US Navy Commissions Green Housing for Sailors
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 12.21.06
If you've ever spent any time in housing compounds on a US military base, you know that the homes occupied by soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are... well, let's say "functional." The Navy, however, is breaking that mold with the release of its plans for Market Style Apartments, a housing community for its Naval Station Norfolk in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The plans for the complex emphasize creating an "...outstanding quality of life standards for its seamen," and for contractor VOA Associates Inc., this means incorporating green features into the development:
The architects have specified building products made from recycled materials, and the project will register for the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The design team is expecting a 20 percent energy reduction, utilizing insulated walls and windows. The community will be outfitted with low-flow fixtures, automated water shut-offs and efficient showerheads. In addition, the project is expected to meet the volatile organic compounds (VOC) limit for paints, sealants, carpets and other interior products.To top it off, there's nothing "olive drab" about the atmosphere designers want to build: "To create a visually pleasing landscape, VOA designed six courtyards surrounded by the residences to conceive a townhouse-style aesthetic." Officers may find it difficult to coax sailors back onto their ships... ::Multi-Housing News via Jetson Green
I propose we raise our standards for "green" development. Mixed use should be one of the highest priorities in planning any new community that is to be considered sustainable or green, especially now that green building seems to be the "in" thing.
LEED certified building is great. Now lets add smart development to the picture and we'll have the whole package: efficient housing, efficient transportation options, a full range of community services, and edible permaculture landscaping. Who wouldn't want that?
That's great but that's new development. Wouldn't it be better to revitalize the cities and make it cool to live there again? Not in some eco-hippy village 20 miles outside of town?
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Writer's note: It would. On the upside, this complex is being built on already-developed land -- "...an abandoned parking lot, located in close proximity to the ships."
Turil,
I just attended a 2-day Mixed-use conference and sustainability was ancillary, at best, to their considerations in development. They're talking about stacking uses vertically and horizontally. Which one are you talking about? Vertical mixed use in the inner ring of a city is good, but the demand for that just isn't there all the time. Even they admit, without the standard residential, apartment, townhome, duplex, commercial zones, etc., they would not have demand for their vertical projects. A diversity of uses creates demand for the mixed use projects. I mean, even San Francisco, which is the #2 city in terms of green, isn't necessarily what one typically considers for mixed use. Living is compacted, but not necessarily upwards.
Plus, like Jilted Citizen says, there are tons of existing structures...what are you going to do with them?
The project is also noteworthy for its green design components. The architects have specified building products made from recycled materials, and the project will register for the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The design team is expecting a 20 percent energy reduction, utilizing insulated walls and windows. The community will be outfitted with low-flow fixtures, automated water shut-offs and efficient showerheads. In addition, the project is expected to meet the volatile organic compounds (VOC) limit for paints, sealants, carpets and other interior products.