Sustainable Design Blog

Carlson Studio Architecture took top honors Saturday night in the LEED for Homes category at the U.S. Green Building Council-South Florida chapter’s GALA Verde competition.  President Michael Carlson of Carlson Studio Architecture accepted the first place award on behalf of the firm’s 2009 HGTV Green Home entry at the sold-out event held in the Crystal Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six Resort in Fort Lauderdale.  The resort is a member of the Florida Green Lodging Program.

“We are incredibly humbled to be recognized with this honor,” Carlson stated from the podium.  “South Florida architecture enjoys an enviable reputation and the caliber of competition this year was considerable.”

Celebrating its 3rd year recognizing and honoring outstanding projects, inspirational businesses, dedicated individuals and chapter members who are LEEDing the way to a more sustainable built environment in South Florida, this year’s GALA Verde was a veritable “who’s who” in green building design and construction throughout South Florida. Eligible entries had to be located in one of the following counties:  Indian River, Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade or Monroe.

Judges evaluated nominees on their demonstration of a holistic approach toward integrating green building and sustainable practices and principles into the design, execution and operation of their project, business or individual leadership efforts as well as the development of innovative solutions to regional challenges.

The HGTV 2009 Green Home is located in the planned community of Tradition in Port St. Lucie on Florida’s southeast Treasure Coast.  The home is LEED Platinum Certified by the US Green Building Council.  It is a 2,430-square-foot contemporary home that incorporates traditional design elements. In addition to Architect Michael Carlson, members of the design/build project team were HGTV Dream Home Planner Manager Jack Thomasson along with Interior Designer Linda Woodrum, Tradition President Wes McCurry, Contractor Leon Camarda and Landscape Architect Scott Davidson.

The four bedroom-three bath home features construction and design elements that are known to contribute to an energy-efficient, cleaner and even healthier living environment.  Sustainable features for the home began by orienting the building to maximize north / south exposures for optimum shading and protect interiors from sun exposure.  Natural day light is captured throughout the house with distinctive clerestory windows above the main open living area and solar tube skylights in the hallway and kitchen.  The changing daylight in the house also creates a sense of time and connection to nature.

Modern roofing technologies such as high solar reflecting materials and a roof garden create a cool, comfortable patio space.  Even though the metal roof appears dark in color with its terracotta red finish, is actually made of a highly reflective material that prevents unwanted heat gain. Solar photo voltaic (PV) cells are discreetly and ingeniously installed above the breezeway connecting the garage to the home.  The cells use renewable energy (solar power) to lower electricity use.

A highly insulated, solid concrete wall system known as Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) offers unparalleled storm protection and energy savings.  Water saving plumbing fixtures and rainwater collection for irrigation reduce the house's water demands.  Healthy materials, furnishings and finishes were liberally incorporated throughout the home's interior to provide superior indoor air quality.  Many materials also have recycled content.  The concrete foundation and glass tiles in the bathrooms are some examples of this.

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

By JAMES A. JONES JR. - jajones1@bradenton.com  

LAKEWOOD RANCH

One of the more unusual buildings to be constructed here is the Cancer Support Community of Southwest Florida. A 156-foot long, 35-foot high arch, called the “Bridge of Hope,” ties two 6,000-square-foot buildings together.  Eight massive columns supporting the arch are preserved tree logs recovered from the Suwanee River.

The logs were harvested from old-growth forest and floated down river more than 100 years ago. Some of the logs sank to the bottom of the river and remained there a century until discovered and excavated. The long time under water helped preserve the wood.

Cancer Support Community, formerly The Wellness Community, is scheduled for an October opening.

The Wellness Community recently merged with Gilda’s Clubs Worldwide to become Cancer Support Community.

Architect Michael Carlson designed the facility with input from Ringling College students and faculty, cancer survivors and medical experts.

The building sits on a five-acre parcel in the Lakewood Ranch Corporate Park, backs up to Long Swamp and is surrounded by a 600-acre nature preserve.

“We feel that it fits in beautifully in that all-natural area,” Carlson said.

Designed to provide psychological and social support to cancer patients and their families, the facility and its staff offer a free, professional program of education and hope.

The Bridge of Hope architectural feature was envisioned for the facility from the beginning of planning, Carlson said.

The arch is not only a traditional design element that signifies strength and permanence, according to a fact sheet supplied by Carlson, it also gives visitors an empowering sense of comfort from the structural pillars.

The arch extends from the north side, or entrance of the facility, and beyond the south building.

When visitors enter the building, they see the underside of the arch high above them. The arch clears a connecting courtyard, and then passes over the south building with its children’s area and community room. The room can be used for events, exercise classes and more.

The arch intentionally dominates the design of Cancer Support Community. The rest of the building was scaled down to be simple, welcoming and non-institutional.

The facility was also designed to take advantage of its surroundings. It is aligned on a precise east-west axis so that the sides of the building face north and south. The orientation takes best advantage of natural light, while minimizing heat gain.

In addition, the building extends into outdoor landscaped spaces that provide Tai Chi gardens, a dining terrace, healing gardens and the central courtyard.

Willis A. Smith Construction is also the contractor for the project, and is building it to qualify for the Gold level of LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, Carlson said.

Programming design began in 2006, with construction commencing in July 2009.

“The challenge of the building was to take all these diverse groups and put the ideas together in a cohesive whole,” Carlson said. “Everybody that has seen it has been inspired. We’ve received great feedback.”

