CAST architecture Modern Tudor DADU

Vital Stats	Section	Points
Location: Seattle Star Level: 4-Star Checklist: 2018 Single-Family/Townhome Checklist Verifier: Balderston Associates	Site and Water	117
	Energy Efficiency	94
	Health and Indoor Air Quality	119
	Material Efficiency	75
	Total Score	470

This modern Tudor Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit (DADU) demonstrates a way to add density to an existing neighborhood while honoring the historical design and character of its traditional Seattle community. Designed by CAST architecture, and built by Align Builders, the cottage is packed with plenty of Built Green features that integrate into its blending of modern and historical design details.

CAST architecture Modern Tudor DADU front facade

The interior celebrates values of beauty and shelter by the timbered and vaulted living area and comfortable flow of spaces through the kitchen and bedrooms downstairs. The Seattle code limits DADUs to 1000 sf, but the cottage gives the feeling of a spacious and comfortable 2-bedroom home.

Energy Efficiency

Wall insulation is the standard code R21, but the builder focused on executing the install to the HERS Grade 1 standards. This requires third-party inspection and batts that are evenly fluffed and filled with extra care to eliminate gaps and compressions.
The vaulted ceilings have R38 fiberglass batts.
Windows are low-e argon from Andersen.
Panasonic Intellibalance HRV installed to provide filtered fresh air directly to bedrooms and exhausts stale air while recovering about 80% of the heat energy.
The flush-mounted ceiling cassettes of the multi-head ductless heat pump system provides energy efficient space heating with unobtrusive design.
Low-flow toilet, sink, and shower fixtures.
ENERGY STAR appliances and 100% LED lighting.

Low-Impact Development and Rainwater Infiltration

The DADU occupies the existing home’s former back garden. The site included street access to both sides of the property, allowing for separate private entrances for both homes, and instantly integrating this DADU into the existing streetscape of the neighborhood. The bay window and arched front entry make it a familiar-looking addition for those walking around through the neighborhood.

There is no garage, but a side parking driveway is done with permeable paving stones. Also roof drainage is directed to infiltration trenches and pits so that it can be treated and infiltrated onsite. Landscaping is drought tolerant with only a small shared grass area that connects to the existing parts of the backyard.

CAST architecture Modern Tudor DADU dining kitchen

CAST architecture Modern Tudor DADU entry stair

Indoor Air Quality and Moisture Protection

The DADU emphasizes simple interior finishes with low toxicity and good ventilation for fresh air. Finish materials include a Strand Woven Poplar flooring from Ecotimber, and natural Marmoleum. The builder made sure to check that finish products, such as paints, caulks, and stains, were all low emitting and low VOC products. Paints used were Benjamin Moore “Aura” zero VOC products.

The exterior siding is installed over a HydroGap WRB that provides “rain screen” drainage. The lower-level stucco is also a water managed system. Window and door flashing details were checked on site for complete seals and physical drainage planes to ensure a very long-lasting wall system that prevents moisture-related damage and molds.

CAST architecture Modern Tudor DADU living room

Materials With Reduced Environmental Impact

The interior finish materials were not only selected for their low-chemical emitting properties to assist with healthy indoor air quality, but also for their environmentally friendly properties. The finished flooring materials selected were Cradle-to-Cradle certified carpets from Shaw and climate-positive Marmoleum. CAST’s most eco-friendly flooring selections were the ones they excluded, reducing resource extraction and pollution in the first place. They did this in two ways, first the exclusion of vinyl flooring, and the second by utilizing the lower floor’s concrete slab as the finished floor.

Locally produced cabinets from Canyon Creek meet low-VOC certification standards. Materials that were made with recycled content were used for the drywall, trim, doors, and cabinets. The builder tracked and reported recycling of job site waste, as all Built Green builders must do, and achieved at least a 75% diversion-from-landfill rate. To reduce toxicity Sill plates were borate-treated instead of using standard pressure-treated lumber.

CAST architecture Modern Tudor DADU back facade

CAST architecture Modern Tudor DADU lower entry

The long-awaited day has come: Built Green members can now complete the bulk of their project and membership items online. No need to scan and email forms anymore! This functionality will free up member and staff time. Builders will be able to access their project information via their convenient online accounts.

This is important because after August 15, 2018, Built Green will no longer accept paperwork (new memberships, enrollments, or certification packets) by email. Materials will have to be submitted online.

