What comes to mind when we hear “green home”? Five years ago, it may have been straw bales and windmills. A New York City apartment would have been the furthest thing on the minds of most Americans - until now. In today's energy and resource-conscious climate, design professionals and consumers alike are learning that green housing takes many shapes and forms. The U.S. Green Building Council attempts to address each of those shapes and forms in the first national green home certification program: LEED for Homes (LEED-H), currently in pilot phase and scheduled for full rollout in early 2007.

LEED-H is structured much like the popular LEED products for commercial buildings, combining mandatory and optional credits in eight different categories. The intriguing and challenging aspect of a nationwide residential program is its flexibility to cover a broad range of housing types. While many of the projects enrolled in the program pilot are single-family homes, the USGBC and the LEED-H Multi-family Working Group are dedicated to responding to a strong interest from the multi-family housing community. Fifteen multi-family builders around the country had enrolled in the pilot by July 2006, representing more than 500 green housing units. Steven Winter Associates, Inc. (SWA) is one of several LEED-H Providers operating under the umbrella of the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation in the Northeastern states. SWA provides LEED consultation, energy modeling, and performance testing for two multi-family builders who operate in that archetype of compact development known as the Big Apple.

natural habitat

Habitat for Humanity of New York City isn't afraid of a challenge. The organization is taking on its most complex building project to date - and building it to LEED-H standards. Fortunately, Habitat-NYC has ventured down the green path before. Through past project experience, the organization has created a simple roadmap for green building, based on efficient equipment and appliances, a good building envelope, and site selection near mass transit and public services. Habitat-NYC has worked with its suppliers to transition to green building products, most notably FSC-certified wood flooring. Still, the step to green certification was significant. Executive Director Roland Lewis credits internal leadership and external expertise for Habitat's decision: “Green building fits with our mission. Our staff has embraced green building, and we've received great support from our partners.”

Project Manager Gina Buffone adds, “We saw participation in the LEED-H Pilot as a way to benefit from the USGBC's expertise as we educate ourselves about multi-family green building.”

Dattner Architects designed three four-story buildings totaling 41 units on an infill site at Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue. Though construction won't begin until winter, green features are planned for every LEED-H category. The site will feature common areas landscaped with drought-resistant plants and permeable paving. High-efficiency boilers, light fixtures, appliances, and fans will minimize utility bills. To improve building envelope performance, the architect redesigned a standard wall section detail to include an air cavity and an insulated cover for the through-wall air conditioning sleeve. The buildings will feature unitized ventilation to protect occupants from poor air quality associated with stack effect and cross-contamination -- two nearly universal hazards in multi-family buildings. ENERGY STAR fans in each unit will exhaust air to the outside through a hollow-core plank floor system, and makeup air will be introduced through carefully designed trickle vents. Habitat-NYC also plans to include a range of environmentally preferable finishes, earning them points under the category for Materials and Resources.

The project is unique among others in the LEED-H pilot because of its height. The standard follows ENERGY STAR home criteria; therefore the program is geared to buildings three stories or less. SWA modeled the Atlantic Avenue buildings using software designed for larger buildings, estimating energy savings relative to a different baseline. The outcome of Habitat-NYC's participation in the pilot will help USGBC develop solutions for adapting the LEED-H standard to the mid-rise buildings that have struggled to find their place between green houses and green skyscrapers.

expert efficiency

Blue Sea Construction Company, LLC, is among the most experienced builders of energy efficient affordable housing in New York City. “We feel that green building is the right thing to do, and it is possible at either the market rate or the affordable housing level,” says Blue Sea president Les Bluestone.

Their Melrose Commons II homes were the first affordable homes and the first three-family homes in New York State to become ENERGY STAR-certified. The builder stresses energy efficiency because utility costs have a significant impact on the financial well-being of their clientele. For Bluestone, LEED-H seemed like a natural next step toward responsible, sustainable housing.

The standard targets builders who are already achieving high levels of energy efficiency (Blue Sea has won awards for having the highest average HERS scores in the state), but who want to raise the bar in other areas like water conservation and indoor air quality. Blue Sea is currently building 28 two- and three-family homes in the Stebbins-Bristow neighborhood of the Bronx. When the project is completed this winter, families in each of the 78 units will learn what it means to live in a green home. The project shines in LEED-H category Location and Linkages, where compact development, access to public transportation, and proximity to parks, grocery stores and banks are rewarded. The project will earn points under Energy Efficiency for ENERGY STAR light fixtures and a well-sealed, well-insulated building envelope. A high-efficiency direct-vent boiler and low-VOC insulation and finishes help protect indoor air quality, while regionally manufactured brick, block, and concrete plank components earn additional credits in the Materials and Resources category.

green for the masses

Blue Sea and Habitat-NYC volunteered to undertake green building certification because they believe in building better, healthier, less wasteful and less harmful homes. But however powerful, convictions are not the sole reason builders choose to pursue green certification. Committing to standards like LEED-H can ease the way for builders and developers to secure approvals from communities and lenders. Green multi-family housing in New York City is in popular demand, as demonstrated by record sales in Battery Park City's LEED-certified high-rise residences. When the Stebbins-Bristow and Atlantic Avenue projects are completed, more than one hundred families will receive an education in green building that teaches them to expect more from their homes: LEED-H requires that each new occupant receive a detailed instruction manual and training on green aspects of the building. For believers like Habitat-NYC and Blue Sea, that chance to spread the green gospel may be the best reward of all.