Construction Update: March 12, 2010

Solera Construction Tour: Friday, March 19 at 3pm. Join us for a green building presentation and a walking tour of the building. Please send us an email to reserve your space.

The building’s exterior metal panel siding and stucco are currently being installed. The high roof insulation and full roofing membrane are being installed. The building is now enclosed and fully weather proofed on the 3rd and 4th floors with dry wall in those units underway now underway. Transition from temporary power to the building’s permanent power is occurring. The tower crane has been removed and the penetrations where the crane had been have now been filled – making the building nearly fully weather-tight.

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Apartment Trends: Lobby for A Good Cause

If the exterior of a building is like the cover of a book, then the lobby is the introduction/table of contents. It tells you what to expect, sets the tone, and helps you decide whether you want to read further. A well-designed lobby can make a positive first impression and communicate the value of the development, while creating a functional common space. Lately more and more apartment/condo developers are paying close attention to the lobby as a key component to the overall building’s design and personality.

Solera’s lobby design was inspired by the feel of a hotel or coffee shop, meant to draw people in and make them feel welcome. The lobby will include a comfortable seating area and “Mac bar” with four Mac computers at stationary desks to encourage surfing and lobby socializing. A complimentary coffee/tea service, managed by the leasing office, will occupy a central location in the room.

To prevent the common folly of outdated design, finishes will feature a mature color palette rather than a trendy one to create an enduring feel. The message of sustainability will continue through the lobby in the selection of finishes. In this way, the lobby is an extension of the apartments themselves and showcases what to expect in each home.

Rather than hiding building staff from tenants, as is typical in rental lobbies, Solera’s management and leasing staff will be immediately available at the front desk located in the lobby. This desk will function as a "concierge-type" desk staffed to provide increased service to tenants, such as holding packages, dry cleaning, and managing all maintenance and leasing services.

Of course form must follow function in an important space such as this. Tenants can access mailboxes directly across from the elevators. In addition to open seating areas, a ground floor conference room can be reserved for tenant private use. This space will enable tenants to hold professional meetings or private gatherings, ideal for the tele-commuter or the active community member. A small kitchen will also be located in the lobby for use by tenants and social functions the leasing staff organizes.

From the first step inside, apartment/condo buildings should catch your attention and give you a taste of what the homes have to offer. When done correctly, the lobby can create opportunities for socializing, emphasize the benefits of community living, and make tenants and guests feel welcome and involved. We plan for Solera’s entryway to do just that.

Once the “introduction” has caught your eye, you’ll be much more likely to see where it goes from there. It might be a novel idea, but without a doubt, intentional lobbies are the newest trend.

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The LEED Process: Design and Construction Credit Submissions

For a construction project to obtain LEED certification at any of the four levels (Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum) two important steps are required: Design Credit Submission and Construction Credit Submission.

These two submission steps occur at distinct moments in a project’s construction period:

• Design Credit Submission - After design is complete and construction started
  
• Construction Credit Submission - After construction is finished

At each of these stages, the project team submits the credits that pertain to each stage to LEED-Online; the USGBC web-based credit management tool.

The Solera project – now under construction for one year – recently completed its Design Credit Submission. The following credits were included in this submission:

Sustainable Sites Credits:
SS 1: Site Selection
SS 2: Development
SS 4.1: Alternative Transportation, Public Access
SS 4.2: Alternative Transportation, Bike Storage
SS 4.3: Alternative Transportation, Low Emitting Vehicles
SS 4.4: Alternative Transportation, Parking Capacity
SS 7.1: Heat Island Effect, Non-Roof
SS 7.2: Heat Island Effect, Roof

Water Efficiency Credits:
WE 1.1: Water Efficient Landscaping, Reduce 50%
WE 1.2: Water Efficient Landscaping, No Potable
WE 3.1 & 3.2: Water Use Reduction, 20% & 30%

Energy and Atmosphere:
EA Pre-req 2: Minimum Energy Performance
EA Pre-req 3: Fundamental Refrigerant Management
EA 1: Optimize Energy Performance

Materials and Resources:
MR Pre-req 1: Storage & Collection of Recyclables

Indoor Environmental Quality:
Pre-req 1: Minimum IAQ Performance
EQ 6.1: Controllability of Systems: Lighting
EQ 6.2: Controllability of Systems: Thermal Control
EQ 7.1: Thermal Comfort: Design
EQ 8.1: Daylighting & Views: 75% of Spaces

In addition to the above standard Design Credits, the Solera team also submitted four Innovation in Design credits.

The GBCI, the Green Building Certification Institute, is currently reviewing Solera’s Design Credit Submission. The GBCI is the third-party entity that USGBC created to review all LEED applications. Ideally all credits that the Solera team submitted will be accepted. However, in the event that any credits are denied, the Solera team will have the ability to make additions and/or edits to the submission to ensure that the Solera project achieves all 28 Design Credits.

Solera anticipates completing the Construction Credit Submission in August or September 2010, after construction is complete and building operations are underway.

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