Hamilton Urban Partners: 4-Star Sylvan Court Expansion

Vital Stats	Section	Points
Location: Seattle Star Level: 4-Star Checklist: 2017 Multifamily Checklist Verifier: Evergreen Certified	Site and Water	180
	Energy Efficiency	75
	Health and Indoor Air Quality	107
	Material Efficiency	61
	Total Score	437

According to the Carbon Leadership Forum’s Carbon Avoided Retrofit Estimator’s (CARE) website, “Renovating an existing structure typically has a much lower carbon footprint than building a new one because it reuses most of the carbon intensive parts of the building—the foundation, structure and building envelope.” Sylvan Court, which was originally constructed in 1964, recently underwent a renovation to upgrade the existing building instead of tearing it down; and also constructed a new building on the property’s former parking lot, doubling the amount of rentable housing units. While the original building doesn’t earn points on the new building’s checklist, their strategy was a great approach to minimizing their carbon impact, reduce waste, while still promoting urban density by constructing more units on the same lot.

The new building, a 20-unit apartment building, obtained a Built Green 4-Star certification on the 2017 multifamily checklist. The building was able to do so by claiming a variety of points throughout the checklist. Some of the highlight features utilized in the Built Green checklist to get the points were using drought-tolerant and native vegetation and low-flow plumbing fixtures to minimize the amount of water used on the property; BIBS insulation and a lower blower door score to keep energy costs down; low VOC paints, finishes, and interior products with indoor air-quality certifications to keeps tenants safe and healthy; and utilizing local and durable material to keep the building standing for a long time to come.

In addition to the variety of green features utilized by the construction team, the building offers bike storage with a repair station to incentivize tenants to ride their bikes or walk. The building is located within of the urban village zone and has a walkability score of 91. This in itself will help encourage more healthy living while reducing the need for a car.

Hamilton Urban Partners: 4-Star Sylvan Court Expansion exterior

Hamilton Urban Partners: 4-Star Sylvan Court Expansion loft ladder

Hamilton Urban Partners: 4-Star Sylvan Court Expansion interior

Built Green Highlights

Site and Water

Greyfield Lot
90%+ permeable hardscaping
Energy Star qualified TPO roof
Drought-tolerant landscaping
Low-flow EPA WaterSense plumbing fixtures

Energy Efficiency

Blown-in blanket insulation in exterior walls
0.25cfm/ft² @ 75Pa blower door score
Water and electricity sub-metering
All lighting LED and/or Energy Star
Energy Star appliances in all units

Health and Indoor Air Quality

Low VOC paints, adhesives, finishes
Pre-finished LVP flooring in units
CRI Green Label plus carpet tiles in hallways
Rainscreen installed under siding
Sill pans with back dams at doors and windows

Materials Efficiency

Abundance of locally products items used
Extensive engineered lumber
Insulation with 40% recycled content used
Declare, Living Building Challenge, Cradle-to-Cradle materials used

Hamilton Urban Partners: 4-Star Sylvan Court Expansion courtyard

Hamilton Urban Partners: 4-Star Sylvan Court Expansion laundry room

Built Green has seen a lot of success, but our numbers are not evenly spread across the Puget Sound area. This year, we’ve seen the most enrollments in Seattle and in Shoreline. In recent years, we’ve seen big numbers and high market shares in Kirkland and Issaquah. Why these areas? The short answer is: incentives.

Grow Community, photo courtesy PHC Construction

Shift Zero Zero Net Carbon Policy Toolkit

Shift Zero steps to zero net carbon: 1) Maximize energy efficiency, 2) on-site renewable energy, 3) off-site renewable energy

All four of these cities offer builders who achieve Built Green® certification something in return—expedited permitting, a density bonus, parking reductions, and fee reductions are just a few examples. Some of them require a certain level of green building in exchange for new or upzoned development areas.

Incentives are a proven way to increase the amount of green building. However, they will only be effective if they are tailored to match the local context. Incentives that work in an urban area may not work in a rural community. Figuring out the best way to kickstart green building in a particular area can take a lot of research.

In comes Shift Zero! Built Green is a member organization of this zero net carbon building alliance and helped craft the new Zero Net Carbon Policy Toolkit, a resource to help municipalities place building performance ambition front-and-center in their policymaking. The toolkit provides tiers of certifications leading to highly energy efficient or zero net carbon buildings, guidance on which types of incentives are effective in a given context, and draft legislation that can be amended locally.

We hope that our public partners will utilize this toolkit to craft new and improved green building incentives in their areas and that our members will promote it to local jurisdictions. Built Green is a win/win for green builders and local communities and effective incentives are a great way to increase the number of green buildings.

