Greenbuild 2006 post-show report

Over 13,000 attendees traveled to Denver in November for the U.S. Green Building Council's Greenbuild 2006. The conference and trade show provided a setting for continued education about sustainability and green building techniques. Veterans and newcomers alike were energized from the start with an opening plenary by William McDonough of William McDonough + Partners, author of Cradle to Cradle. He discussed strategies for renewing our understanding of the city as well as developing new standards and relationships with the urban environment in order to improve the lives of its citizens. Urban growth, coastal development and human and environmental health were topics explored with the audience.

Inspired and energized, attendees moved forward for four days of informational sessions, enlightening tours and, on the show floor, over 700 products, services and resources to support their path to sustainability. Program categories focused on architecture and design, building engineering, government initiatives, construction, green operations, the business of green building, sustainable sites, new research and education, as well as real estate, insurance and finance.

Those focused on multi-family housing had the opportunity to attend "Getting it Right: Lessons from Green Multi-family Developments." The session offered a discussion of cohousing success stories followed by lessons in green building management and maintenance.

Insight into the success of cohousing projects was led by Kara Strong of Sustainable Design Consulting, . Cohousing is a residential concept that combines private home ownership with shared community resources. Unit sizes are reduced and extensive community facilities, a "Common House," are incorporated as shared spaces. A large kitchen and dining area provides an optional space for shared meals and meetings and provides spaces for guestrooms, office work, children's play, exercise etc. The common space helps to minimize waste and encourage community activities and shared resources. Residents are active participants in the community with involvement in the design process as well as property management. Environmentally focused, the residents come together to create a supportive community.

Cambridge Cohousing in Cambridge, MA, Takoma Village in Washington D.C. and Eastern Village in Silver Spring, MD were projects examined. Eastern Village represents the first cohousing project to be LEED certified. It received USGBC LEED Silver-level certification (LEED-NC, v2.1 Silver) and was also selected as the National Association of Home Builders' 'Green Project of the Year' for 2005 and Environmental Design + Construction's '2005 Excellence in Design Award Winner'. This project was an adaptive re-use of a 1950's office building that was abandoned and now offers 56 condominium units. A ground-source heat pump, extensive green roof system and energy star appliances are additional features of this project.

Strong offered results from Post Occupancy Evaluations as well as insight into project decisions that might be cause for reconsideration in future projects. She recommended properly researching the materials and suppliers to insure the quality you are receiving. Bamboo floors were cited as one such material. Bamboo reaches full height at three years but full strength at seven years, so knowing the suppliers and the quality of the product will prevent regrets when products are not wearing well in the installation. While fluorescent lights are a great resource, aesthetics can play a role in the satisfaction of this product and unappealing fixtures that over light the space were criticized in her evaluation process. Energy Star appliances were well received while programmable thermostats were questionable due to owner operation difficulties. Strong continues to conduct surveys to gather results but finds that 99 percent of those surveyed would recommend green building construction to anyone looking for a new home.