LEED Platinum

We are pleased to announce that our project with Knox Housing Partnership to create 30 affordable, healthy and energy efficient homes for seniors has achieved LEED Platinum from the US Green Building Council.  This is the highest level of sustainable certification available.

This is a project that redefines what affordable housing can provide and achieve. Energy, lighting, water and materials efficiency have all been optimized to achieve the highest level of efficiency and to reduce maintenance costs and utility bills as much as possible. The project features the largest pervious parking area in Knox County with stormwater being captured below the parking surface.  Despite the constraints of budget and site, most of which is in a flood plain or TVA easement, the residents enjoy a common park space with an accessible community garden, gazebo and constructed creek bed. 

Blueberry Ridge has 30 two bedroom units and is anticipated to reduce energy use by 33% over a conventional residential building. All units are visit-able and one third of the units are fully wheel chair accessible with accommodations including custom kitchen cabinetry adjusted for ease of use, roll-in shower and accessible bathroom shelving.

Knoxville Chamber Business Excellence Award finalist

Wow!  We are so honored to be a finalist for the Woman-Owned Business Excellence Award as part of the Knoxville Chamber 2012 Pinnacle Awards. 

Beardsley Farm Community Shelter

We are currently developing an affordable, sustainable,  multipurpose shelter to serve CAC Beardsley Community Farm. The new shelter will serve as a threshold between the  public entry and the existing farm grounds.  It will provide a daily refuge for the workers and volunteers who tend the farm and facilitate their mission as an urban demonstration farm by providing a flexible gathering space for community outreach programs.

To learn more about Beardsley Community Farm visit http://beardsleyfarm.org/

Construction Update from Tellico Lake

Remember back in June when framing was just beginning at an EEA-designed house on Tellico Lake? It was beautiful weather for a site visit this week, so we took advantage.

The house is projected to achieve a HERS score of 50, meaning it will be 50% more energy efficient than if it were built only to current code requirements. We are also pursuing Energy Star Qualification.

Lake view from the kitchen and breakfast room with plenty of east light.

Lake view from the kitchen porch

Entry view from the driveway

Construction should be complete in a few months- more updates to come!

Renewable Energy Credits

Our firm recently increased our commitment to clean energy by purchasing 4200 kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable energy credits (RECs), which are generated by renewable energy projects across America, from Renewable Choice Energy. Not only do the RECs offset 100% of the electricity we use, our purchase also has the carbon sequestered equivalent of 75 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.

Elizabeth Eason Architecture was founded on the principles of sustainable design, and our firm’s reduced carbon emissions and support of renewable energy development reaffirms that commitment. We strongly encourage others to make the same commitment by contacting a renewable energy credit provider today.

LEED Gold- How did we do it? Part 9 of 9

Part 9: Innovation in Design Process

Our office earned 4 innovation credits, 2 for exemplary performance of existing LEED credits and 2 for sustainable practices that are not (yet) credited under the LEED rating system.

1: The credit for Furniture and Furnishing Reuse requires a minimum of 30% reuse by value; we were able to use salvaged, refurbished or reused materials equal to 89% of the total furniture and furnishing value. By reusing materials and products, we are keeping them out of landfills.

2: We have implemented a Green Cleaning and Housekeeping Policy that sets environmental standards for cleaning products and office supplies and establishes an office cleaning and maintenance schedule.

3: 100% of our energy is purchased from green power, whereas the Green Power credit only requires 50%.

4:  Our last innovation credit is you! We have created and participated in outreach programs to raise awareness about sustainable design, including: educational activities, open houses, our website and our blog postings.

To close our mini-series on how we achieved LEED Gold, we would like to thank Knox Heritage for their efforts in preserving the 500 block of Gay Street.

WROL Building, August 12, 1937; Calvin M McClung Historical Collection
Other historic images of our building are on display in our stairwell

Thanks for following our 9 part series on the LEED Gold Cetrification of our office space. We would love to help you reach a new level of sustainability in your own projects. Please contact us if you have any questions, comments or would like to schedule a meeting.

Please visit our website for finished images of our office space or to browse other projects!

LEED Gold- How did we do it? Part 8 of 9

Part 8: Daylight and Views

“Daylighting reduces the need for electric lighting of building interiors, which, if integrated into the overall approach to lighting, can result in decreased energy use. A well-designed daylit building is estimated to reduce lighting energy use by 50% to 80%. This conserves natural resources and reduces air pollution impacts due to energy production and consumption.

