http://inhabitat.com/palm-springs-rosa-gardens-affordable-housing-achieves-leed-gold-certification/ Green design & eco innovation for a better world Sat, 18 May 2013 14:21:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc http://inhabitat.com/palm-springs-rosa-gardens-affordable-housing-achieves-leed-gold-certification/comment-page-1/#comment-374149 BrooksScarpa Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:52:48 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=350949#comment-374149 Thanks for your input. It is definitely a balance between a cost/benefit analysis, local availability, maintenance of the material and life cycle. Rosa Gardens uses common materials such as stucco, concrete block and metal panels and utilizes recycled-content materials only where it makes sense, certainly not just for the green rating at the exclusion of other issues. Palm Springs sits in the Coachella Valley, which is part of the 13th largest metropolitan area in the United States, the Inland Empire, so it is actually closer than one might think to things like building materials and supplies. More important than materials, though, at this location, is water usage and building orientation. Southern California became what it is today because the water came from somewhere else and this project conserves water through smart landscaping and very efficient fixtures. Orienting the building properly, natural cross ventilation, providing shade from the desert sun and reflecting heat from the roof (all low cost ideas), does more for the energy efficiency of this building than adding an entire solar panel array. The long-term maintenance and durability of materials is just as important, if not more, than those that are locally sourced. A large part of the sustainability of a building comes from it’s design, the ‘fundamentals’ for us, and that is always step 1!’ Thanks for your input. It is definitely a balance between a cost/benefit analysis, local availability, maintenance of the material and life cycle. Rosa Gardens uses common materials such as stucco, concrete block and metal panels and utilizes recycled-content materials only where it makes sense, certainly not just for the green rating at the exclusion of other issues. Palm Springs sits in the Coachella Valley, which is part of the 13th largest metropolitan area in the United States, the Inland Empire, so it is actually closer than one might think to things like building materials and supplies. More important than materials, though, at this location, is water usage and building orientation. Southern California became what it is today because the water came from somewhere else and this project conserves water through smart landscaping and very efficient fixtures. Orienting the building properly, natural cross ventilation, providing shade from the desert sun and reflecting heat from the roof (all low cost ideas), does more for the energy efficiency of this building than adding an entire solar panel array. The long-term maintenance and durability of materials is just as important, if not more, than those that are locally sourced. A large part of the sustainability of a building comes from it’s design, the ‘fundamentals’ for us, and that is always step 1!’

]]> http://inhabitat.com/palm-springs-rosa-gardens-affordable-housing-achieves-leed-gold-certification/comment-page-1/#comment-373844 anaglypher_08 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:49:58 +0000 http://inhabitat.com/?p=350949#comment-373844 in the middle of a desert, i don't see a way to get recycled construction materials in a radius of less than 50-100Km. the embodied energy of recycled content increases ten folds in such cases. its a waste if we are recycling and transporting it long distances to achieve ratings. this is an anti-thesis of the word "sustainable". architects like hassan fathy were pioneers of such building typologies. using local materials should be the starting point, at least i can see stone and sand available from the images! its good to grab a green rating but one should consider the fundamentals first. in the middle of a desert, i don’t see a way to get recycled construction materials in a radius of less than 50-100Km. the embodied energy of recycled content increases ten folds in such cases. its a waste if we are recycling and transporting it long distances to achieve ratings. this is an anti-thesis of the word “sustainable”. architects like hassan fathy were pioneers of such building typologies. using local materials should be the starting point, at least i can see stone and sand available from the images! its good to grab a green rating but one should consider the fundamentals first.

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