Michael Rath, Managing Partner of Trilogy Partners, has been named by the Breckenridge Town Council to the post of Planning Commissioner. Michael joins 6 other Planning Commissioners who lead the Breckenridge Department of Community Development. Michael’s term runs through 2014. “I’m honored to have been selected,” said Michael. “And I look forward with great anticipation to having a role in the planning and development decisions that will shape the future of this really wonderful town. Breckenridge is poised to become a mountain leader in the evolution of sustainable design and development and I am especially happy to bring passion and experience to assist the town in meeting its green objectives.”

The green building and remodeling industry is bigger than ever these days, and homeowners are starting to see that there are actually financial benefits to “going green.” Obviously it would be great if we all chose the most environmentally-friendly options for the sake of our planet, but the money-saving properties of green design are also a powerful incentive. One extremely easy way to create a more sustainable home is to choose energy efficient lighting. You’ll not only be helping the earth, but also saving money on your power bills! Take a look at a couple of tips to help you get started, from Green Home Guide.

• LEDs are one of the best choices on the market due to their energy efficiency, longevity, low heat output, and small size. However, you’ll want to make sure you choose LEDs that have a color rendering index of at least 80 and a color temperature of 2700K to 3000K (K=kelvins), in order to get a more pleasant quality of light. LEDs above 4000 kelvins give off an extremely cool light.
• The most energy efficient option right now is fluorescent lighting. This form of lighting has progressed a lot in recent years, and is now available in warmer, more flattering choices. Make sure to choose bulbs with a color rendering index of 80+ and a color temperature of 3000K or less.

At Trilogy Partners, we specialize in high-end, sustainable custom home design. Contact our Breckinridge, Colorado based firm today to get started creating your sustainable home!

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The U.S. Forest Service has given its preliminary approval to an expansion of ski operations onto Peak 6 at Breckenridge Resort.

A map depicting Breckenridge Ski Resort’s proposed expansion onto neighboring Peak 6.

In an Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) released last week Scott Fitzwilliams, forest supervisor of the White River National Forest, gave his nod to the resort’s proposed expansion onto Peak 6 that will involve a base-to-summit high-speed six pack chairlift to serve 280 acres of above-treeline terrain, 100 acres of hike-to terrain and 70 acres of cleared ski trails. A mid-mountain restaurant is proposed after resort officials backed off of earlier plans to build a base area at Peak 6, which would be the Colorado resort’s fifth lift-accessed mountain.

Fitzwilliams indicated that he approved the plan because it will accommodate increasing visitation to the Colorado resort and reduce congestion.

Ski resort officials assert that the expansion is needed to add high alpine bowl skiing for intermediates and to ensure the continued viability of the ski area. Opponents say that the expansion will disrupt wildlife and affect the area’s natural resources. The Forest Service is expected to render its decision sometime after the 45-day public comment period following last week’s release of the DEIS.

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Habitat loss doesn’t just affect rainforest dwellers, says Paul Miles. New builds and carbon reducing measures have been tough on the species that share our homes. Here’s how to bring them back

Nothing says summer like sitting outside, watching swifts soaring overhead. Yet these birds, like other building-dependent species such as house martins, swallows, barn owls and bats, are in decline. A major factor in their decline is loss of habitat. As tumbledown barns are converted into desirable homes for humans, barn owls and other birds lose theirs. Newly built homes are airtight with no nooks and crannies, which is good news for reducing carbon emissions but bad news for animals such as bats that rely on such spaces.

Habitat loss is the main threat to global biodiversity and despite much of the debate focusing on rainforests, building sites are equally important. 2011 marks the beginning of the UN’s Decade on Biodiversity, with world leaders being exhorted to slow the mass extinction of species being wrought by 21st century civilisation. In Britain, some bat species have declined by as much as 95 per cent and birds have fared similarly badly. Edward Mayer of Swift Conservation (www.swift-conservation.org) says that recent ‘progress’ in Europe has harmed the birds. ‘Grants for the renovation of the EU countries’ historic towns have led to the wholesale removal of swift (and bat) breeding sites as an unforeseen consequence,’ he says.
Britain’s most common bat, the Pipistrelle, only requires a 15mm by 20mm space through which to enter and roost in a cavity. Once roosting, they, like all British bat species, are protected by law. Professor Brian Edwards, of the Royal Institute of British Architects’(RIBA) Sustainable Futures Group says that, in Britain, the laws, that were amended and renamed last year, have ‘considerable teeth.’

‘Known as the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010, they place nature conservation squarely within the planning system,’ says Edwards, holder of a PhD in architecture from Glasgow University. ‘The regulations introduce new offences which could inadvertently be committed by architects engaged in restoration projects. A key area here is the protection of bats and bat roosts even if they are not occupied. The new legislation is wide ranging and, besides roof work, architects should be aware that old trees often harbour bats.’ Edwards advises that anyone thinking of restoring or altering old buildings should seek advice from groups such as the Bat Conservation Trust, consult with their local planning authority and consider commissioning their own bat survey.

