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The economy may have dealt the real estate industry a series of blows in recent months, but innovation continues to march on even in these troubled times, particularly in green building.

A tangible result of this arrived Jan. 29 with the approval of the National Green Building Standard, which includes a provision for certifying green subdivisions for site design and development. This past week Silverstein Construction Corp.’s Sanford’s Creek community in Colfax became only the fourth in the nation — the first in North Carolina — to earn the designation. And another Guilford County subdivision, K2 Homes’ Kensington Place in Oak Ridge, is on its way to achieving the same certification.

The two-pronged process, field inspection and documentation, requires third-party verification before certification can be approved by the National Association of Home Builders Research Center. The applications for both Guilford County communities were verified
locally by senior environmental investigator Steven Armstrong with Environmental Solutions Group.

The new building standards represent the systemwide approach to building green homes, which are intended to minimize environmental impact. The design, construction and operation of a home must focus on energy and water efficiency, resource-efficient building design and materials, indoor environmental quality, and must take the home’s overall impact on the environment into account, according to the NAHB. The same principles apply to subdivisions.

The rules for certification are a key piece of the campaign to assure consumers they know what they’re buying. Green building programs are intended to not only supply standards for industry professionals to follow, but also to offer consumers a credible measure for green building.

The green building programs essentially provide an official source, complete with a pedigree. The National Green Building Standard is the only standard approved by the American National Standard Institute, and it was developed by a consensus committee made up of various interests, said Bob Hill, director of Laboratory and Certification Services at the NAHB Research Center.

The benefits for the consumer are more easily measured than you might think.

“First of all, they can buy with the comfort and assurance that as the builder developed the subdivision he kept the environment in mind,” Hill said.

A development’s initial design has long-term impact for the buyer. For example, proper stormwater planning will protect the local waterways and improve erosion control. Lots oriented to achieve maximum solar power use would result in energy savings. The use of native plants in landscaping would mean less maintenance. “Preserving habitat also generally makes the neighborhood more desirable,” Hill said.

Industry interest in green building continues to grow. Hill said the number of users of the NAHB Research Center’s online resources has picked up substantially since the standard was approved in January. Since green building guidelines were made available last year, around 300 projects have been certified. Thousands more are planned throughout the U.S., though Hill said the timing of completion will depend on market conditions.

In addition, the NAHB reported in May that 3,100 industry members have earned the Certified Green Professional designation.

Regarding Sanford’s Creek and Kensington Place, “these new ‘green communities’ are leading the way for the Triad” in energy efficiency, said Scott Allred, owner of Precept Construction and chairman of the Triad Green Building Council.

Energy costs and availability of natural resources continue to be a concern nationwide, and area builders are working to meet the needs of homebuyers facing new realities.

“The Triad Green Building Council is actively educating area builders on ways to build high-quality, energy-efficient homes that conserve water and protect our natural resources,” Allred said.

Certified: Sanford's Creek

Gary Silverstein looks at a house as a system.

And building a house requires a comprehensive approach. “You need to have a broader view of a house and how everything works together,” he says.

His views on development are similar. That’s why after Silverstein learned that the new National Green Building Standard included certification for subdivisions, he started the process to get the green stamp of approval for Sanford’s Creek.

The 40-acre Colfax subdivision he and Bill Greco of Land Solutions designed was started about three years ago, predating the new guidelines, but they had incorporated the principles necessary.

Sanford’s Creek received the green subdivision certification this past week, earning three stars on a four-star scale.

The planning made it happen.

“The land has been left in as much of its natural state as possible,” said Gil Vaughan, the Yost & Little Realty agent marketing the Silverstein Construction Corp. community.

“Basically what (homebuyers are) getting is a community that is environmentally friendly. It’s built to be sustainable,” said Vaughan, who is an EcoBroker and Certified Green Professional.

The Guilford County community is also zoned as a Rural Preservation District, which allows more density than typical rural zoning and gave Silverstein more flexibility when planning the subdivision.

“We were able to minimize the footprint of the neighborhood and maximize the untouched natural environment,” he said. “We were able to construct without having to go into wooded and sensitive areas, including a beautiful creek.”

Smaller lots and open space are advantages in green building. The subdivision has 32 homes sites on only about a half-acre each because the rest of the land has been set aside as open space that includes woods, streams and a walking trail.

“The way I describe it, each lot is approximately 20 ½ acres” because of the common area, Silverstein said.

Silverstein is the exclusive builder at Sanford’s Creek, where 10 homes priced in the mid-$300,000s have been built so far and another is under construction. All have been built to Energy Star standards, a neighborhood requirement, and two have earned green building certification through the NAHB Research Center.

Energy Star homes are at least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code, and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20 percent to 30 percent more efficient than standard homes. The National Association of Home Builders green building guidelines encompass seven principles: lot design; resource efficiency; energy efficiency; water efficiency; indoor environmental quality; homeowner education; and global impact. The guidelines offer four levels of green building: bronze, silver, gold and emerald. The certification requires Energy Star guidelines to be met.