Built Green Conference attendee. Alabastro Photography

Anyone can create an online account, even those who are not Built Green members. A nonmember account will allow you to:

Register for events (like the Built Green® Conference!)
Become a member of Built Green

Members, of course, have expanded capabilities. Through the online portal, members can also:

Renew their membership
View enrolled and certified projects and their project IDs
Generate and print certificates for certified projects
Check the status of projects
Enroll new projects

Built Green third-party verifiers will also be able to check on their affiliated projects and submit documentation to Built Green online.

This new functionality not only saves time, it also allows Built Green to better track project data. Tracking project data helps improve the program and justify more green building incentives. We’ve come a long way from paper files!

We hope you enjoy the site updates.

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Built Green™

08/03/2021

Wildfire Season—Hope for the Best, Be Prepared for the Worst

Author: Nina Olivier, Built Green Coordinator

Wildfire season, and the smoke it brings, is upon us in the Pacific Northwest. Fueled by drought and climate change, these threats to the health and safety of our homes are arriving earlier each year. Fortunately, there are simple steps homeowners can take from roof to foundation to make a home safer from embers, radiant heat, and fine particulate matter.

By September 2020, wildfires had burned over 713,000 acres in the State of Washington, resulting in the loss of 181 homes and one fatality. Research conducted by the National Fire Protection Association concluded that wildfire embers and smaller flames were the main ignition source of homes.

Along with the destructive risks associated with wildfires, exposure to the particulate matter in its smoke also poses a significant health risk. According to the University of Washington's Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, breathing in the fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke, known as PM2.5, can contribute to respiratory, cardiovascular, and other health problems and even lead to premature death.

Built Green recognizes the importance of providing healthy indoor air and fire safe homes for all those living in Built Green certified homes. As a result, there are numerous checklist credits dedicated to decreasing the number of pollutants and providing means for air filtration during wildfire smoke season as well as methods to minimize the likelihood of flames or surface fire touching the home or any attachments.

Seattle in wildfire smoke

Below is a list of preventative actions you can take to protect your family and your home during the annual wildfire season.

Roofs and Gutters

Strategies to limit your home's ability to act as a fuel source include:

Clean roofs and gutters of dead leaves, debris and pine needles that could ignite from air-borne embers.
Replace or repair any loose or missing shingles or roof tiles to prevent ember penetration.
If you are replacing your roof, install a Class A slate or metal roof.
Install 1/8-inch metal mesh screening to reduce embers that could pass through vents in the eaves and attics.

Clearing dead leaves from gutters

Windows and Doors

Ensure all windows and doors are closed and tightly sealed to reduce the infiltration of smoke and embers in your home.
Install weather stripping to increase air tightness during smoke events.
Do not use portable air conditioners that use a single hose exhausted out a window which will bring more smoke inside.
Have a portable air conditioner with two hoses? Make sure that the seal between the window vent kit and the window is as tight as possible through adhesive-backed foam tape, felt, EPDM rubber weather seal tape, and vinyl strips.
Once air quality improves, air out your home by opening windows or the fresh air intake on your HVAC system.
If you are retrofitting the siding of your home, consider installing fire resistant exterior siding such as three-coat stucco, metal siding, and fiber cement siding.

Indoor Air Quality

Invest in a high quality portable air cleaner as recommended by the EPA.
Upgrade the air filter in your furnace or central heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and use them to recirculate and filter the air inside your home.
Attach a MERV 13 or FPR 10 filter to the back of a box fan to create an additional air filter.
Increase your home's humidity to help remove small particulate matter in the air using portable humidifiers.
Avoid activities that create fine particles indoors such as smoking, cooking, burning candles, and spraying aerosol products.

Decks and Porches

Treat existing wood decks against fire with a flame retardant spray; do not replace them with endangered tropical woods like Ipe or ironwood.
Add metal sheathing around the base timbers.
Replace any decaying timber boards.
Install metal screening around the crawlspace beneath the deck to keep fire embers out.
Consider building a deck with composite materials with Class A or B fire ratings, but avoid composites that contain PVC, which produce very toxic fumes when they burn.
Remove anything stored underneath decks or porches.
Store away all furniture cushions, mats, potted plants, and decorations to avoid them catching embers and igniting.
Remove the deck as a source of ignition by instead building a stone, paver, or concrete patio.

Landscaping

Map out your home's ignition zones and take actions to decrease the ignition risks in the immediate ignition zone that directly increase the likelihood of flames touching your home.
Establish defensible spaces that are maintained and designed to slow the spread of fire to and from the building, and create fire buffers around the house.