Understandably perhaps, some homeowners become frustrated that even minor evidence of bats or nesting birds can upset plans, costing time and money. However, if like many nature lovers, you like the thought of sharing your home with other species and by doing so, encouraging biodiversity, there are several ways to do this. German company,Schwegler Natur, manufactures a range of hollow bricks designed as bat roosts and bird nests. In a variety of forms suitable for various species, with interiors designed for the animals’ comfort – think textured walls and open-plan living areas with hanging space to suit all sizes – the prefab roosts and nests can be built into walls or roofs to encourage bats (there are 1,000 species worldwide of which 17 are in the UK) and birds to make their homes with you.

‘The idea is that from inside the house, you wouldn’t know that you share your home with other animals,’ says Dr Carol Williams, author of a book launched last year, Biodiversity for Low and Zero Carbon Buildings. The book, published by RIBA, contains detailed architectural plans showing how feathered friends such as peregrine falcons, barn owls, swifts and swallows plus bats can be accommodated comfortably in modern homes without impinging on human residents. ‘These species have evolved to live with humans,’ says Williams. ‘Now, because of the real need to lower the carbon footprint of buildings, we risk endangering biodiversity by concentrating on reducing emissions. If we do everything for nature except make a home for wildlife, we’re not helping.’ As well as the visual pleasure, wildlife can have a positive impact on our homes. Owls control rodents while peregrine falcons feed on feral pigeons. Bats, house martins and swifts meanwhile, all eat many thousands of insects a day, many of them pests such as aphids and midges. And Williams isn’t just talk either. She asked her builders to make holes in the new fascia and soffits she had fitted to her Cornwall home, in the hope that bats would roost there. They did.

Another way to enhance biodiversity is in the garden. Planting native species provides habitats for native wildlife. In Cumbria, Caroline Langham, owner of Cote How B&B is planting rare touch-me-not balsam as it’s the habitat of the even rarer netted carpet moth. Non-native trees have been replaced with oak and beech, to encourage red squirrels. If you don’t have a garden, you can always plant on your walls or roof. Living walls and roofs have become increasingly common in mainstream architecture and Britain now has the largest living wall in Europe at, of all places, a shopping centre – Westfield in London. As well as providing habitats for insects and birds, living walls and roofs insulate buildings and reduce noise. In an era of climate change and fast urban lifestyles, we need more of them in our cities, says horticulturalist and broadcaster, Professor Chris Baines. ‘Every extra living green surface will help to moderate the urban heat island effect, slow down the rate of rainwater runoff and help to lift the spirits,’ he says. ‘Softer, cooler, greener should be the environmental aim for every built community.’

This holistic approach that bears in mind not just the construction of our habitats but also that of other species, is only just emerging from the ‘alternative’ world and entering the mainstream. ‘It’s unusual for architects, ecologists and engineers to work together to create a built environment that takes biodiversity and ecosystem services into account,’ says Blanche Cameron, joint organiser of a new annual competition for projects that do so. The first Integrated Habitats Design Competition, last year, supported by the government body, Natural England, attracted 40 entries from architectural practices, ecologists and engineers in six countries. The winner, with a plan for converting a disused railway depot into student accommodation, including bat roosts, bird nesting, living roofs, solar panels and more, was a first year architecture student from Liverpool University. ‘The enthusiasm shown by new architects and students is overwhelming,’ says Cameron. In the US, theInternational Living Building Institute, a new NGO formed in 2009, is expanding and complementing existing requirements for certified green buildings, such as those established by the US Green Building Council, to include measurements of species and habitat conservation in order to promote ‘greater ecological benefit.’

One established architect who is already building green properties with such added benefits is Justin Bere (www.bere.co.uk). His new self-designed London home has a living roof of hawthorn and hazel, planted in soil up to 45cm deep, and a wildflower meadow. There is a beehive and bat roosting and bird nesting boxes built into walls as well as all the ‘low carbon’ features that owners of a ‘green home’ would more usually expect, such as solar panels for hot water and electricity.
‘If we put a building over nature we have an obligation to put nature back on top,’ says Bere, talking of his amazingly colourful rooftop flowers and hazel coppice that are all far more diverse than a roof planted with more usual sedums. ‘It doesn’t cost a lot but we can’t live without nature and we don’t have any right to try and do so.’ He has created a space where house sparrows flock to eat aphids on common vetch flowers on his rooftop meadow. ‘I love watching everything – the change of seasons and the wildlife.’ It must all be a welcome sensory feast for his human neighbours too. Previously the site, encircled by tall terraced houses, was home to a sausage factory. London’s feral foxes probably miss that.

Source: Theecologist.org

Certified Green homes sell for more

Portland-area homes with green credentials command prices an average 30 percent higher than their non-certified counterparts, even while the overall market share of certified green homes in the region took a slight dip, according to new data.

Earth Advantage Institute, a nonprofit green building organization, announced Wednesday the results of its annual certified home analysis for the Portland metro region for the year May 1, 2010 through April 30, 2011 based on Portland Regional Multiple Listing Service data.

