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energy efficient, living smart, developing a legacy, increasing sales

Maracay Homes, an Arizona homebuilding company and leader in the Arizona real estate industry, “providing homebuyers with smarter choices,” for more than 25 years, reports a correlation between EnergySmart, energy efficiency, and sales.

““We have outperformed our competitors because of the Energy Star and LEED component,” reports Maracay Marketing Manager Elise Goodell. “Realtors and prospects are seeing a lift in value, and they are willing to pay for the LEED certification…'”

The home construction company, headquartered in upscale Scottsdale, Arizona and serving the Phoenix- and Tuscson-area markets, correlates EnergySmart with LivingSmart in its entirety and the quality of life of homeowners together with legacy and better sales.

All homes constructed by Maracay are now Energy Star-certified.

Two years ago Maracay “beta tested” LEED certification on a small scale. Maracay understands LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) to provide a more holistic analysis of home energy savings than Energy Star ratings and an educational requirement, on a small scale. The company is now integrating LEED on a large scale.

“One essential element in Maracay’s educational campaign is an in-depth, locally produced video that includes interviews with potential (and actual) buyers and a walk-through of an under-construction Maracay home, hosted by D.R. Wastchak (DRW), a local Arizona energy efficiency rating company with a 17-year track record in the field and a list of credits that includes EPA ‘Partner of the Year.’”

See:

“Arizona homebuilding company finds success with energy efficiency” | Tina Casey, Inman, 29 December 2017

Maracay Homes

#homes #homeconstruction #buildingtechnology #sales #homesales #realtors #realestate #commercialrealestate #culturalrealestate #energy #energyefficiency #LEED #USGBC #EnergyStar #luxury #smartluxury #CO2 #Arizona #Scottsdale #Phoenix #Tuscon #MaracayHomes #resilience #art #collectionsmanagement#education #health #wellness #family

 

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the newly-opened & very lovely Louvre Abu Dhabi

The result of an intergovernmental agreement signed in 2007 and opened to the public on November 11, the $1 billion Louvre Abu Dhabi is a museum of juxtapositions and chronology that serves many purposes.

The museum is an integral “part of the town and of life [La ville et la vie],” (the museum’s architect Jean Nouvel). The museum is an expression of “soft power” and enhances a cultural strategy to serve as a bridge between civilizations and counter tensions in the region (Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, the U.A.E. minister of state). The museum presents “a narrative of humankind from the beginning of knowledge, using art as a witness of the times,” (Jean-François Charnier, the project’s chief curator and scientific director for Agence France-Museums).

An iteration of a north African medina and rising no more than 30 feet in most places, the museum is composed of 55 separate pavilions, some beneath a 180-meter-diameter, 7,500-ton dome. The dome is comprised of eight layers of interlocking steel and aluminum effecting more than 7,800 perforations that filter the hot Arabic sun into brilliant spots of light that dapple the walls.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is designed to achieve LEED silver. It has already achieved a 3 Pearl Estidama Design Rating. The museum creates a comfortable micro-climate with passive design techniques. Such techniques include a concept based on traditional regional architecture, passive water and energy conservation techniques, and highly efficient HVAC systems, lighting, and sanitation. Other techniques include the use of solar shading provided by the dome roof, the self-shading of buildings, the roof perforations that allow daylight without excess solar gain or wind flow, and exposed thermal mass such as stone floor and cladding that benefit from night-time cooling.

There are 23 galleries for the permanent collection, a huge, 2,000-square-meter temporary exhibition space, a children’s museum, and a waterside restaurant. The complex is designed to be used as a social space in the evenings.

See:

“Inside the Louvre Abu Dhabi with architect Jean Nouvel” | Caroline Roux, The Telegraph, 14 November 2017

“The Louvre Abu Dhabi Puts a $1 Billion Spotlight on Globalization – But Makes Some Glaring Historical Omissions” | Javier Pes, Artnet.com, 8 November 2017

“Louvre Abu Dhabi, a Cultural Cornerstone Where East Meets West” | Doreen Carvajal, The New York Times, 7 November 2017

The Louvre Abu Dhabi | About Us, Architecture

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SFMOMA・optimizing for sustainability was the fun part

After three years of construction under the direction of architectural firm Snøhetta and environmental design firm Atelier Ten, the expanded and high-performing San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) opened to the public in May of 2016.

