Posted on

Southern California collections management: fire rescue & restoration

Fueled by seasonal winds and dry conditions, Southern California’s Thomas Fire has become the largest, in terms of acreage, since 1932 when reliable recording began. State officials are saying that the 2017 fire season has been the most destructive that people in state have seen.

As of the Vanity Fair December 20 publication of Jane Borden’s article “In Southern California, Even the Art Has a Fire Rescue Plan,” the Thomas Fire had destroyed about 800 homes, nearing Santa Barbara, Montecito, and Ojai, collectively home to the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, working artists, art collectors, and celebrities.

On the evening of December 4, artists living in Ojai had no time to pack up their work before evacuating. Those with studios in Ventura spent evenings sleeping beside their work.

Works from four collections were moved to purified, closed rooms at the MCASB.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art, with van and crew ready at short notice, safeguarded works of art, valued at millions of dollars, retrieved from homes in the area.

The Conservation Center of Chicago is described as the “most prepared art-rescue team working in Southern California” during the fire.

As the air quality was rendered “really bad” by the Thomas Fire, teams from The Conservation Center rotated every four or five days. Works of art that were not damaged were stored in a safe location in Los Angeles. Works with minor damages were restored locally. More damaged works of art were shipped to Chicago for full restoration.

An industry leader in rescuing works of art after disasters such as fires or floods, The Conservation Center brings over 30 years of experience caring for individual, private, and public collections.

“In addition to restoration and packing and shipping services, The Conservation Center in Chicago specializes in disaster response. The Center’s national clients include corporations, museums, nonprofits, and private collectors, and the response team is trained to triage a variety of situations, most notably flood and fire. This year alone, the 36-person team has responded to hurricane damage in Houston and Miami, and rescued or restored 1,350 works from a Georgia museum damaged by a tornado. Now, the fires. “I’ve been with the company for 29 years, and this is definitely unprecedented, to have these things happening so closely together,“ explains Heather Becker, C.E.O. of The Conservation Center.”

See:

“Thomas Fire is Now California’s Largest Wildfire in History” | Doreen McCallister, NPR, 23 December 2017

“In Southern California, Even the Art Has a Fire Rescue Plan” | Jane Borden, Vanity Fair, 20 December 2017

The Conservation Center

#art #SouthernCalifornia #ThomasFire #SantaBarbara #Montecito #Ojai #MuseumofContemporaryArtSantaBarbara #MCASB #SantaBarbaraMuseumofArt #SBMA #conservation #rescue #restoration #artcollections #collectionsmanagement #CO2 #luxury #smartluxury #design #architecture #engineering #fireresistance #TheConservationCenter #Chicago #resilience #health #wellness#realestate #culturalrealestate #culturalheritage

Posted on

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

 

Posted on

HouseZero ・retrofitting a 1924-era wood-frame house

Harvard University’s Center for Green Buildings and Cities, in collaboration with international architecture and design firm Snøhetta, is retrofitting a wood frame house built in 1924 in what is now an historic district of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The house now serves as the Center’s headquarters.

The retrofit is intended to fulfill multiple objectives:

A focus on inefficient existing buildings. In the United States, buildings consume around 40% of energy produced annually. This equates to more than $230 billion spent annually by property owners heating, cooling, and powering the nation’s 123.6 million homes. Housing consumes 18-23% of that.

A focus on using current technologies together with better design.

The use of zero energy for heating and cooling. A retrofitted building that produces more energy than it consumes.

100% natural ventilation and daylight autonomy

Zero CO2 emissions, including embodied energy in materials

A positive rather than a negative impact on the surrounding environment. A house conducive to occupant health, encouraging productivity and creativity.

Use of self-generated data that will allow the building to self-adjust. The house will adjust itself seasonally and daily to achieve thermal comfort targets.

The development of ideas and a working model that can be used by homeowners as they seek to renovate existing houses towards significant energy and carbon use improvements without costly or wasteful tear-downs.

The Center for Green Buildings and Cities will not seek any kind of independent certification, such as USGBC LEED, WELL, or Living Building certification. The intent is, rather, to exceed those standards’ criteria.

The renovation, says Ali Malkawi, professor of architectural technology and founding director of the CGBC, is guided not only by the goal of net zero energy consumption with 100% natural light and ventilation but also by the understanding that a green building is “a sustainable building, which means it has the lowest impact on its surrounding environment as possible. It might have a positive effect on its environment—the surrounding as well as the global.” Such a building is, furthermore, “healthy for its occupants” and encourages productivity and creativity.

