GREEN Condos

[mrB]

quote:

REAL ESTATE Tulsa partners plotting chain of green condos
by Kirby Lee Davis
The Journal Record June 4, 2008

TULSA – Environmentalists have touted the advantages of wildflowers and buffalo grass for years, but usually for the lawn.

Tulsa Loft Project, led by architect Shelby Navarro and contractor Micky Payne, planted such vegetation in four inches of soil on the roof at their first "green" condominium, just a block from the Cherry Street restaurant corridor at 1411 S. Rockford in Tulsa.

That marks just a few of the sustainable products and materials employed throughout the 1,800-square-foot condo's design, helping the spec project exceed platinum status marks with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Navarro expects it to become the first Oklahoma project to win that highest level of certification.

"It is one of only 25 to 26 platinum projects in the United States," said Navarro, a partner in One Architecture of Tulsa.

Tulsa Loft Project wanted that LEED statement as validation. The Tulsa firm hopes to build a chain of environmentally friendly duplexes in the Tulsa area over the next few years, depending on how its first two sell.

"We're trying to hit several different price ranges," said Navarro. "To hit LEED platinum we did absolutely everything."

Their accomplishment didn't come cheap. Listed at $469,000, with a 402-square-foot garage and studio apartment, Navarro said the price represents about a 20-percent markup from construction costs.

"This one is so high-end, I don't think you can make many on a speculative basis," said Rachel Navarro, Shelby's wife and One Architecture's accountant.

The condo represents one-half of the duplex Tulsa Loft Project raised. Shelby Navarro said they intend to complete the interior on their second condo once it sells.

The firm will then turn its attention to five or more lots it owns.

"My goal would be to build six to eight units a year," he said.

The Rockford condos offer two bedrooms and two and a half baths, with one bath, bedroom and kitchenette in the garage studio apartment.

Payne, who goes by the name "the happy hammer," used recycled or sustainable materials throughout the structure, from its bamboo floors and 100-year-old oak steps and countertops, salvaged from an old barn, to geothermal heating and cooling, dual-flush toilets, Squak Mountain stone-like countertops made of recycled paper, tiles made of recycled glass, and a mixture of skylights, florescent and LED lighting.

While installing a sod roof cost from 50 percent to 100 percent more than conventional methods, Navarro said the living soil builds up no heat while uses the ultraviolet rays that can tear down tile and wood covers.

That not only keeps the condo's 800-square-foot roof up to 80 percent cooler, the soil reduces the "urban heat island" factors that cause microclimate changes in communities. It also provides not only an elevated garden retreat, but an environment for birds and butterflies.

"It costs a little more, but it makes the roof last three times longer," said Navarro.

The soil also helps filter rainwater, which is then recycled in the condo's 500-gallon cistern and used for washing dishes or taking showers.

Other Tulsa Loft Project condos may not employ as many environmental features, Navarro said, but they will continue to achieve significant energy savings and sustainability goals. They hope to provide future condos in the $150,000 to $200,000 price range.

"Because of the green roof, because of the publicity, we wanted everything on this one to be perfect," he said. "Micky did a great job."

To learn more

Tulsa Loft Project (tulsagreenlofts.com) will hold an open house at 1411 S. Rockford from 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Copyright © 2008 The Journal Record All Rights Reserved
101 N. Robinson Ave., Ste. 101, Oklahoma City, OK, 73102 |
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http://www.journalrecord.com/article.cfm?recid=89448

Cherry Street's northern fringe is becoming FUNKYTOWN.

[cannon_fodder]

Kudos on the effort, but I'd had several issues:

"The soil also helps filter rainwater, which is then recycled in the condo's 500-gallon cistern and used for washing dishes or taking showers."

I wouldn't want my dishes washed in runoff water.  Nor would I want to shower in runoff.  Unless it was filtered and bacteria killed somehow, I prefer my treated water.  Now use the cistern for toilets, car washing, yard/garden watering and I'm fine.

Also, what happens if/when this roof leaks?  You have to tear off the plants and the soil layer to find the leak and then try to fix it.  I'm guess that doesn't come cheap.

Again, not knocking the idea... just what my concerns would be.  Perhaps due to ignorance, but just the same.

[nannat]

Ok, going green sounds great, but for those of us who already own a condo, how do we go green without brakeing the bank in the process