New Case Studies!

New Case Studies Highlight Award-Winning Built Green Homes
Seven Built Green projects, all of which were winners in the 2005 Seattle Built Green Design Competition, are featured in a new series of case studies that demonstrate how smart technologies, eco-friendly materials, energy-efficiency and other green features combine to make a great living environment. The projects featured include single-family, multi-family and mixed-use structures, as well as a visionary community redevelopment at High Point in West Seattle.

Each case study provides an inside look at the goals and challenges experienced by the project team -- owner, builder, architect, engineer and developer -- as well as the lessons they learned from being at the cutting edge of green building. The case studies are available for viewing and download on the Seattle Green Building Program website.

Photos by Northwest Property Imaging.

Member News

Built Green member builders Martha Rose Construction, Kauri Investments, Greenleaf Construction, The Cottage Company, Bennett Homes and Quadrant Homes were all featured as part of a cover story in the Real Estate section of the Seattle Times on Sunday, March 26.

The Harding Home, a project designed by Built Green member Robert Harrison Architects Inc., was awarded AIA Home of the Month for March 2006! The AIA Home of the Month program goes back more than 50 years. It is a real honor to be selected. Congratulations!

If you are a member of Built Green and have news you would like to share with our readers, please email your announcement to Built Green.

New Members

Are you a Built Green member and a member of the Master Builders Association? Then your company is designated with a small green tree on the Master Builders Association website as a Built Green member. Your company is also listed on the Built Green website.

Welcome to our newest member companies!

Alco Electric
(253) 722-7262 in Spanaway

Alexzandra Designs Ltd.
(206) 246-4576 in Seattle

Arriva Properties LLC
(425) 415-1262 in Lynnwood

Berntson Porter & Co. CPA
(425) 454-7990 in Bellevue

Big Sky R Control
SIPs, ICFs, GeoFoam and more
(406) 388-4146 in Belgrade, MT

Custom-Bilt Metals
Premier Metal Roofing & Rain Gutter Products
(253) 872-7330 in Kent

First Horizon Construction Lending
Builders Resource Group
(425) 576-2025 in Kirkland

Frontier Builders
Olde World Quality, New World Technology
(218) 336-995 in Duluth, MN

Greg Stamolis/Windermere Real Estate
(206) 789-7700, Ext. 229 in Seattle

Hewitt Architects
(206) 624-8154 in Seattle

Insulmastic Building Products Inc.
The Latest in Becker Acroma Water Borne Finishes
(206) 431-0200 in Tukwila

JJPI Corp.
(206) 434-0990 in Redmond

JM Bogan Remodeling Inc.
Making Visions Come True Since 1977
(425) 788-2272 in Bothell

JM Construction
(425) 861-4001 in Redmond

Johns Monroe Mitsunaga PLLC
(425) 451-2812 in Bellevue

Knoll Development LLC
(206) 781-1900 in Seattle

Lorig Associates LLC
Ideas, Teams, Answers
(206) 728-7660 in Seattle

Mitchell Mechanical Inc.
Radiant Floor, Hydronic and Steam Heating
(360) 629-0110 in Stanwood

Mortgage Mentor
(360) 402-4204 in Olympia

Nelse Construction Inc.
Building Today?s Northwest Modern Home
(206) 719-2178 in Yarrow Point

North Star Meridian
Guiding You Home
(425) 822-8911 in Bellevue

Panther Construction LLC
(206) 632-0477 in Seattle

Paul Hedrick Architect AIA
(206) 440-0737 in Mountlake Terrace

PB Elemental
Design, Develop, Build
(206) 285-1464 in Seattle

Realty Executives
(425) 681-5039 in Kirkland

Real Property Associates
Sales, Marketing, Management
(206) 523-0300 in Seattle

Revisioneers Inc.
We Remove, Replace, Redo, Repair, Remodel, Refurbish and Rebuild
(206) 999-6400 in Issaquah

Saltaire Construction Co.
(206) 583-0611 in Seattle

The Schuster Group Inc.
Bettering communities, one project at a time™
(425) 562-0456 in Bellevue

Silver City Construction Inc.
(425) 290-7663 in Mukilteo

Stanton Homes LLC
(425) 827-5722 in Kirkland

Summit Development LLC
(206) 617-8080 in Seattle

Teragren LLC
Fine Bamboo Flooring, Panels & Veneer
(206) 842-9477 in Bainbridge Island

USA Land Trust Inc.
(425) 220-1499 in Edmonds

Windfall Lumber
Eco-certified & Reclaimed Wood
(360) 352-2250 in Olympia

Events

Visit the Built Green Washington website for green home building courses and events across the state of Washington.

