almost no water and won't crack in cold weather climates. Minnesota's business climate is also receptive to VAST pavers and green building. "Sustainable design is common on the coasts and it's making its way inward to the central US," said Menke. "It may not house a large part of the population yet, but it's growing in popularity." VAST composite pavers are available from Certified VAST Resellers and Installers. For more details, contact us. ### |