Announcements

Passive House Conference 2021

Join me on Oct. 14 at PhiusCon 2021 (Passive House) in Tarrytown, New York, where Staengl Engineering and I will be presenting clever solutions to non-standard situations that arise in passive house commercial buildings like animal hospitals, cideries and kitchens. I am thrilled to be part of an esteemed group of speakers scheduled to present Oct. 12-15 at the conference.

Single-day and full-conference tickets are available here: https://phiuscon.org/registration/

View the full schedule and session descriptions here: https://phiuscon.org/schedule/

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Bamboo Grove Approved!

Bamboo grove was approved last week by the Albemarle Board of Supervisors, which means that the project is moving forward. We get to build a little pocket neighborhood in walking distance to downtown Crozet!

Thank you so much to Nicole and Justin from Gallifrey who filled in the gaps of my development  knowledge to make the rezoning process as smooth as it can be. County staff and officials have all been great to work with; I’m proud of how much care they put into their complex job of city building.

Special thanks to everyone who offered encouragement and advice through all of the project’s many different iterations, especially our wonderful neighbors. I’ve received so much positive feedback on the designs from the community and neighbors; I hope that this project becomes a beacon for how to create small scale, affordable, community focused, walkable places to live that fit in with and strengthen the surrounding neighborhoods.

Part of my philosophy is to make it easier for this type of neighborhood to be built in the area, so please feel free to contact me about questions, ideas or dream projects. Here is the slide deck from the Board of Supervisor’s meeting

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Small Wonder: Neighborhood Concept Blooms in Bamboo Grove

Lisa Martin wrote a wonderful story in the Crozet Gazette about the little neighborhood we’re trying to build and how it came to be.

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Green Building March 10th Luncheon: Leadership Panel

Hear from founders in the Charlottesville sustainability movement in this dynamic panel discussion. Panelists will share their experiences with careers in green building and sustainability, as well as advice for future generations. Come be inspired by local leaders and gain insights on building sustainability into your work and personal endeavors. This is the first in a series of thought leadership presentations across Virginia in 2020.

Our Charlottesville panelists include:

  • Bob Crowell, 2RW
  • Susan Elliott, City of Charlottesville
  • Annette Osso, Resilient Virginia
  • Galen Staengl, Staengl Engineering

Lunch will be provided

This presentation is approved for I GBCI CE credit

Fee: $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers.

Lunch will be served, Register Here

Our meeting space is generously donated by the City of Charlottesville.

DATE AND TIME
Tue, March 10th, 2020: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
LOCATION
City Space, 100 5th Street NE, Downtown Mall, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
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Bamboo Grove Crozet Neighborhood Meeting

Thank you so much to everyone who came to the first neighborhood meeting on February 12th for our little Bamboo Grove pocket neighborhood! Your encouragement and great questions made it an educational and fun experience. I wish that we had more time to talk, but as always if you have any other questions or comments please contact us.

Here are the presentation slides that framed our discussion:

CCAC Presentation Slides

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Green Building February 11th Luncheon:

The Charlottesville Climate Collaborative empowers individuals and businesses to be climate leaders with strategies to take action. This presentation will provide practical solutions to help you make a positive impact and achieve sustainability goals in your lifestyle, business, and community.

Speakers:

Andrea Bostrom

Andrea is the Charlottesville Climate Collaborative’s Residential Program Manager. Andrea began her journey into advocacy as a high school student in the Deep South, holding the enviable title of President of the Students for Environmental Awareness club. A native of Alabama, she grew up eating home grown tomatoes, communing with horses, and riding her bike through peach orchards. She took her passion for the environment towards a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Louisiana State University and a Master’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Texas – Austin. Andrea has spent almost two decades as an engineer, policy maker, and program manager in both the public and private sectors. She served as the program manager for the flood protection program at the City of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department for seven years before relocating to Charlottesville in 2014. She served as Director of the Charlottesville Waldorf School before joining C3 in September 2019.