See:

“Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities unveils HouseZero project, an ambitious retrofit of its Cambridge headquarters” | Travis Dagenais, Harvard Graduate School of Design, 25 May 2017

“Harvard’s ‘HouseZero’” | Alisha Ukani, Harvard Magazine, 3 August 2017

“Future Home: HouseZero” | Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities”

#architecture #architecturaltechnology #buildingtechnology #technology #design #engineering #netzero #energy #resilience #CO2 #home #luxury #smartluxury #retrofit #homeownership #realestate #commercialrealestate #culturalrealestate #culturalheritage #art #collectionsmanagement #museums #galleries #snøhetta #harvard #harvardcenterforgreenbuildingsandcities #Cambridge #data #health #wellness #family

Posted on

information, asset condition, & advantage

When buying, selling, or using a tangible asset such as a home, building, or work of art, the condition of the tangible asset is important. Condition affects the purchase, use, and sale of a tangible asset.

What factors inform the condition of tangible assets and the markets for tangible assets? There are many.

The New York Times has been following the interactions of the real estate market (purchase and sale transactions, predicated on condition) with documented effects of changing climate and more frequent occurrences of extreme weather.

Information and perspective around such interactions are presented in the November 24, 2016 article, “Perils of Climate Change Could Swamp Coastal Real Estate.”

Pertinent questions arise. What information. How sourced. How to make use of information. How to turn challenges into opportunities. Opportunities at point of purchase, at point of sale, and during the lifetime and use of the asset. Opportunities for health, wellness, lifestyle, and value.

Here is an excerpt:

“As difficult as it is to predict the pace of climate change, modeling how it will affect the real estate market is even more complicated. Like a game of hot potato, builders, homeowners, banks, flood insurers and buyers of securitized mortgages try to hand off risky properties before getting burned. Developers erect houses and sell them typically within a couple of years, long before their investments depreciate. Banks earn commissions even on risky home loans before bundling these mortgages into securities and selling them to large pension funds, insurers or other buyers.

“Home buyers tend to think short term, focus on what they can afford and hope that the local infrastructure keeps pace with the rise in sea levels. Home buyers are also generally on their own as they look at prospective properties and try to size up their risk, as real estate agents vary in what they disclose.

“… Good information is hard to come by. No one knows whether, when or by how much properties will depreciate, seas will encroach or flood insurance policies will change.”

See: “Perils of Climate Change Could Swamp Coastal Real Estate” | Ian Urbina, The New York Times, 24 November 2016

Posted on

M Moser Associates’ office in New York’s 1913-vintage Woolworth Building to be retrofit to Platinum WELL Building Standard

International architecture and design firm M Moser Associates is retrofitting and revitalizing their new office space on the 24th-floor of Manhattan’s Woolworth Building.

The Woolworth Building was built in 1913 and was, at the time, the tallest building in the world, engineered to maintain its own electricity, heat, and subway entrance, with windows that could, and still can, be opened when outdoor pollution levels are low.

While acknowledging challenges in retrofitting old office space, such as dealing with old electrical, old plumbing, and old HVAC, M Moser Associates points out that all buildings represent embodied energy and that embodied energy best be recognized and optimized.

As M Moser Associates revitalizes their office space on the 24th floor, the company will pursue both a Platinum Well Building Standard and USGBC LEED certification.

Initiated by Delos and the International WELL Building Institute, the WELL Building Standard is evidence-based, rating the quality of water, air, and light, and is geared toward occupant health, wellness, fitness, and productivity. The WELL Building Standard “marries best practices in design and construction with evidence-based medical and scientific research – harnessing the built environment as a vehicle to support human health and well-being.”

M Moser & Associates brings a similar focus on restructuring and re-engineering office space towards employee health, wellness, and productivity in all of its office spaces, including those in Hong Kong, London, San Francisco, and Guangzhou.

See:

“Woolworth Building Office in New York Becomes a Retrofit Lab” | Alyssa Danigelis, Environmental Leader, 30 October 2017

“Learning from Plans to Retrofit One of America’s Oldest Skyscrapers” | Adele Peters, Fastcodesign, 30 October 2017

Delos

#architecture #design #officespace #InternationalWELLBuildingInstitute #Delos #health #wellness #fitness #urbanliving #urbanluxury #luxury #realestate #commercialrealestate #CRE #builtenvironment #buildingtech #engineering #H2O #CO2 #HongKong #London #SanFrancisco #Guangzhou #resilience

Posted on

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