Plant native species that are fire resistant
Remove dry underbrush and unhealthy vegetation and trees.
Mow tall or dry grass areas and discard the clippings.
Trim back tree limbs that hang over or encroach on your home's immediate ignition zone and deck.

Move any flammable material away from exterior walls – mulch, flammable plants, leaves and needles, firewood piles, grill, or fire pit propane tanks – anything that can ignite or combust.

Home ignition zones diagram from the National Fire Protection Association

Tree spacing diagram from the National Fire Protection Association

Be Prepared

In an event of an evacuation, understand and map out a safe evacuation route from your region. Prepare an emergency kit including a supply of N95 or P100 masks, water, flashlights, and first aid essentials. Continue monitoring https://www.airnow.gov/ and https://www.dnr.wa.gov/Wildfires to monitor your region's smoke index and wildfire locations.

More information can be found on the National Fire Protection Association's Website.

Diagrams produced by National Fire Protection Association and Colorado State University

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Built Green™

02/08/2018

Barrientos RYAN and Exxel Pacific Present The Parsonage Project

Barrientos Ryan and Exxel Pacific UDistrict 4-Star (1)

Maintaining historical structures adds cultural value to a city modern buildings alone cannot provide. The preservation of historic structures also significantly reduces the use of natural resources typically used in new construction. Seattle-based developer barrientos RYAN recognizes the importance of preservation and applied it to their new mid-rise project in Seattle's University District, The Parsonage, through the work of builder Exxel Pacific.

Vital Stats	Section	Points
Location: University District, Seattle Star Level: 4-Star Checklist: Multifamily Verifier: Rushing	Site and Water	175
	Energy Efficiency	83
	Indoor Air Quality	149
	Material Efficiency	84
	Total Score	491

Located blocks from the University of Washington, The Parsonage seamlessly integrates into the surrounding neighborhood through a modern, contemporary design blended with classic Seattle architecture. The project is centered around a historic Seattle landmark, a 100-year-old home which once served as housing quarters for a still-standing church. The home was integrated into the project and reimagined with the help of Seattle-based architects Schemata Workshop. The house now serves as a beautifully redesigned community space and crowning jewel of the project.

Aligning with barrientos RYAN's commitment to sustainability, the team pursued and achieved Built Green® 4-Star certification for the project, led by Rushing's sustainability consulting team. Energy efficiency was a primary goal for the developer, reflected in more than 22 percent energy savings over Washington State Energy Code requirements. To reduce air infiltration and thermal bridging, the project used roofing materials, glazing, and insulation with high R-values. Moreover, to influence tenant behavior and habits to be more energy conscious, energy sub-metering was provided to each unit so tenants can see and alter their real-time energy use.

Barrientos RYAN and Exxel Pacific 4-Star UDistrict exterior

The project's location just north of the University of Washington gives residents easy access to multiple alternative transportation options including bus routes, bicycle networks, and Link light rail stations. The project also includes 71 bicycle storage spaces, encouraging tenants to enjoy a healthy lifestyle as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the combustion of fossil fuels.

More than 1,500 square feet of green roof was planted to aid in carbon sequestration, the retention and treatment of stormwater, and in providing habitat and promoting biodiversity.

The health of the tenants was also of primary concern for barrientos RYAN. To ensure the health of both tenants and tradespeople, Exxel Pacific and Schafer were held to a high standard of construction procedures by means of an Indoor Air Quality Management Plan. The plan prescribed the methods by which materials were to be stored and installed on site, such as sealing ductwork during construction to prevent contamination and protecting absorptive materials from water damage.

Built Green Highlights

Site and Water

Drought tolerant, native and adapted plant species
No turf grass
Green roof
Low-flow plumbing fixtures

Energy Efficiency

96 percent efficient natural gas-fired domestic hot water boiler
2.7-kilowatt photovoltaic (PV) system
LED lighting
Energy Star appliances
Exterior lighting on daylight sensors
Passive solar lighting design

Barrientos RYAN and Exxel Pacific 4-Star UDistrict entryway

Barrientos RYAN and Exxel Pacific 4-Star UDistrict roof deck

Barrientos RYAN and Exxel Pacific 4-Star UDistrict common room

Health and Indoor Air Quality

Low-VOC adhesives and sealants
Low-VOC paints and coatings
Formaldehyde-free insulation
No carpet in units

Materials Efficiency

Use of materials which are easily replaced with reduced waste
Materials with recycled content include:
- Carpet tile
- Water distribution piping
Locally sourced materials include:
- Concrete
- Brick
- Windows
- Gypsum
- Casework
- Cabinetry
- Interior doors

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