Thursday, April 6
NBIS Business Leaders Forum
Join the Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability (NBIS) for their inaugural season of the 2005-06 Business Leaders Forum. The next event, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 6, will feature Sarah Severn, Director of Horizons, Corporate Responsibility, at Nike. Severn will speak about the leading edge of Nike’s sustainability implementation and initiatives. The cost is $20 for NBIS members; $30 for non-members (continental breakfast included). Click here to purchase tickets online. For more information, contact NBIS Co-Director Mary Rose at (425) 828-0982 or by email.

Friday, April 7
Managing the Cost of Green
Examine the cost of building green with Lisa Fay Matthiessen and Davis Langdon on Friday, April 7 from noon to 2 p.m. at Sellen Construction, which is located at 227 Westlake Avenue North in Seattle. This lecture is a part of the Buildings in Balance green building lecture series hosted by the Cascadia chapter of the US Green Building Council. Registration includes lunch, and the pre-registration cost is $15, or $25 at the door. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Further details and registration information is available here.

Monday, April 10
Building an Environmental Ethic
Join city of Seattle representatives at this lecture with Ray Cole, which is a part of their 2006 Urban Sustainability Forum, on Monday, April 10 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Seattle Central Library Auditorium, which is located at 1000 Fourth Avenue in Seattle. This series features nationally and internationally recognized leaders speaking on ways we can transform Seattle into a 21st century city that is climate-neutral, pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented, community-focused, and sustainably designed.

Ray Cole is a Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of British Columbia, Canada. His presentation will explore user expectation and acceptance of innovative environmental systems, the role of buildings in nurturing an environmental ethic, and the ways that building environmental assessment methods are transforming the culture of building practice. This event is free of charge and no registration is required.

Tuesday, April 11
GREENWORLD® 06
Join the IIDA Northern Pacific Chapter at their annual conference and expo, GREENWORLD 06: Possibilities Destined for Change, from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11 at Benaroya Hall, which is located at 200 University St. in Seattle. The keynote speaker is environmental activist and lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He will present his speech "Our Environmental Destiny" in which he will discuss the important role that our natural surroundings play in our work, our health, the built environment and our identity. For more information and registration fees, see the AIA Seattle website.

Thusday & Friday, April 13 & 14
2006 What Makes it GREEN™ Conference
The AIA Seattle Committee on the Environment/COTE welcomes all design professionals to the 2006 What Makes It GREEN™ Sustainable Community Design Conference, highlighting community resources that promote sustainable living. The conference will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 13, at Urban Visions in Seattle. A site tour will take place on Friday, April 14 from noon to 2 p.m. Exhibits and discussion will showcase the work of developers, planners, and designers to incorporate sustainable strategies in their work, highlighting local projects and their positive long-term impacts on our communities. For more information and registration fees, see the AIA Seattle website.

Sunday, May 7 through Saturday, May 13
Sweden-Denmark Urban Sustainability Study Tour
International Sustainable Solutions has organized another Sweden-Denmark Urban Sustainability Study Tour for you to study and travel with a select group of Northwest urban professionals, including Seattle City Council member Rich Conlin and Jeanette Henderson, Director of Real Estate for the University of Washington. Travel to Scandinavia to learn first-hand about best practices in urban sustainability.

Topics will include stormwater management, transportation/mobility, high performance buildings, greenroofs, creating vibrant public and private spaces, urban planning, and energy. More than 100 of the Northwest's leading developers, architects, engineers, public officials and others have already joined us on previous study tours to experience what other cities have done to create highly livable, economically vibrant urban environments. For more information please contact Patricia Chase by email, or visit the ISS website.

Puget Sound Energy

Good news for builders and residential customers within PSE's electric service area: PSE is now offering a $50 rebate on Energy Star® qualified clothes washers with a modified energy factor (MEF) of 1.8 or higher. PSE's new rebate has increased from $35 in years past.

Energy Star-qualified clothes washers use 40 percent less water, 50 percent less energy ? saving up to $75 per year on utility bills, and are at least 50 percent more efficient than minimum federal standards.

Other new construction rebates available to builders include Energy Star-qualified natural gas furnaces, high-efficiency natural gas water heaters, Energy Star-qualified dishwashers, Energy Star-qualified light fixtures and bulbs and Energy Star-certified homes.

For more information on PSE's clothes washer rebate or builder rebates, contact Nora Accetturo at (425) 456-2301 or by email.