Executive Director Jay Lockaby released a statement as to why a healing environmental matters to those living with cancer:

“Thanks to the generous donors to our Building Hope campaign, we will be able to provide free support for up to 6,000 cancer patients and their families annually in the finest healing environment anywhere — a facility that improves quality of life and may enhance recovery as well.

“Our referring physicians agree that effective treatment includes therapy and support outside the hospital and doctor’s office,” said Lockaby. “As the little non-profit that could, our goal is to create an atmosphere of physical and emotional comfort and to share our model with people around the world.”

For more information on Cancer Support Community, visit www.wellness-swfl.org.

James A. Jones Jr., East Manatee Editor, can be contacted at 745-7021.

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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/

by ABC 7 mysuncoast.com SARASOTA COUNTY - Banks are used to dealing with the color green; but one Suncoast bank has taken it a step further by working green. We ask...

Jay Lockaby, CEO of The Wellness Community of Southwest Florida (www.wellness-swfl.org), has been named to a new position by the organization’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C. Lockaby will become Senior Vice President of Affiliate Relations and Strategic Growth for the Cancer Support Community, a network including 50 local affiliates and more than 100 satellite locations. Jay will begin the transition to the national headquarters staff on September 7, but will maintain his role as CEO of the The Wellness Community of Southwest Florida until December 1 to help shepherd the organization through the grand opening of the newly-constructed facility scheduled for November 12th.

The announcement is just the latest recognition for Lockaby and The Wellness Community (TWC) here. The local organization previously received national’s Center of Excellence award with the highest score across 116 critical indicators of success. In 2007, Lockaby received the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professional of the Year Award, and last year TWC was a finalist for the local chamber’s Non-Profit of the Year Award.

In September, TWC plans to open a state-of-the-art facility for cancer patients and their families on a five-acre campus in Lakewood Ranch. Surrounded by healing gardens and serene nature preserves, this model of an optimal healing environment incorporates the latest in green technology and will be a worldwide prototype for other cancer support organizations.

“This exciting initiative will have a far reaching impact that will help change the face of psychosocial care for people affected by cancer,” said Kim Thiboldeaux, CEO of the international Cancer Support Community, in speaking about the new facility here.

Lockaby will remain in this area in his new position, supporting all the local cancer support organizations created by the recent merger of The Wellness Community with Gilda’s Clubs Worldwide.

The Wellness Community provides hope, education and support to people affected by cancer, and all of its programs are provided free of charge. Through participation in support groups, informational workshops and mind/body classes, people affected by cancer learn vital skills that improve the quality of their lives and make them better partners with their medical professionals. TWC is now part of the largest professionally-led network of cancer support in the world.

For more information, please contact Carol Ann Kalish, Board Chair, The Wellness Community of Southwest Florida, 941-329-6626.

Carlson Studio Architecture & Eco-Consulting is the only firm in the region to have six projects successfully achieve LEED Certification. What does that mean for...

Jedd W. Heap, LEED AP of Carlson Studio Archietcture will be accompanying the Learning Gate Community School demonstration exhibit to the National Charter School Conference in Chicago on June 28th, 2010. The Conference is featuring a prototype version of the LEED Platinum prefab structure in their exhibition hall.  Learning Gate Community School has applied what they learned by building their own LEED classroom additional and packaging it with their cutting edge enviromental cirriculum. "Learning Gate in a box" was the idea of the school's principal Patti Girard, and will offered to other charter schools looking to begin teaching through nature.

The confernece runs from June 28th through July 1st, with the exhibit hall opening at 7:30am on June 29th.

In the current issue of the Gulfcoast Business Review, Carlson Studio's Gateway Bank renovation is featured as one of the 1st LEED certified banks in Florida.

Gateway Bank goes green

by Carl Cronan, Tampa Bay Editor
Gulfcoast Business Review

Numerous smaller buildings along the Gulf Coast, particularly single-tenant office and retail structures, have sought and achieved LEED certification.

Sarasota-based Gateway Bank of Southwest Florida recently got the green stamp on its 4,500-square-foot Lockwood Ridge Road location, a former Regions Bank branch that opened in 1996.

Shaun Merriman, Gateway Bank president and CEO, says the decision to seek LEED certification was made while the building was being retrofitted for compliance with new state building codes designed to withstand hurricanes. He says the bank worked with Willis A. Smith Construction Inc., whose president, David Sessions, is on its board, as well as local architect Michael Carlson, a strong advocate of LEED design.

Changes to the building range from improved insulation to a new roof that absorbs less heat, with total payback estimated over four years. "It's saving us roughly $4,000 a year on our power bills," says Merriman, who has also calculated that the LEED branch uses at least 40% less energy than its comparable Manatee Avenue office.

An added benefit, he says, comes from being able to maintain a comfortable office setting with the thermostat set at 77 degrees - a seemingly magic number for air conditioning.

"We're not as focused on the economic return as we are on environmental impact," Merriman says. "It makes a huge difference. Not only that, but our employees like it."

Gateway Bank, which launched its own green commitment nearly two years ago, decided to pursue basic LEED certification instead of metal-named levels because gold or platinum is more difficult to achieve with existing buildings, Merriman says. Its next attempt at certifying another branch may be another two years away, he says.

In the meantime, he adds that bank customers are being offered various incentives for making changes that consume less paper, such as converting to e-statements and performing other banking functions online: "This business sure kills a lot of trees."

Read the rest of the arcticle

www.gatewaybank.com