The report found that better sales prices were nabbed by both new homes and existing homes with certification of sustainability measures such as energy efficiency and green building materials. The certifications included in the report were either from Earth Advantage, the federal governments Energy Star program and LEED home designations from the U.S. Green Building Council.

In Multnomah County, existing homes with green certification received a whopping premium of 61 percent over the average price of non-certified homes. In Clackamas County, green-certified new homes fetched an average price premium of 23 percent.

“People are willing to pay more for green-certified homes,” said Dakota Gale, sustainable finance program manager, Earth Advantage Institute.

Gale added that the process of certification for new homes is relatively simple. “It’s pretty low-hanging fruit,” he said. “We hold a builders hand all the way through the process.”

Oddly, new homes in Clark County, Wash., with green certification sold for 14 percent less than their non-certified counterparts, the only such anomaly in the analysis.

The overall share of the housing market for green-certified homes dipped slightly in the metro area in the last year, dropping from 19.8 percent of the overall market to 18.2 percent. Green homes were steadily gaining market share each year in recent reports.

“Why? My guess it was a first-time home-buyer market last year and many starter homes aren’t built to green standards,” Gale said.

The report includes Multnomah, Clackamas, Columbia, Washington and Yamhill Counties in Oregon and Clark County in Washington. Full data is available from Earth Advantage.

Source: Sustainable Business Oregon

@SustainableBzOR | christinawilliams@bizjournals.com | 503.219.3438

Are you waiting with bated breath for July 15^th, when the seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter movies, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”, comes out in theaters? If you answered YES, you’ll want to continue reading our post.  We recently came across a great piece in Architectural Digest about the set design for the latest film. AD takes fans inside the mind of Academy Award–winning production designer Stuart Craig and gives glimpses into the brilliant scenery that will be lighting up the screen for the final Harry Potter movie.

Architectural Digest. Photo: Jaap Buitendijk

Architectural Digest. Photo: Jaap Buitendijk

Architectural Digest. Photo: Jaap Buitendijk

Architectural Digest. Photo: Jaap Buitendijk

Craig tells AD that “I love architecture, and I regard myself as a kind of architect—an architect that works in plywood, but nothing more substantial than that. We try to get the detail absolutely right. In a building as complex as Hogwarts, however, the mix of periods is absolutely permissible. We used the great Gothic cathedrals as locations in the early days. They date from the 12th to the 16th centuries. Even 19th-century Victorian Gothic elements were added. So there was no constraint in being true to architectural detail and respecting the history and form of it.”

The Switzerland Alpine Club and the ETH possess cooperated within designing a modern as well as sustainable mountain hut. It makes sense a distinctive hut design, plus, the actual 90% of energy self-sufficiency. Yes, the actual hut is strengthening itself using the solar energy which abundantly available on Monte Rosa. The hut will be referred to as an “exceptionally innovative architectural point of view” as well as take up a place of two,883 meters up within the Swiss Alps, looking over the actual perfect landscapes, the actual awe-inspiring glaciers regarding Gorner of Grenz, and also the Matterhorn. Indeed, the mountain hut is expected to give a new idea within high-altitude construction. The actual hut had been started to build in the summer of 2008 through anchoring the actual hut’s steel fundamentals within partly cranked rock. The actual fakeness itself is ultra-modern, like shards regarding stone very increasing from amongst the compacted snow. Interior walls as well as ceilings tend to be regarding wooden in this four-level structure.

Aspen’s chief building official Stephen Kanipe recently spent a week in Dallas helping to craft a new green construction code for commercial buildings.

Kanipe sat on a panel of 12 that reviewed upwards of 1,400 changes to the first draft of the International Green Construction Code. The hearings took place May 14-21 in Dallas. Kanipe has been working with the International Code Council on green building codes for about two years.

The hearings were characterized by 13-hour days where proponents or opponents of changes to every section of the code that was up for review could make their arguments. The hall at the Sheraton Hotel also was packed with lobbyists from the construction industry and manufacturers, Kanipe said. At the end of the week, the committee had produced a new section of its commercial building code that will be up for final adoption at a meeting in Phoenix later this fall.

“The committee does the best it can to determine if the changes are awkward or forward the intent and purpose” of the green building code, Kanipe said, adding that various groups — be they builders, administrators or materials suppliers — have differing opinions on the changes.

The International Green Construction code would be applied to all buildings — except duplexes and single-family homes — in jurisdictions that adopt it. It is intended to manage how energy is delivered to a site, how a building uses water and how it’s situated toward the sun, among other elements, Kanipe said.

The International Code Committee paid for the trip, although Kanipe spent many hours of his time at work preparing for the meeting, he said. City officials granted him authority to do so because they feel it’s important for Aspen to stake out a leadership position on green building issues, Kanipe said. At the conference, he joined colleagues from building departments in Austin and Seattle, among other green conscious cities.

Source: AspenDailyNews.com