Decoding the codes around green building

Image courtesy of Natural Balance Home Builders.

Just a quickie (that’s what she said) as I’m scooting out the door to go watch the Canucks game. Sorry about the decided lack of posts recently — down to just one a week for the third week in a row now — but it’s just been extra bananas with work lately.

I had a piece published in the At Home section of the Vancouver Sun today on a subject that I’m increasingly fascinated by — sustainable home design. Nick Kerchum and his business partner Galen Evans are trailblazers; they began work on the now-LEED Platinum certified Kerchum House in late 2006, when green building was hardly being considered by anyone. I thought the house was a good way to talk about all of the different certifications that exist around eco-design for homes, and it’s something I could have probably written reams more about.

Even though I tried to keep most of the verbosity down, it’s still a long-ish piece below, as I’ve reproduced it in full. If you’re interested in envirofriendly home tactics though, it’s worth going all the way through.

Photo credit: Glenn Baglo, PNG. Courtesy of the Vancouver Sun.

Nick Kerchum’s house definitely stands out from its Craftsman-style neighbours in the west side of Vancouver.

The sleek, contemporary residence has distinctive horizontal lines both inside and out, and a pronounced terracing effect from the roof overhangs; at certain junctures, it almost looks like cubes or blocks have been strategically stacked atop each other.

There’s more behind the design than simply a desire for style. Kerchum began planning the home in late 2006, with the goal of making it as environmentally friendly as possible. It’s the first LEED Platinum-rated home in Western Canada, and is also rated Built Green Platinum.

Those roof overhangs create cooling shade in the summer, and bring the sun’s warmth in during the winter. Oversized rectangular tiles of black basalt on the main floor absorb heat during the day, and release it into the evening. Both are aspects of passive solar design.

Solar tubes on the roof heat the hot water for the house, and four green roofs help manage stormwater run-off. Trellised apple trees and other food-bearing plants reduce the carbon footprint associated with filling the family pantry.

A number of these measures are becoming more and more commonplace as interest in sustainable design grows, but they were fairly unusual at the time when Kerchum began planning the home five years ago.

“I had a vision that this was something people would be very interested in,” he says. “I wanted to be an early innovator – it was so new, we even had certification issues, because the Canadian Green Building Council hadn’t even been set up yet. We registered through the U.S. one and switched halfway through.”

Kerchum was more motivated than most to persevere; he and boyhood friend Galen Evans were on course to set up their own green-focused construction company, Natural Balance Home Builders.

It took two years to complete, but the home has subsequently won a number of national building awards. It now serves as the ultimate show home to demonstrate a range of environmentally friendly construction methods, as the offices for the business are in the basement. Kerchum and his family live in the floors above.

Many eco-conscious buyers find it confusing to sort through all of the different rating systems that are out there. Different systems focus on different elements, says Evans, and there are varying amounts of time, effort, and expense involved.

“LEED has more categories, for instance, than Built Green,” explains Evans. “It’s a more accurate representation of a home’s impact on the environment, but there’s two to five times the paperwork involved, and a higher expense.”

Natural Balance works with sustainable building consulting firm E3 Eco Group. CEO Einar Halbig says the confusion is common.

“People are feeling a bit dumb; they don’t understand all of the acronyms – but no one understands it all! If you’re not in the building or design industry, why would you?” Here’s his quick definition list:

* LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It was originally developed for commercial buildings, and then adapted to residential use. It’s a rating system that’s fairly well known across North America. Builders try to earn points in categories that cover the construction process as well as the ongoing use of the home. Depending on the number of points earned, a home can be designated LEED Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum, with Platinum being the highest level available.

* Built Green is a certification process used in B.C. and Alberta, administered by members of provincial home building associations. The checklists aren’t as complicated or long as those for LEED, say Kerchum and Evans.

* The property development arm at the University of British Columbia uses its own designation of REAP, or Residential Environmental Assessment Program. Simon Fraser University has its own development guidelines for on-campus projects.

* R2000 is a federal government standard that’s existed since the early 80s. It’s essentially a pass/fail system -you either meet the conditions for the standard or you don’t. It’s being reviewed, and the new program is expected to be much more aggressive about energy targets.

* EnerGuide numbers are straight math; they measure how much power a home uses. Every additional point means a boost in energy efficiency of three to five per cent.

Halbig says it’s a good baseline for consumers. The average older single family home probably has a rating of 66; LEED and Built Green both require a minimum of 72. The Kerchum house is rated at an astounding 88, which means it uses 60-70 per cent less energy than another home of the same size. It gets exponentially harder to get each additional point, as there is a finite level of efficiency.

Halbig says consumers also have to look at the construction process, and see how choices around materials, landscaping, and water usage are evaluated.

He recommends that anyone contemplating applying for a certification should first do an in-depth evaluation with a certified energy adviser.

“They can check where you can apply for incentives or rebates, and also where you can best spend your money. If you’re only experiencing a six-per-cent heat loss in your attic, it doesn’t make sense to spend 20 per cent of your budget on more insulation there.”

He also says bringing in a certified energy adviser during the design process of a new home can mean significant savings.