Doubling the size of the museum and tripling gallery space, the museum achieved and surpassed LEED gold, working towards maximum sustainability. Optimizing for maximum sustainability was the fun part.

Building on the the science of conservation, born out of the World-War-II-era movement of London artworks to slate caves in Wales, and on the San Francisco mandate that all new construction meet USGBC LEED gold criteria, the SFMOMA initiated a Sustainability Roundtable to research solutions that would work for the museum. Participants in the Sustainability Roundtable included museum staff and representatives from Atelier Ten, Snøhetta, Taylor Engineering, The Getty, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), the Indianapolis Museum of ARt, and Stanford University’s Anderson Collection.

Testing approaches and combinations of approaches iteratively, the group determined to optimize “seasonal set points” and customized every aspect of the structure’s design and systems including mechanical, lighting, water, and HVAC.

See:

“Optimize, Optimize, Optimize: Museum Conservation in the LEED Era” | Lindsey Westbrook, freelance editor and writer specializing in art, architecture, and design; clients include SFMOMA, SFMOMA

“SFMOMA reopens with Snøhetta extension that triples its gallery space” | Dan Howarth, Dezeen, 28 April 2016

#art #museums #artmarket #SFMOMA #SanFrancisco #architecture #design #resilience #builtenvironment #buildingtech #construction #tech #energy #conservation #luxury #smartluxury #urbanluxury #realestate #LEED #Snøhetta #AtelierTen #TaylorEngineering #Getty #MFABoston #IndianapolisMuseumofArt #AndersonCollection #CO2 #H2O #collectionsmanagement #contemporaryart #engineering

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bricks, mortar, health, wellness, & sustainable amenities → enhanced value + premium pricing

AMLI Residential, a company founded in 1980, owned by PRIME Property Fund, a core commingled institutional fund, and focused on the development, acquisition, and management of luxury apartment communities in the United States, has recently completed the first AMLI Sustainable Living Index. Residents of AMLI apartment properties were asked after their views of sustainability and green living. The survey was conducted in August of this year at properties in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Seattle, Southern California and Southeast Florida.

There were 2,812 respondents. 12 percent of the respondents were younger than age 25, 47 percent were ages 25-34, 16 percent were ages 35-44, and 25 percent were 45 or older.

A majority of residents are willing to pay slightly more to live in a “green” residence

The survey indicates that a majority of residents are willing to pay slightly more to live in a “green” residence.

64% of respondents are willing to pay more for sustainable housing

84% of respondents say living in sustainable homes is important to them

85% of respondents believe living in sustainable homes is beneficial to their health.

The following features are most valued by respondents:

a smoke-free community – 94% of respondents

energy- and water-efficient features – 93% of respondents

access to public transit/ strong walk and bike scores  – 85% of respondents

77% of respondents report that AMLI’s green living features have saved them money in utility costs.

Resilience

AMLI Vice President of Sustainability Erin Hatcher discusses the resilience factor. Buildings can be made more resilient to environmental, market, and regulatory risks through the incorporation of a holistic features. “Utility price increases, unpredictable power outages and other unforeseen events just don’t affect them as much as their less environmentally-friendly counterparts.”

Sustainability is good business when done right & done smart

Ms. Hatcher reports:

“Sustainability is good business when done right and done smart. In multifamily residential, a developer should consider a sustainably holistic approach that includes value adds for the resident, our buildings, and the immediate communities where they reside. Operating costs, and ultimately residents’ utility bills, can be reduced through LEED-targeted construction, as well as efficient HVAC, lighting, and water systems. These […] enhance both the resident experience and asset values. Efficient systems can go far to decrease the wear-and-tear (i.e., maintenance costs) on the property’s equipment and the overall power and water grids, too.

“Green buildings are also more resilient to environmental factors. Utility price increases, unpredictable power outages and other unforeseen events just don’t affect them as much as their less environmentally-friendly counterparts. Similarly, avoiding potentially harmful building materials promotes the longevity of our buildings and the health of residents who live in them. More frequent fresh air exchanges and non-smoking policies at sustainable communities add to the health benefits. Keeping residents safe and comfortable in their home is always top priority, but that need not conflict with our sustainable mission, nor erode the bottom line.

“Sustainability on the community level is often overlooked, yet is a by-product of any eco-conscious development. Adding green space and rainwater management features such as rain gardens or ponds have great civic potential at a low cost. These efforts provide scenic, natural amenities for building residents and the community at-large, while reducing the loads on shared, often aged community infrastructure, especially storm-water drainage.”

