Visionary Clients select EcoUrban to develop LEED Registered Modular Construction to Feature Solar & Geothermal

This week EcoUrban will break ground on the LEED for Homes registered Carlsson Residence at 6153 Pershing in Historic Skinker-Debaliviere Neighborhood.

This sustainable residential solution is being developed in partnership with Homeway Homes, Hoffman Brothers, Microgrid, Superior Walls, Mwanzi Green Building Supply and ASERusa.

Here is a hit list of the features:

- 2,176 square feet with 3 bed / 2.5 bath and first floor den/office/bedroom flex room.

- LEED for Homes Registered - Tracking Platinum designation / Preliminary HERS score of 49 with ASERusa serving as our energy modeler and LEED rater.

- 3 ton geothermal heating / cooling with (3) 200' vertical loops from Hoffmann Brothers Heating & Cooling with Aprilaire ERV and tankless hot water.

- Solar prewire conduit from Homeway Homes for easy install of Microgrid Energy's SolarWorld 250 3 kw solar off-grid power producing 3,873 kWh annually or roughly 50% of the home's power!

- Modular 2x6 construction with hybrid foam/batt R24 wall insulation / Low-E Energy Plus windows from Quaker Windows with a White TPO "cool" rubber roof constructed by Homeway Homes.

- Superior Walls precast foundation system with built-in R-12.5 insulation and ready-to-build out for future lower level space.

- Masonry, stucco and corrugated metal exterior siding for a modern look that fits into the neighborhood.

- 2-car garage / native landscaping

- Estimated completion date of 11/15/11

EcoUrban: Building Sustainable Solutions
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Great Opportunity to Learn about the State of Construction & Demolition Recycling in St. Louis

Getting tired of trips to the dumpster and landfill? Think there must be a better way to manage all the construction and demolition waste you face on job sites? Well...then you should join EcoUrban next Wednesday for a deeper look at the current situation and what can be done to increase landfill diversion and developing opportunities for profiting from construction waste.

The St. Louis Region and the Midwest are blessed with much open space, which means that it is easy to overlook where our generated residential and commercial waste ends up. Our landfill tipping fees, i.e. “the cost to dump”, are relatively low compared to other parts of the United States as a result of the abundance of landfill areas. Many consumers, businesses and contractors think nothing of throwing things “away and out of sight.” However, it is not environmentally responsible to dispose of items that could be salvaged, recycled or reused. It is also irresponsible to think of our landfill space as unlimited. One day there will not be an “away” for our waste disposal.

With support from St. Louis Jefferson Solid Waste Management, USGBC-Missouri Gateway Chapter, ReSource St. Louis and Missouri Enterprise have partnered to address the need to better understand C&D waste resources in the St. Louis area and build a business case for increasing waste reduction with the ultimate goal of reducing waste in our landfills and preserving the environment for future generations.

Join us for a free educational seminar on the State of Construction & Demolition Recycling in St. Louis.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Acquire a comprehensive background on the present “lay of the landfill” as it relates to common and existing practices for dealing with C&D end of project materials.

Identify current best alternative practices for dealing with C&D materials in the greater St. Louis area, encouraging a shift away from current dead-end strategies.

Examine the recycling needs of the building community, as they relate to LEED requirements and personal best choices.

Capture and expand upon possible business case options as they relate to LEED requirements and personal best choices.

Explore barriers to C& D recycling, dispelling the myths and offering sound metrics to encourage an embracing of recycling as opposed to dumping.

Recognize national case studies of technologies and approaches already in place elsewhere which provide significant monetary and environmental savings to communities and states.

Thanks to the Project Team who managed the focus groups and developed the C&D Toolkit and this Education Session!

Gary Steps – Butterfly Energy Works – Instructor

Jay Swoboda – EcoUrban – Instructor

Jen Loui – Butterfly Energy Works – Project Manager

WHEN


Wednesday, June 22, 2011

3:30 – 5:30 pm

WHERE

6301 Knox Industrial Drive (63139), Second Floor Assembly Room

FEE

Free!

