Sustainable Design Blog

SARASOTA HOUSING AUTHORITY ANNOUNCES BOARD CHANGES

Sarasota, FL (September 15, 2010)—The Sarasota Housing Authority (SHA) is announcing that its governing body has undergone some significant changes. First, John Colón, a Senior Vice President with Wells Fargo Advisors, was elected Chair of the Board at the agency’s Annual Meeting on August 4, 2010. Also elected that day was a new Vice Chair, Mary Anne Servian. Servian, a former Mayor and currently the Business Director for the Sarasota Ballet, is one of two new commissioners to be appointed this year.

In addition to Servian, who filled a vacancy left by Jude Levy, Michael R. Carlson, AIA, NCARB, LEED BD+C was appointed September 7, 2010 to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Richard Martin. Carlson, a regional green building design professional, is president of Sarasota-based sustainable design firm, Carlson Studio Architecture. In addition, Valerie Buchand, SHA Agency-wide Resident Council President, was reappointed to a four-year term after completing her initial two-year term. The seven current SHA commissioners are: John Colón, Mary Anne Servian, Valerie Buchand, Michael Carlson, Veavie DeLaughter, Duane Finger and Joseph Miller.

“I want to thank Jude Levy and Richard Martin for their service to the Housing Authority. They were both active in chairing committees and brought a real commitment to the board. I also want to thank Duane Finger, our outgoing Chair, and Veavie DeLaughter, our outgoing Vice Chair. They did a tremendous job leading the agency during our post-HUD Receivership period these past two years,” Chair John Colón said.  

 “We are so pleased that Mary Anne Servian, Michael Carlson and Valerie Buchand have been appointed to our board. They each bring very valuable experience and skills to our governing body. I am also confident our new Chair John Colón will lead the board to continue the tremendous resurgence of the Sarasota Housing Authority,” said Bill Russell, the SHA Executive Director.

The Sarasota Housing Authority (SHA) was established as a public housing authority in 1938 under Florida statute to administer federal housing assistance for low, very low and extremely low-income families. Presently SHA provides subsidized housing for over 1,800 low-income families in Sarasota, FL. SHA administers an annual budget of over $10 million with a staff of 26.

August 16, 2010 (Sarasota, FL)  Learning Gate Community School, a charter school in Hillsborough County with a curriculum that emphasizes nature, agriculture and environmental responsibility, became the first public school in the United States to earn LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.  The project, 3 new buildings, consisting of 10 classrooms and an 8,000-square-foot addition to the middle school campus, was designed by Carlson Studio Architecture.

“Green schools – whether newly constructed or retrofitted existing buildings - make a tremendous impact on student health, test scores, teacher retention, school operational costs and the environment,” said Carlson Studio Architecture President Michael Carlson.

The LEED Platinum Certification was awarded on a number of sustainable design strategies and construction features that include:

The new buildings are constructed using prefabricated 6" wood stud modules for quick site assembly. Once placed on their elevated foundations the buildings were insulated with R-30 Soy-Based spray insulation, walls are finished with 95% recycled content gypsum board, and the floors with "Cradle to Cradle" carpet tiles made from soda bottles.

Large insulated north facing windows allow for natural light, while dimmable T-8 fluorescent fixtures will automatically adjust to add additional lighting. The classrooms also utilize a High Efficiency A/C system, which dehumidifies both the fresh air and return air, allowing for smaller sized cooling units.

Rainwater is harvested for the flushing of 1.2 gallon per flush toilets, which will eventually be integrated into an on site "living machine" waste treatment center.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the USGBC’s standardized 3rd party verification system, administered by the Green Building Certification Institute, for certifying the world’s greenest, energy efficient and high performance buildings.  

For more information about the project, visit www.CarlsonStudio.org/projects/---public/learning-gate/ or www.LearningGate.org/

The Florida Gulfcoast Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council awarded its highest honor, Chapter Leadership Award, to Michael Carlson of Carlson Studio Architecture during the group's annual award program December 8 in St. Petersburg.  The annual award recognizes the chapter member who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, active involvement and service to the organization and has helped to advance the green building/design profession.

Earlier this year, Carlson established and led a new division of the Florida Gulfcoast Chapter, the Myakka River Branch, which serves the Manatee-Sarasota area.  In addition, he was appointed chair of the Green Business Leadership Council of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, a recent initiative for the organization.  In 2009 Carlson was also selected by HGTV to design the production company's second Green Home which earned LEED Platinum certification from the USGBC and is located in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Carlson Studio Architecture is located at 1613 Fruitville Road in downtown Sarasota, Florida.  The studio headquarters became the fourth project in Florida to earn LEED Silver Certification for Commercial Interiors.  The architectural firm has been a member of Sarasota County's Green Business Partnership since 2008.

Josh Bomstein, USGBC Chapter President & Michael Carlson

Michael Carlson & Rick Fedrizzi, CEO USGBC