Twenty-eight AMLI properties (more than one-third of the company’s portfolio) are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified and 15 AMLI communities are ENERGY STAR certified.

AMLI received two awards this month from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC):

the Outstanding Multi-Family Developer LEED Homes award for its outstanding leadership and innovation in the residential green building marketplace, and

the LEED Power Builder award, which recognizes developers that certify at least 90 percent of their units built in the past year.

AMLI currently owns and manages 59 apartment communities including more than 19,900 apartment homes and has approximately 4,600 additional apartment homes under development at 14 new properties.

 

See:

“Residents Will Pay More for Sustainable Spaces, Says Survey” | Jennifer Hermes, Environmental Leader, 20 September 2017

“New Survey: 84 Percent of Residents Say Living in a Green Home is Important to Them; 85 Percent Believe Living in a Green Home Benefits Their Health” | Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway Company, 18 September 2017

“Leaders Unveil Their Secrets: Business Case for Environmental Stewardship” | Jennifer Hermes, Environmental Leader, 18 July 2017

“Bricks, Mortar, and Carbon | How Sustainable Buildings Drive Real Estate Value” | Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing, March 2016

#realestate #commercialrealestate #investments #finance #ROI #bottomline #sustainability #resilience #health #wellness #value #enhancedvalue #luxury #smartluxury #AMLI #USGBC #LEED #EnergyStar #BerkshireHathaway

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PassivDom houses are very, very smart & very beautiful

PassivDom, a start-up based in Ukraine and California, is a tech-based manufacturing company.

PassivDom 3D prints self-learning modular houses, some of which are fully autonomous. “Autonomous” means “off the utility grid.” Solar energy is produced and can be stored in a battery connected to the house. Water is collected and filtered from humidity in the air. The house may feature an independent sewage system.

The manufacturing process works like this: The team develops a “map” for the 3D printers / seven-axel robots in its factories in Ukraine and California. The 3D printer / seven-axel robot prints the roof, floor, and walls layer by layer. The material used is composed of carbon fibers, polyurethane, resins, basalt fibers, and fiberglass. This material is six times stronger than steel.

Doors, windows, appliances, an alarm system, solar panels, and the septic, electrical, healing, cooling systems are then added – by people.

According to the PassivDom website, PassivDom has the highest thermal performance among residential buildings. PassivDom windows are the warmest in the world. PassivDom exceeds the energy efficiency requirements of both the Passive House Institute and LEED.

PassivDom provides a 40-year materials warranty for the preservation of thermal characteristics. There are no materials that will lose thermal conductivity.

A PassivDom house is not only a smart house, it is a “very, very smart house.” All devices are networked to the Internet of Things and can be controlled from a smart phone. The micro-climate system is self-learning, monitors oxygen and carbon dioxide, and maintains the temperature and humidity desired by the occupant.

And PassivDom houses are beautiful.

Wow.

See:

PassivDom

“A robot can print this $32,000 house in as little as 8 hours — take a look inside” | Leanna Garfield, Business Insider, 6 April 2017

#smart #smarthouse #PassivDom #Ukraine #California #tech #buildingtech #realestate #art #smartluxury #resilience #luxury #3Dprinting #autonomous #offgrid #solarenergy #electricity #water #CO2 #PassivHaus #LEED

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David Zwirner ・forward-thinking art-world luminary

In a time of arguably increasing climate risk and concomitant regulatory risk, price risks, and prospective market adjustments, mega art dealer David Zwirner is a forward-thinking art-world pioneer and luminary. Mr. Zwirner has set a new environmental standard for art-related facilities while presenting a “a clean, elegant, modernist aesthetic that is very much about welcoming visitors today.”

During 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, more than five million gallons of water flooded the construction site of New York’s new Whitney Museum. In response, the engineering and construction of the museum building, the lobby of which is 10 feet above sea-level, and infrastructure were re-designed and re-engineered.

David Zwirner’s second Manhattan location, on West 20th Street, is situated in Chelsea close by the Hudson River. The 537 West 20th Street gallery opened in early 2013, mere months after Hurricane Sandy.

Designed by Annabelle Selldorf and design consultants Atelier Ten, the five-story, 30,000-square-foot structure is built to museum standards and to accommodate large-scale installations and the full range of artists the gallery represents. The gallery is also the first known commercial art gallery built to LEED Gold standards.