(Offices) with sufficient natural daylight and a visual connection to outdoor environments have been proven to increase occupant productivity and comfort, leading to better employee retention.”

-US Green Building Council

We are fortunate enough to not only have a space in the heart of downtown Knoxville, but to also have a space with windows on three sides and fantastic views of Krutch Park, Gay Street, and east Knoxville. If you haven’t seen the view from our office, stop by the next time you are in the neighborhood!

Utilizing photocell sensors, our lighting automatically dims based on the available amount of daylight, saving electricity and eliminating the redundancy of natural and artificial lighting. Although we have an open office plan, the lighting for each area has its own controls, preventing unoccupied areas from being artificially lit.

Plenty of windows for daylight and views of Downtown Knoxville

Notice that the thin light fixtures near the windows are dimming where there is enough daylight

Next stop: Part 9: Innovation in Design Process

LEED Gold- How did we do it? Part 7 of 9

Part 7: Air Quality

“Americans spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, so the quality of the indoor environment has a significant influence on their well-bring, productivity, and quality of life. The US Environmental Protection Agency reports that pollutant levels of indoor environments may run 2 to 5 times- and occasionally more than 100 times- higher than outdoor levels.

Over the past 20 years, research and experience have improved our understanding of what is involved in attaining high indoor environmental quality and revealed manufacturing and construction practices that can prevent many indoor environmental quality problems. Strategies to improve indoor environmental quality have the potential to reduce liability for building owners, increase the resale value for the building, and improve the overall health of the building occupants.”

-US Green Building Council

In addition to specifying a high quality air filter for our mechanical system, which greatly reduces airborne particulates, we also used low (or no) VOC paints, coatings and sealers. According to the EPA, “Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids” and include “a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects.” By using low or no VOC products, we are ensuring that our air will remain as clean and healthy as possible.

We also required the contractor to keep the ducts and mechanical equipment sealed during construction to prevent dust and debris from collecting and being redistributed to the space later.

Low- and no-VOC paints and floor sealers help maintain a healthy indoor environment

Next stop: Part 8: Daylight and Views

LEED Gold- How did we do it? Part 6 of 9

Part 6: Materials

“(Materials and Resources) credits focus on two main issues: the environmental impact of materials brought into the project building, and the minimization of landfill and incinerator disposal for materials that leave the project building.” This includes “selecting sustainable materials, practicing waste reduction, reducing waste at its source, reusing and recycling.”

-US Green Building Council

Our first strategy to both reduce the impacts of materials brought into our building, while also minimizing the impacts of materials leaving the building, was to reuse as many materials as possible. With careful planning, over 60% of our total furnishing budget is attributed to reused materials.

The new materials that we used were chosen for their high recycled content, their local extraction and production, and their well-managed sources.

Our flooring is white ash, which was responsibly grown and harvested and then dried in a solar kiln, in Abingdon, VA

We used leftover white ash flooring, along with a salvaged slate billiard table, for our reception desk.

Next stop: Part 7: Air Quality

LEED Gold- How did we do it? Part 5 of 9

Part 5: Green Power

“Green electricity products reduce the air pollution impacts of electricity generation by relying on renewable energy sources such as solar, water, wind, biomass and geothermal sources. Although green electricity is not entirely benign, it significantly lessens the negative environmental impacts of power generation. Using renewable energy generated either on-site or off-site is an excellent way for owners to reduce the negative environmental impacts on air and water with a building’s energy requirements.”

-US Green Building Council

In terms of sustainability, using less electric power accomplishes the same thing as purchasing a portion of your power from green sources- it reduces the use of fossil fuels for energy generation. Our office took this a step further by not only reducing our energy use (see Part 4), we have been participating in TVA’s Green Power Blocks program for several years.  When we moved to our new office space, we also purchased Renewable Energy Credits equal to 100% of our estimated electricity usage. By choosing green power sources, we are promoting a green economy and doing our part to reduce the environmental impacts of fossil fuels.

Example of wind-generated electricity (Image by Janet Powell)

Solar panels at Ijams Nature Center (Image by http://www.solarknoxville.org/)

Next stop: Part 6: Materials