Earth Day

Earth Day is April 22
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 20 million people across the United States celebrated the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Now, 35 years later, Earth Day is celebrated around the globe. What started as a day of national environmental recognition has now evolved into a worldwide campaign to protect the global environment.

If you would like to get outside and do some hands on work in your local environment there are many activities in need of volunteers planned for the day, such as "Duwamish Alive!" a fun and coordinated cleanup of Seattle's "hometown river" with People for Puget Sound. For other ideas you can check out the Seattle Parks and Recreation website or the Earth Day Network. Have fun! Happy Earth Day!

BG Home at Suncadia

The Built Green Home at Suncadia has a new website! Check it out.

Recycled Paint

Recycled Paint
The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) estimates that 34 million gallons of leftover consumer paint are generated annually in the United States. PSI is working with state and local governments, manufacturers, retailers, paint recyclers, paint contractors and environmental/consumer advocates to develop leftover paint management solutions that are both financially and environmentally sustainable. Recycled paint is one such solution.

Several large paint manufacturers are currently producing recycled content paint and, with PSI, are working with other manufacturers, recyclers, and government officials to increase the market. The company's goal is to reduce the environmental impacts of managing the ever-increasing volume of leftover paint.

Recycled paints are screened and filtered, and manufacturers guarantee product performance. Using recycled-content latex paint can earn you points on the Built Green checklist, as well as potentially save you as much as 60 percent on material costs.

Check it out! For more information on paint recyclers in the Northwest visit the websites of Portland Metro Paint or Kelly-Moore E-Coat. For more information on PSI's Paint Project, visit their website .

Classes

Classes listed below are approved workshops for fulfilling the annual Built Green education requirement for certifying projects.

Visit the Built Green Washington website for green home building courses and events across the state of Washington.

Friday, May 5, Bellevue
The Systems Engineering Approach to Homebuilding
Want to stand out in the crowded homebuilders market? Learn how to build homes that are 30 to 50 percent more energy efficient at little or no increase in cost to you! Topics include key strategies for designing and constructing energy efficient homes, and choosing optimal ductwork, windows, insulation and heating/cooling equipment. This course will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Friday, May 5, at the MBA Housing Center in Bellevue. The cost of the course is $50 for MBA members of the MBA and $75 for non-members. To register, contact the MBA University registrar via email or at (425) 460-8208.

Friday, May 5, Bellevue
Advanced Framing
This class is all about doing more with less: learning how to build a structurally sound home with lower material and labor costs. This course covers problems with current standard practices; the five phases of successful implementation; a variety of efficient framing techniques; and challenges to successful project completion. This course will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, May 5 at the MBA Housing Center in Bellevue. The cost of the course is $50 for MBA members of the MBA and $75 for non-members. To register, contact the MBA University registrar via email or at (425) 460-8208.

Tuesday, May 16, Bellevue
Introduction to Built Green™
This free seminar provides an introduction to the Built Green™ program from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 16, at the MBA Housing Center in Bellevue. Learn how to certify a project and use the checklist, how to join, how the program works, and other resources. The seminar presents examples of projects and covers how to fill out the Built Green checklist. This orientation is required in order to certify homes as Built Green. To register, contact the MBA University registrar via email or at (425) 460-8208.

Built Green Awards

Built Green Pioneer and 2005 Hammer Awards Presented
Built Green recently recognized those companies, organizations, and individuals who have demonstrated outstanding participation in the Built Green program over the last few years and in 2005 alone, by awarding the Built Green Pioneer and Hammer awards on March 16.

The Built Green Pioneer Awards recognize the vital participants who have helped build the Built Green program. These award recipients believed that a proactive collaborative program to promote sustainability in residential building was important and helped to make it happen. Without each of these pioneers, the Built Green program would not be the successful and respected program it is today.

Built Green Pioneer awards were designed and made by Stephen Hirt, a local Seattle glass and stone artist.

Award winners:

Brett Bolton
Brian Cloward
Diane Glenn
Donna Shirey
Gail Twelves
Joe Coakley
Jon Alexander
Kathleen O'Brien
Katie Spataro
Patti Southard
Peter Orser
Robin Rogers
Sego Jackson
Theresa Koppang

The 2005 recipients of the Built Green Hammer Awards are Built Green members who are helping re-define the status-quo in building practices and are leading the residential green building movement in the Northwest. For a full list of criteria for the Built Green Hammer awards click here.

Built Green Hammer Awards were designed and made by Tung Bui, artist of the Fräbel Studio.

