WASHINGTON, DC - Two Tennessee condominium buildings have become the first recipients of green multifamily certification under the National Green Building Standard, the National Association of Home Builders announced Monday. The buildings were certified by the NAHB Research Center, a subsidiary of NAHB.
The bronze-level certification was awarded to the first two buildings completed in the Park Run community at McKay's Mill in Franklin, Tenn. When completed, the development will comprise 23 buildings for a total of 92 condominium homes. The Jones Company, a top-100 single-family builder, also has certified dozens of single-family green homes.
"Green certification has value to all home owners, both single-family and multifamily," said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a builder and developers from Tulsa, Okla. "Growing numbers of today's home buyers want the benefits of a home that's built with sustainability and energy efficiency in mind."
The National Green Building Standard is a scoring tool and certification protocol that assures projects have met stringent benchmarks in energy, water and resource efficiency, indoor environmental quality and lot and site design. In addition, the builder must provide education and a manual for home owners to help ensure the home is operated and maintained to retain its green advantages.
The standard was developed by NAHB and the International Code Council and is the first such system to be approved by the American National Standards Institute. It covers single-family homes, apartments and condos, residential land development and home remodeling projects, and is administered by the NAHB Research Center, which also accredits local verifiers around the country.
"The National Green Building Standard provides a rigorous definition of residential green construction, whether it be for single-family homes or multi-story apartment buildings," said Michael Luzier, president of the NAHB Research Center. "As the first and only existing national green building rating system that can be used for every type of residential project, the standard allows the Research Center to be a 'one-stop shop' for builders, remodelers and developers who want third-party validation for their green projects."
It is important for builders to explain to their prospective customers the value of green, according to Peder Jensen, director of the green building program at the Jones Company, who holds a Certified Green Professional educational designation from NAHB. "Home buyers are most interested in the features they can see, of course - the energy-efficient windows, Energy Star-rated appliances and lighting, and low-flow shower heads and faucets."
But Jensen also points out the less obvious features. "They appreciate our emphasis on indoor air quality - the low-VOC carpet and flooring, and a passive radon system. And they appreciate that we check for air leaks with a blower-door test."
The certified condo buildings also took a resource-efficient approach to materials, many of which featured recycled and green content. All unused construction materials were recycled offsite. And the development's landscaping plan uses native plants and limits water use and runoff.
The National Association of Home Builders is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 175,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. Known as "the voice of the housing industry," NAHB is affiliated with more than 800 state and local home builders associations around the country.
Source: NAHB Research Center