The building incorporates five green roof spaces, premium efficiency mechanical, maximized daylighting, and locally and responsibly-sourced materials.

Sound business sense.

See:

“Frick Collection Names Selldorf Architects for Its Renovation” | Robin Pogrebin, The New York Times, 20 October 2016

“This Quietly Elegant Architect is Now the Darling of the Design World” | James Tarmy, Bloomberg, 5 June 2015

“Protecting Priceless Art from Natural Disasters” | John Whitaker, The Atlantic, 27 May 2015

“Annabelle Selldorf Designs the New David Zwirner Gallery” | Samuel Cochran, Architectural Digest, 30 April 2013

“David Zwirner Opens New Manhattan Gallery” | Tamara Warren, Forbes, 29 January 2013

“David Zwirner 20th Street,” New York, New York | Selldorf Architects

David Zwirner

Selldorf Architects | Architects

Atelier Ten | Environmental Design Consultants + Engineers

 

#art #artmarket #architecture #design #DavidZwirner #AnnabelleSelldorf #AtelierTen #WhitneyMuseum #Whitney #HurricaneSandy #climatechange #climaterisk #regulatoryrisk #marketadjustments #finance #LEED #LEEDGold

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Chicago ・66% of office buildings certified LEED or Energy Star

“Green certification is no longer an oddity or nice to have. In many top markets it’s an oddity if you’re not green certified.”

Nils Kok, associate professor, Maastricht University, the Netherlands

Chicago now has the highest percentage, 66%, of certified LEED or Energy Star office buildings among the 30 largest real estate markets in the United States. (CBRE and Maastricht University study, 6 July 2017).

See:

“Chicago Grabs Lead in Green Office Buildings, Study Shows” | Emily Chasan, Bloomberg, 6 July 2017

“2017 National Green Building Adoption Index” | Maastricht University, CBRE, Real Green, 6 July 2017

 #Chicago #LEED #EnergyStar #commercialbuildings #commercialrealestate #officebuildings #CBRE #MaastrichtUniversity #realestate #emissions #energy
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the luxury market is driving LEED & green building tech

The use of  advances in green building technology and LEED (USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) by U.S. developers and architects is increasingly market driven.

Such initiatives have oftentimes been borne out of environmental regulations and tax subsidies initiated at local, state and federal levels.

It appears, however, that such environmental regulations and tax subsidies are no longer sole primary drivers.

Rather, market demand is also driving the adoption of green building technology and LEED in the design and development of luxury buildings.

People understand the need for and benefits of green building technologies and carbon neutral energy programs. Developers, architects, and designers are beginning to follow suit.

Here are some examples:

  • Marcos Corti, CEO, Consultatio, the developer of Oceana, the first building on Bal Harbour, Florida to be LEED certified:

“The trend is to go LEED and to continue that path. It is on everybody. If the government or the leader is not going that way, I think the entire population is going that way, so it isn’t going to change.”

  • Stephen Glascock, President and Managing Partner, founded New York-based Anbau in 1998 based on the vision that “good design makes good business.” The Anbau focus is on residential condominium development in New York City, seeking value and appropriate risk-adjusted returns.

“We don’t get any subsidies for LEED stuff. All the sustainable stuff comes from what we feel is the right thing to do.”

  • Christopher Gandolfo, vice president of development, Swire Properties. Swire Properties is active globally. Brickell City Centre is 9.1-acre city-within-a-city, a retail-led mixed complex of luxury condo towers, class-A office buildings, a five-star hotel, and an open-air shopping center, engineered and built on platforms over the street level that link shops, restaurants, hotel and the other buildings.

“We are pioneer for the time. I’d like to believe other good developers will follow suit. It is up to the public to demand it to some degree as well.”

LEED “helps keep the very large team of designers, specialist consultants, and contractors who work on a project like 520 W 28th Street focused on the project’s performance and indoor air quality goals, and it gives our buyers an extra level of comfort that we achieved these goals.”

  • Brandon Specketer, partner at COOKFOX Architects, “architectural studio dedicated to a vision of integrated, environmentally responsive design. We believe good design is sustainable and we are committed to being wise stewards of our shared natural and cultural resources.”

COOKFOX project 550 Vanderbilt in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn utilizes Biophilic Design principles throughout the building to connect residents to the natural world for enhanced creativity, clarity of thought, and improved well being.

“LEED isn’t a checklist. It is a standard of quality that helps everyone meet a certain standard.”