Photos courtesy PHC Construction and Shift Zero

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Built Green™

09/29/2021

Built Green Project of the Year: Crown Hill DADU

Small in size but high in quality, this net-positive DADU is a recent winner of a 2021 Dept of Energy Housing Innovation Award, as well as the 2021 Built Green Hammer Project of the Year Award. Constructed for future generations of the homeowner’s family, this 500 SF home will provide a comfortable, efficient dwelling for many years to come.

Vital Stats	Section	Points
Location: Seattle Star Level: 5-Star, Net Zero Energy Label Checklist: 2018 Single Family/Townhome Verifier: Evergreen Certified	Site and Water	132
	Energy Efficiency	230
	Health and Indoor Air Quality	150
	Material Efficiency	106
	Total Score	731

Built in place of an existing garage, the concrete slab was saved and reinforced for the new 2-story structure. Targa Homes was able to use an almost entirely FSC-certified framing package; wood harvested from the highest level of responsibly managed forests. The living unit is substantially airtight using a high-grade housewrap with taped seams as well as AeroBarrier air sealing process. Blower door testing showed the home to be under passive house (PHIUS) required air tightness of 0.05 CFM/SF of envelope. Triple pane windows and blown-in fiberglass insulation complete the above-code envelope.

Targa used a unique combined heating/cooling and ventilation device in this home called the Minotair Pentacare V12. This advanced machine brings in fresh air and exhausts stale air, much like an HRV/ERV, but with an internal heat pump it also heats and cools the living space. Appropriate for smaller, low load homes like this, it’s the only HVAC equipment needed. The Pentacare also features HEPA filtration. Airtight homes paired with fresh filtered outdoor air result in superior indoor air quality which is a focus for Targa Homes.

Targa Homes 5-Star Seattle DADU outdoor stairs

Targa Homes 5-Star Seattle DADU Minotair Pentacare V12 unit

With an optimally pitched, unshaded South-facing roof, Targa was able to convince the homeowner to invest in a 5.85 kW solar PV array. Modeling and HERS rating by Evergreen Certified showed that this would be net-positive energy home, providing more than the total power needs for the all-electric home on an annual basis. That extra power is allowed by Seattle City Light to be put toward the main homes usage or can charge the new EV that the owners bought after construction was complete.

Interior finishes were chosen with an emphasis on sustainability and indoor air quality. Comfortable cork flooring runs throughout the home and sustainably manufactured Paperstone countertops were chosen for the kitchen. All paint and coatings are low or zero VOC.

Targa meticulously source-separates construction waste for recycling, including plastic film and styrofoam which are accepted for recycling at King County waste facilities.

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Built Green™

12/11/2019

TC Legend: 5-Star Semiahmoo Resort Home

TC Legend Homes built this two-story, 2,941 square foot, four-bedroom, Built Green® 5-Star certified home in the Semiahmoo Resort community of Blaine, WA. The home features a tatami room, bringing an element of the Far East into this otherwise Western-style home. The room will serve as a simple gathering space or a place for meditation.

Vital Stats	Section	Points
Location: Blaine Star Level: 5-Star Checklist: Single-Family/Townhome Verifier: E.Coe Company	Site and Water	117
	Energy Efficiency	249
	Health and Indoor Air Quality	127
	Material Efficiency	115
	Total Score	626

As with all TC Legend Homes, it is constructed from Structural Insulated Panels, ensuring an air-tight envelope with minimal thermal bridging. In addition to being Built Green certified, this home is ENERGY STAR v.3.2 and EPA Indoor airPLUS certified. The home also features an elevator to facilitate aging in place.

TC Legend Homes Built Green 5-Star Semiahmoo home exterior

TC Legend Homes Built Green 5-Star Semiahmoo home living room

TC Legend Homes Built Green 5-Star Semiahmoo home tatami room

Built Green Highlights

A simple rectangular design to minimize exposed surface area
Orientation and window placement to optimize active and passive solar
Slab on grade with 4” under-slab insulation
Insulated concrete forms
Structural insulated panel construction (locally sourced)
Triple-bead mastic and tape for air sealing of all joints
Triple-pane windows
High-efficiency air-source mini-split heat pumps (5 heads) for heating/cooling
High-efficiency heat pump hot water heater
Energy Star refrigerators (2), dishwasher, exhaust fan, and ceiling fan
High-efficiency Heat Recovery Ventilator to ensure clean, balanced ventilation
A very low .35 (ACH50) air infiltration rating
Zero-VOC paint
9.15kw photovoltaic solar system (locally fabricated)
Energy Performance: Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index score of minus three (-3) with solar PV (38 without PV)
Two electric vehicle charging stations

TC Legend Homes Built Green 5-Star Semiahmoo home kitchen

TC Legend Homes Built Green 5-Star Semiahmoo home rec room

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