REGISTER

Online on the AGC-St. Louis website:

http://events.agcstl.org/iMISPublic/Core/Events/eventdetails.aspx?iKey=062211GRE

South City SIPS!

Take a walk over to 4268 Hartford (intersection of Hartford and Morganford) in the Tower Grove South Neighborhood and check out the greenest residential project going in STL. EcoUrban is proud to have worked with Blue Brick Construction to envision a unique home made of Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPS). The technology pairs traditional building materials with up to 9.5 inches of foam insulation that is structurally sound and provides an the equivalent of R30 insulation value. Basically, it's the same line of thinking that allows you to hold a 180-degree cup of coffee in a foam cup that's 1/8 of inch thick without feeling the heat. The owners of 4268 will soon be enjoying some of the most efficient construction offered anywhere. Easy on the environment, and easy on the monthly bills. If you're over near Morganford Ave, stop on in and check out progress. It's a quick walk over from the Cup games you're undoubtedly enjoying at the Amsterdam Tavern. When finished, the owners will pursue a LEED Platinum rating for this home!

Pre-Regeneration Regeneration

Lots of NorthSide talk these days. Lots.

Even if you do, in fact, live under a rock in the St. Louis region, I'm willing to bet you still have an opinion about the proposed changes afoot in North St. Louis.

I've participated in, heard, and seen (online) enough discussion to realize that if ever something could be considered the definition of "lightning rod" for our region, it is this proposed development. No conversation on this matter, it seems, is complete until it has devolved into a series of cliches rehashing much of the bitterness, divisiveness, and acrimony that have marred our region's (and so many others, to be fair) cultural landscape for as long as anyone can remember.

This is good.

Not the name-calling and related bluster, but the fact that many of us are actually engaging with folks we normally wouldn't. Sure, a lot of it is online and anonymous, but a lot isn't. Many different individuals, City and County, Big Developer and grassroots rehabber, Northsider and Southsider and yes, Black and White are sitting down at the same proverbial table to discuss this. Isn't that one of the things that's supposed to make a city great?

You've heard it all before: St. Louis is full of walls. Walls between neighborhoods, wards, municipalities, high schools, races, the list goes on and on. But right now, while the discussion is undoubtedly ugly... at least it's happening. And maybe it's catharsis...

Because while I'm not sure the North Side project will succeed, I am positive it will fail unless we continue the dialogue, and continue working to ensure that all of us have a role in the regeneration.

Coming Soon: Actual EcoUrban news!

EcoUrban 2.0

Lately we've been looking into some pretty exciting green multi-family housing developments. They have the potential to be pretty transformative, but given the current economic climate it's definitely going to take continued time/hard work to get things going. We'll keep you updated as we move forward.

In the meantime, we've also been working with the very talented architects over at Ebersoldt + Underwood to reimagine our 1-story homes. What they've come up with is, IMHO, awesome.

One of our biggest challenges has been balancing forward-thinking architecture with demand (and a city) that leans towards a more traditional approach. It's a tough row to hoe, because you need to push the design while still addressing context. No one's really been able to pull it off here, and we all know brick facades with vinyl siding ain't gonna cut it.

I think E + U nailed it:

Ameren Joins the Party

Well, better late than never.

Yesterday, Ameren UE announced that it was going to offer incentives to Green Developers. While obviously benefiting commercial developers more than folks like us, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

This comes on the heels of an announcement earlier this month regarding several residential energy efficiency programs to help customers manage their energy usage.

Glad these guys are finally getting on board (I'm sure national politics has nothing to do with it). I just hope some of the other folks that got there first left them some cheese and crackers.

Next up: Ameren plans to redevelop their "website" into something that doesn't look like it was created by the Venezuelan ministry of information!

We'll keep you posted...

So What Do You Want to Do Now?

Midsummer'09. A brief lull in the action. A good time to take stock of where we are/how far we've come.