Award winners:

Builder, Large Production:
Bennett Homes

Builder, Large Production:
Centex Homes

Builder, Small Production:
Greenleaf Construction

Builder, Custom or Small Speculative:
Martha Rose Construction

Large Multi-Family:
Stickney Murphy Romine Architects

Builder, Small Multi-Family:
Wild Radish LLC

Developer, Large Community:
Port Blakely Communities

Builder, Remodel:
Natural Building Solutions

Built Green Advocate (Private sector):
Mithun

Built Green Advocate (Public sector):
King County

Resources

Find FSC Lumber
Seattle Audubon Society has launched a new website and marketing campaign to connect environmentally concerned builders, designers, and consumers to Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certified retailers in western Washington. Seattle Audubon will promote any certified western Washington retailer of any scale on the site, so long as they have committed to consistently stocking FSC products. Click here to learn about FSC wood and where you can find it in Seattle.

For more information about becoming listed, please contact Alex Morgan, Conservation Program Director, at (206) 985-6581 or by email.

Letter from the Director

For many, March 16 came and went as any other day, without much fanfare. Those who attended the 2006 Built Green Conference that day had the opportunity to hear nationally renowned speakers, network with their peers, and see a host of new green building products and services available on the market. For Built Green the 2006 Conference was a landmark event that reaffirmed the Pacific Northwest's leadership in the residential green building movement, and acted as a bell-weather for the burgeoning nationwide emergence of green building into the mainstream.

A recent NAHB-McGraw Hill study showed that green building had reached a "tipping point". In a nationwide survey of builders, more than 50 percent of builders self-reported as incorporating green practices and products into their building projects. This indicates a dramatic shift in the numbers of builders wanting to affiliate themselves with the green building movement. Formerly a niche, green building is now well on its way to becoming the standard.

This shift was evident at the Built Green conference, where we had more than 500 attendees -- double the previous high. With her keynote address, author and architect Sarah Susanka knocked the socks off a packed house discussing the importance of right-sizing housing to help foster a feeling of home. Plenary speaker David Johnston reminded us that we face real worldwide environmental problems, like climate change and the depletion of fossil fuels, and that we in the building community have a responsibility to help solve these problems.

Attendees also had plenty of time to explore the products and services expo, and establish connections with other industry professionals, as well attend a host of educational sessions in the afternoon. Initial reports are that the event was a resounding success, and was valuable to all who attended.

The site, speakers, awards program, educational sessions and expo, combined with the outstanding attendance, created an energy and excitement that was contagious. The success of the 2006 conference portends a landmark year for Built Green, and establishes momentum that will foster the continued growth of the movement.

Aaron Adelstein, Built Green Director

SDTF

Brown Bag Lunch Lecture
Join us for lunch and learning on Wednesday, April 5, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Everett Public Library, which is located at 2702 Hoyt Avenue in Everett. Our speaker will be Michael Shuman, Vice President of Enterprise Development for the Training & Development Corporation. Michael will lay out the rationale for economic systems rooted in local ownership, self-reliance, sustainability and justice. He will provide practical examples of cutting-edge proposals in local planning, entrepreneurship training, investing and purchasing. He will also offer strategies for going local, including private initiative and how to form your own "community corporation." For more information on this event, please call Chris Fate at (425) 783-8274 or visit the Sustainable Development Taskforce website.

Snohomish County

Greetings from Snohomish County!
April is an exciting month with a few events planned that should stimulate discussion about green building (see the Sustainable Development Taskforce event above) as well as more behind the scenes developments to support the growth of green building in Snohomish County.

The Sustainable Development Taskforce is moving forward with the Green Building Grant received from the Department of Ecology and have hired a grant coordinator known to many Built Green News readers, Carol O'Dahl. We also welcome marketing guru, Gail Twelves. With the assistance of these outstanding members of the Built Green community, we will work on Snohomish County specific green building materials, home tours, and workshops. We will also be partnering with them to bring the 2007 Built Green Conference & Expo to Snohomish County.

In other news, the Planning Development Services is bringing an ordinance forward to the Planning Commission to adopt the 2005 Low Impact Development Technical Guidance Manual for building site design. We will keep readers posted on this as it develops.

Deanna Carveth
Snohomish County Solid Waste Management Division

Contact Built Green

Master Builders Association
335 - 116th Avenue SE
Bellevue, WA 98004
P: (425) 460-8238
F: (425) 646-5985
builtgreen@mbaks.com
www.builtgreen.net

Master Builders Association Calendar of Events

If you have news items for this newsletter, please send us an email. Click here for Directions to the Master Builders Association.