See:

“Green Building in U.S. Luxury Developments Continues to Flourish” | Ariel Ramchandani, Mansion Global, 29 May 2017

“City in a city: Brickell City Centre set to transform downtown Miami” | Debora Lima, Miami Herald, 15 May 2016

550 Vanderbilt | COOKFOX

#realestate #luxury #smartluxury #LEED #greentech #Consultatio #Anbau #SwireProperties #RelatedCompanies #COOKFOX #realestatedevelopment #architecture #design #NewYork #Miami #climaterisk #urbanliving

 

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art storage & protection @ $1+ billion globally

The global art market generated sales of about $65 billion in 2016 according to the TEFAF Art Market Report 2017.

The growing, global network of facilities to store art now generates revenues of over $1 billion a year. Many of these spaces serve multiple objectives – including security, environmental protections, and trade: Sto

  • security
    • video surveillance
    • retinal scanning
  • space | collectors have too much to keep at home
  • protection
    • climate-controlled environments
    • fire-resistant walls
    • air-filtration
    • flood control
    • LEED and BREEAM building certifications
  • investment purchases
  • tax benefits
  • tax-suspended transport to and from galleries | as long as works of art return to storage no duty is payable, even if ownership of the art has changed
  • “1031 exchange” friendly
  • gallery inventory between shows and art fairs
  • storage of art taken by banks as collateral against loans
  • viewing rooms that can be rented on a more permanent basis | in-house, private sales and transfers of ownership
  • passport free access (freeports within airport perimeters)

Simon Hornby, the president of Crozier Fine Arts, estimates that 80% or even more of all the world’s art is in storage at any one time.

The art storage business has doubled in size in eight years and continues to grow.

“Until about ten years ago, Modern and contemporary art collectors were mainly made up of art enthusiasts and amateurs, they had a real passion, spending their money on what they liked; they collected in order to simply enjoy the work in their home environment. Today you have to work with an increasing number of art funds or speculators buying art for investment. Art buying has become accessible to a much larger audience than before and is considered an asset. The result of this is that more work sleeps in warehouses rather than hanging in collectors’ homes.”

Stephane Custot, Waddington Custot Gallery, London

“In the last year, I only physically saw one piece of art that I negotiated. Everything else was bought and sold via jpegs and remained in storage. It was all for investment.”

New York dealer and appraiser

In order to protect the assets, moreover, built environment investment is attempting to keep up with the evolution of demand, including security and environmental protections.

A state-of-the-art storage facility with “foreign trade zone” (FTZ) status (a freeport), ARCIS Fine Art & Collection Care, is under construction on Manhattan’s West 146th Street. Developed by Cayre Equities, the project has taken two years and over $40 million. Executive Director Tom Sapienza and Tom Lay, both formerly with Crozier Fine Arts, were recruited by art collector, real estate developer, and Crozier founder Ken Cayre to manage the project.

The five-story, 110,000 square foot is scheduled to open next month (July 2017).  ARCIS is Latin for “fortress”. The facility is designed and engineered to provide and enhance both environmental and security protections.

With the objective of constructing a museum-quality, sustainable, state-of-the-art secure building, Sapienza and Lay took crash courses in thermal dynamics and consulted with the professional services branch of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Works of art will be scanned as they move through the building. State-of-the-art air filters are installed; air will change three to six times an hour.  LEED and BREEAM certifications are to be achieved for the building.

See:

“TEFAF’s 2017 Art Market Report” | Marion Maneker, Art Market Monitor, 6 March 2017

“TEFAF Art Market Report 2017” | Prof. Dr. Rachel A.J. Pownall, TEFAF Chair in Art Markets, The European Fine Art Foundation, March 2017

“Where does all the art go after a fair?” | Georgina Adam, The Art Newspaper, 16 June 2017

“Picasso Finds Possible Digs in Harlem $2.5 Billion Art Port” | Katya Kazakina, Bloomberg, 2 March 2017

“Will New York Get Its Own Freeport for Art? ARCIS Plans a Tax Haven in Harlem” | Eileen Kinsella, Artnet, 2 March 2017

“One of the World’s Greatest Art Collections Hides Behind This Fence” | Graham Bowley & Doreen Carvajal, The New York Times, 28 May 2016

“About Foreign-Trade Zones and Contact Info” | U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

#realestate #resilience #smartluxury #art #LEED #BREEAM #finance #investments #artcollections #artmarket #VanGoghMuseum #museums