The stickiest question of all may be how much these ratings or certifications will ultimately mean for an increase in value for a home.

Halbig admits it’s a complicated question.

“Some of these investments require a long-term view. Look at your time frame -if you’re going to be in the home for less than five years, it may not pay off,” he says.

“But also project forward. What will energy costs be in 10, 20, or 30 years, and will buyers be willing to pay for a house that saves them money right now?” He also points that many other home improvements, like kitchen and bathroom renovations, don’t involve any return on the investment until the home is resold. However, improved energy efficiency has an immediate impact on the bottom line.

Kerchum, Evans and Halbig all agree that while it may take research and spending some money to meet environmental certification standards for home construction, it does pay off in better quality of life inside the home. While significant progress has been made in multi-family developments, the single-family home is one of the areas where the most work needs to be done.

The trio says it only makes sense to get the help of an expert in such a relatively new area, if only to navigate what a certification truly means.

Seasonal diet – so long hearty, hello seafood

Braised shortribs on creamy polenta, at Tavola.

The sunshine is still flirting with us here in Vancouver, throwing us a few ‘come hither’ glances before fleeting away to other destinations. Soon enough — I promise — she’ll be here to stay.

And while we waterlogged Vancouverites always turn sunshine-mad during that time, a tiny tiny part of me is always sad to see winter go. Yes, it’s hello to cute summer dresses and strappy sandals, but it’s also so long to my cozy sweaters and lovely winter boots.

So too is it a decided change for what I cook and and what I order at restaurants. Summer weather always has me craving seafood of every sort, tons of fruit, and salads, salads, salads.

I love it, but I will miss all of the braised and roasted meats I dig into while I’m hibernating through the winter. Adios, Crockpot shortribs and huge hunks of prime rib. Arrivederci also to all of the root vegetables and heavy carbs I devour — had to build my winter fat to stay warm, don’t you know… and auf wiedersehen, my big bold reds, ports, and scotches. Bring in the pinot grigios, sparkling wines, and roses.

I won’t be sad for long I know, for there are always new/old things to enjoy again. I guess the switch in what I eat is always just a reminder that the seasons are changing, and that time is continuing to turn.

These boots are made for walkin’

 

Image courtesy of ninewest.ca

Okay, based on previous posts, you might have the impression that I’m a shoeholic, and maybe I was in the past.

These days though, I’m content to wander through shoe stores and look, but rarely buy. It’s a combination of factors: I’m really staying away from high heels (just can’t really wear them anymore), and I’m trying to stay focused on my spending goals, ie my next vacation and saving for a house.

I did have to buy these boots when I spotted them a few weeks ago.

Now hear me out.

I am a huge fan of ‘sensible’ footwear — Sorels, the same leather boots that paramedics and police officers wear, Clarks, etc, but there’s nothing that says they can’t be stylish at the same time. These, with their English riding boot aesthetic, and coming in dark grey (with which I’ve been obsessed for the past three years) fit the bill in spades.

If you’ve ever spent any time in Vancouver between September and May, you’ll have experienced the truly torrential downpours that are a hazard of living in Lotusland. You know in movies, where the plucky heroine gets caught in a downpour and her hair is instantly drenched, straggling down her face in rattails?

Yeah, that’s not just in movies; that happens for real in Vancouver, on a regular basis. As the rain continues to stream down, sometimes for hours, or even days, it puddles in massive pools on YVR sidewalks and roads. It’s like the Great Lakes out there, and as someone who spends 95% of her time outside the house as a pedestrian, something I have to navigate all the time. So waterproof footwear is a must, and when paired with my superawesome fluffy wool socks, actually kind of a treat to wear.

Finally, the boots were 50% off. (There was a bit of a snafu involving between trying the boots on downtown, having a hold put on a pair at Metrotown, and having that pair not be there, but after it was sorted out, the company had the boots delivered to me at home at no charge.) After all was said and done, the boots were a great deal at $55.

All in all, a completely justifiable purchase, I think. But now that I’m evaluating factors like this every time I’m in a shoe store, it’s probably no wonder that I’m mostly looking, not buying.

Living it up, hotel style

Image courtesy of the Opus Hotel.

The last assignment I took on for 2010 has now been published — a piece about how good hotel design principles can be used in residential homes. As you can imagine, it was pretty darn fun to research — applying a critical eye to the hotel rooms that travellers can often take for granted, and living vicariously in the boots of a high flying tourist.

What I guess is most notable for me is how incredibly different each of the hotels profiled is in character, yet they all still succeed in making guests feel comfortable. If they didn’t, of course they wouldn’t be in business anymore.

Here’s how my story for the Vancouver Sun begins.

Remember when “hotel luxury” made a splash as a decor trend? In the early 2000s, it was all about every imaginable shade of white on white, with bits of beige creeping in. Thousand-count thread sheets and fluffy towels were also an important part of the design scheme. But reducing the look to paint and linens ignores the true rationale of hotel design. Designing for durability and functionality, while being constrained by small spaces and tight budgets, is something many can relate to.