For Silverstein, green building is important on a number of levels. “From a homeowner’s point of view, it not only saves them in costs as far as their utilities but it makes for a healthier living environment,” he said. “It makes for a more comfortable home. It promotes neighborhood and community and it has benefits for the environment locally as well as globally.”

Silverstein has been an Energy Star partner since 1999, last year became a Certified Green Professional through the NAHB, and is an executive board member of the 1 ½-year-old Triad Green Building Council. But he’s incorporated aspects of what is now known as green building into homes he’s been constructing in Northwest Guilford County for decades.

He said he started focusing on environmentally conscious, energy-efficient building practices when he designed and built his first subdivision, Summerwoods in Summerfield, beginning in the in the late 1990s when “green” wasn’t a buzzword.

Silverstein’s said he is motivated by a need to be respectful of the environment while pursuing a field that can potentially have negative impacts on the land. He started gathering the paperwork necessary for the new NAHB certification when he found out it was available, but he didn’t realize his community would be the first in North Carolina to earn the designation.

“I’m focused on doing the best work I can,” Silverstein said. “It’s not about certifications. I hope that me and many others that are doing these sorts of things in Guilford County, hopefully, that we’re setting a new standard or we’re raising a bar that will inspire others to do many of these things as well.

“No one builder or one developer is going to have that big of an impact on our environment. It will take a lot of us. That maybe we’re paving a way or setting some kind of example that helps promote more people doing the same thing, then that’s great.”

Green scene: Kensington Place

Kevin Payne wanted to offer homebuyers something out of the ordinary.

And, like many Americans, he’s concerned about energy costs and the future of natural resources.

The K2 Homes owner also has a passion for construction, an interest sparked at age 13 when he helped his father build the family’s Blue Ridge Parkway vacation home.

The information he learned about green building while working on his Certified Green Professional designation earlier this year inspired him to make the subdivision he’s been developing in Oak Ridge an environmentally friendly community open to green-minded custom builders and eco-conscious buyers.

He joined forces with EcoBroker and National Association of Realtors Green agent Sarah Olson of Leap Realty to make Kensington Place a green community.

Olson said this past week that the paperwork needed to certify the community as green through the NAHB Research Center has been submitted. Senior environmental investigator Steven Armstrong with Environmental Solutions Group in Greensboro verified the application.

The next step will be a lot draw, which allows interested buyers to purchase home sites in the community, at 4:30 p.m. July 20 at Magnolia Manor in Colfax.

The nearly 24-acre subdivision has 24 lots on approximately 12 acres, with the rest of the land preserved for open space. Street lights, sidewalks and walking trails are planned and intended to promote an active community. These details made Kensington Place a good candidate for the green designation, in addition to efforts made during site development to protect wildlife, preserve wetlands and minimize the environmental impact of roadways. Lot orientation allowing maximum solar design options were also considered. Seventy-six percent of the lots offer passive solar design opportunities, Armstrong said.

A passive solar house is designed to take advantage of the sun for winter heating while also allowing for sufficient shading for summer cooling.

The approximately half-acre lots range from $67,800 to $71,800, and home prices are estimated to begin at $300,000. Payne expects construction to begin later this year. Site development is complete, and utilities are in place.

“If you’re looking for something with a lot of acreage, this isn’t for you. We’re not trying to be everything for everybody. But with the protected space, (buyers) have the country feel” without the expense of more acreage or higher taxes, he said.

An N.C. State-educated mechanical engineer with nearly 30 years of experience in various aspects of the building industry, Payne started K2 Homes in 2004 and has built homes in Oak Ridge, Summerfield and northwest Greensboro. He described the move to green as a natural progression.

“A lot of the green side of (building) revolved around engineering, such as Energy Star,” Payne said.

Energy Star homes are at least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code, and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20 percent to 30 percent more efficient than standard homes.

It’s a matter of dollars and sense. With rebates from local utility providers and federal tax credits both available, “Why wouldn’t you do Energy Star?” Payne said.

Kensington Place’s covenants will require homes be built to Energy Star certification standards and encourage green building certification. Payne envisions the development becoming a green construction think tank with a community of builders using environmentally friendly practices.

The public is invited to attend the lot draw event, which will feature presentations from the green partners Leap Realty and K2 Homes have assembled. Environmental Solutions Group, Plymouth Nursery and Landscaping, Ferguson Enterprises, iLevel by Weyerhaeuser and Superior Walls are among the partners. Another partner, Bank of Oak Ridge, has offered to make available special financing for builders and homebuyers.

Olson and Payne think Kensington Place is the right community at the right time.

Interest from builders has picked up as word has spread about the low draw, which Payne said “gives builders an equal opportunity to get some good lots.”

“The wave is slowly building,” Payne said.