1st Round of EcoUrban Homes: sold

Lessons learned: thousands

Prime Inspiration: closed

Status of the real estate market: next question

Single-family projects in the near future: yes

Multi-family projects in the future: hopefully

Siamese Fighting Fish inherited: 2

Beards shaved: 1

Mustaches grown: 2

Possible directions in which to head: myriad.


In the coming weeks, we'll be updating this blog with more regularity. There is much to discuss, and a lot's changed since we started. We have a lot of opportunities and ideas on the table. Here's to charting a path forward with your help.


** Pictured: hitherto unreleased "retro" EcoUrban logo, circa 2005. Unreleased for obvious reasons.

Change

I've heard a lot of discussion about a tipping point with regard to how/when people will REALLY start to change their habits and embrace a total shift in the way we conduct our lives on a daily basis. The fact is, I don't think it is that simple. While I understand the desire to want to see the green movement as a revolution, in truth it is more of an evolution. Slow, deliberate change and improvement over time mark this movement towards a healthier more efficient lifestyle. We have been marching towards greener lifestyles for some time now.

That said, there will be moments of punctuated change -- a time where the process speeds up. Judging from Friday's headlines, I think we are about to enter one of those periods.

Gas Prices Rattle Americans

World Begins to Smart from Oil's Too Rapid Rise

Let the Urban Migration begin...

Greenest Day of the Year

Green means many different things to many different people. On Earth Day, it's all about the environment. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to celebrate Earth Day in Forest Park this weekend, as EcoUrban set up a table to inform/educate about our approach to green building. It was a great way to spend a sunny spring day in the park.

Talking to all kinds of folks to this end was great. More and more, I am blown away by the amount of information the average St. Louis citizen has when it comes to sustainable building. The change in the kind of questions we get the last six months has been staggering -- this town is very savvy when it comes to green and it's only getting better. Green is here to stay and I'm proud to be a part of it.

This week is a great time to think of little things you can do to green up your house and neighborhood. Every bit helps, even if it's something as simple as declining that plastic bag or reminding your local deli about recycling.

The Longest Winter

While St. Louis struggled through what seemed to be the longest winter in recorded history, EcoUrban took some time to put the finishing touches on our Magnolia Townhomes. As you can see, they feature a historic exterior and warm, inviting interior finishes.

Our parent company, Brady Capital, just sold an excellent rehab next door, and 4 new homes are slated to be built just two houses down the street from our townhomes. Things are really looking up for the Tower Grove East Neighborhood thanks in no small part to the work of Alderwoman Kacie Starr Tripplett who really helped our cause by replacing sidewalks around our townhomes.

These are available now so be sure to drop us a line if you want to live green on a great corner just a few minutes walk from South Grand.

The Lazy Environmentalist Rules

Just the other day , I was fortunate enough to be interviewed by Josh Dorfman, AKA the Lazy Environmentalist . Josh is a great guy who is fostering a pragmatic and insightful approach to green living based on the notion that in order for green to become mainstream, it has to be something regular folks can get on board with.

The Lazy Environmentalist
"No guilt-trips. Never any sacrifice. Josh introduces listeners to cutting-edge, eco-friendly products and services and features interviews with the designers, entrepreneurs and visionaries who are demonstrating how many of today's best choices are green choices."

You can check out the interview in mp3 format here:

Part I - 11 minutes

Part II - 11 minutes

Enjoy and be sure to check out Josh's show everyday on Sirius-

Jay

The Latest

News of the Platinum Certification has really helped us get the word out there, and we have been receiving a lot of interest lately - especially from other developers and investors interested in single and mulit-family green rental units.

We're currently looking into some interesting projects -- as there has been a lot going on in the green community both in STL and beyond.

Thanks also to all of you out there who have been talking us up.

I wanted to give a shout out to one of the best modern/green sites out there: Jetson Green
You have to check out this resource if you are at all interested in the modern/green movement.

Also, check out our friends over at Low Impact Living. They are doing great work and are invaluable to websurfers seeking to "go green" in their daily lives.

Last but not least, I took this as a very good harbinger: Buffet bets on prefab homes.