You can find the rest of the story here.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Sorry for the late post today all, but I have a good reason; I was up and at ‘em early for breakfast at the downtown Vancouver location of Tiffany’s.

Yes, that Tiffany’s, of the robin’s egg blue packaging and budgetbreaking rocks.

It’s become a bit of an annual tradition for the store to open up and have a party where the guests can try everything in the store on, while mingling and nibbling on canapes.

Store director Rob Ferguson is a genial host indeed, gently encouraging guests to go ahead and ask for some of the display cases to be opened up. He says there have been no huge discernible shifts in buying patterns — no rush on sapphire rings after Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement, for instance — but he is noticing customers being more open to considering cuts like the emerald, pear, and marquise, in addition to the traditional Tiffany round brilliant.

Ferguson is also very excited about a new collection featuring fancy yellow diamonds, which are normally incredibly rare. Tiffany managed to essentially secure the production of an entire mine in Australia, and has turned them into sunny sparklers.

In the photo above, I’m wearing a lovely eternity band of princess cut yellow diamonds, framed in a lovely line of yellow gold, and then outlined again with white gold and diamonds. It’s beautifully unusual, and available for the bargain price of $35,800. *bwahahaha*

The necklace is outright stunning. It’s an incredible collar of yellow diamonds perfectly matched for colour and size, and then framed  in white diamonds. It seems almost unbelievable that I had more than a million dollars in jewellery around my neck.

The truly enjoyable part of this tradition is learning about some of the history of Tiffany jewellery and its designers, looking for motifs like sea creatures or Art Deco influences. It’s quite a lovely way to do some holiday window shopping, if you’re so inclined.

And the nicest part is that I don’t actually covet any of this stuff for its perceived monetary value — I don’t really feel a connection on that level. I just enjoy looking at beautiful craftsmanship and things that sparkle.

Design Geekout: Karim Rashid

Screengrab courtesy of www.karimrashid.com

I had a chance to interview amazing industrial designer Karim Rashid a few weeks ago for the Vancouver Sun. The man is amazing. He can look at something and almost immediately visualize how it could be made of better materials, be more vibrantly coloured, and be more functional. It’s no wonder he’s astoundingly prolific and in demand. (It took nearly a month to set up the interview because his schedule was so full.)

In person, he wore a hot pink suit with elan, accented with oversized buttons and cufflinks of his own design. He is much taller than you would think.

Unfortunately, the piece never ran in the paper because of space limitations, so I thought I would share it with you now. It’s structured as a Q & A, so the italics are me ‘speaking’.

One on one with Karim Rashid

Canadian-raised industrial designer Karim Rashid is based in New York, although he does work in 41 different countries. More than 3000 of the items he has designed have been produced, spanning furniture, lighting, appliances, accessories, housewares, containers, and jewellery.

The breadth and variety of your designs is astounding. Where do all of those ideas begin?

The world is changing exponentially every day. It’s a combination of how I see the world, and how can I inspire people to shape it. We’ve entered into a new casual age. I’m very interested in sustainability issues, new social behaviour, new languages and aesthetics.

It’s thirty cumulative years of the industrial age – the materials, the production process and methods. I like it all from the micro to the macro.

Right now I’m working on a childrens store, a window blind design, wood furniture for a Bosnian company, lounge chairs for an Italian company, kitchens, a watch… I have a very precise focus on lots of different things.

Where do you stand on the whole form vs. function thing?

Form and function should be inseparable. A lot of companies want you to style things so they look a certain way. I always tell them the design has to come first; you have to build in the criteria for usage and then let that coalesce into one style, not do it after the fact.

As designers, we have to create things of desire, but that doesn’t mean relinquishing functionality. We can have things that are both smart and stylish.

[One of Rashid’s designs, the bestselling Garbo garbage can for Umbra, is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His work is in twenty different museums worldwide.]

Do you ever stop and wonder at the incongruity of that, a garbage can in a museum collection?

For years I would see prototypes of stunning chairs that you can’t actually sit on, or they could never be produced. Objects in museums are often things that are stunning or beautiful, but they never sell. This is the opposite of that – you could call it democratic art, where you know people like it because they’re buying it and taking it home.

Haute couture and elitism is dying, things are more and more accessible. We’ve empowered individuals to be aware of good design. It’s pushing designers and manufacturers. The companies won’t exist ten years from now if they’re not making unique, usable, cost effective, and innovative products. Think about it – people used to manufacture regionally, and now they do it globally. You have to be ahead of the curve because there are no geographic monopolies anymore.

Design is seen as this elite, educated, bizarre thing that’s not for everyone, but it’s the opposite. Design is the ability to create a built environment, of stuff we touch everyday, and it’s about time designers got some name recognition for what they do. They’re part engineer, in charge of marketing, distribution, sourcing materials… it’s very complex.

What’s next for you?

I don’t really have a master plan, I work from day to day on these projects. I work non-stop. It helps to have a good team and all of the digital technology we have available now.

I am very interested in the aging population, and how we can adapt design to accommodate that.  My mom is 78. I want to see how design can be used to make life better for that part of society.