Claire Habel

Claire Habel, C3’s Commercial Program Manager, grew up in Minnesota exploring the natural world. At C3’ she is running the Better Business Challenge as well as our Green Schools network. She graduated from DePaul University cum laude with a Bachelors in Intercultural Communication and earned her master’s degree in Environmental Communications & Advocacy from James Madison University. Most recently Claire worked with the City of Charlottesville’s Environmental Sustainability Division and Office of Communications. Claire is passionate about engaging businesses to promote sustainable practices.

Lunch will be provided

I GBCI and AIA CE credit pending approval

Fee: $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers.

Lunch will be served, Register Here

Our meeting space is generously donated by the City of Charlottesville.

DATE AND TIME
Tue, February 11th, 2020: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
LOCATION
City Space, 100 5th Street NE, Downtown Mall, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
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Green Building January 14th Luncheon: Climate Action Together: City, County, UVA

2019 was a big year for climate action in the Charlottesville area. The City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County both set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2030 and to be carbon neutral by 2050. Last month, UVA committed to be carbon neutral by 2030 and fossil fuel free by 2050. Charlottesville, Albemarle, and UVA are now developing new climate action plans while simultaneously continuing to implement projects that reduce emissions and to engage the community on individual action. Join us to hear from sustainability staff from each entity about the planning process, new and ongoing initiatives, and ways to get involved.

Speakers:

Narissa Turner is the Climate Program Coordinator for the County of Albemarle where she supports efforts to develop and implement goals and strategies for climate protection and resiliency in the County. Prior to joining the County in 2018, Narissa was a Climate Engagement Intern for The Center for Community Self-Help in Durham North Carolina. Narissa holds a MA in Climate and Society from Columbia University and a B.S. in Natural Resources and Recreational Tourism from the University of Georgia.”

Andrea Ruedy Trimble is Sustainability Director at the University of Virginia and has been a leader in university sustainability initiatives for over thirteen years. Andrea has a passion for sustainability in higher education because of the interconnectedness of operations, curriculum, research, and engagement, and the potential to accelerate change through replicable models. Prior to joining UVA in November 2014, Andrea managed Harvard University’s sustainable building program, taught university courses in design and sustainability, and worked in architecture, historic preservation, and sustainability consulting. Andrea now leads a team of UVA Office for Sustainability staff focused on pan-university strategic planning, engagement, communication, analysis, sustainable building, Grounds as a learning tool initiatives, and additional programs across sustainability impact areas aligned with UVA’s sustainability goals. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Architecture, a Master of Liberal Arts in sustainability and environmental management, and a Master of Science in historic preservation.

Susan Elliot is the Climate Protection Program Manager for the City of Charlottesville. The Climate Protection Program aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with community and municipal activities within the City of Charlottesville’s jurisdictional boundary. These efforts reflect climate protection commitments and greenhouse gas reduction goals adopted by the City, including its commitment to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy. Having worked with the City since 2012, Susan has been involved with greenhouse emission inventories, supporting and developing programs and services for the community, tracking and analyzing emission reduction opportunities, and leading the City’s efforts under the Covenant of Mayors commitment to adopt a new emissions reduction goal and transition into climate action planning.

Prior to working at the City of Charlottesville, Susan worked at the County of Albemarle managing an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. She has a Masters in Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia, a BA from Wellesley College, and is working towards a Masters in Public Administration at Old Dominion University.

Lunch will be provided

I GBCI and AIA CE credit pending approval

Fee: $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers.

Lunch will be served, Register Here

Our meeting space is generously donated by the City of Charlottesville.

DATE AND TIME
Tue, January 14th, 2020: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
LOCATION
City Space, 100 5th Street NE, Downtown Mall, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
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Bamboo Grove Pocket Neighborhood

Bamboo Grove is a miniature neighborhood with six compact, affordable and energy efficient houses is designed for an acre of land a few blocks from downtown Crozet. Shared green space between the houses anchors the neighboorhood together while walking trails and sidewalks connect it to nature and the surrounding community. Common landscaped areas, patio, bicycle parking and mail area will be located between the vehicles and the houses to encourage the informal interaction so essential to build a feeling of belonging to a community.

This type of housing is often referred to as a “Cottage Court”, “Bungalow Court”, or “Pocket Neighborhood” and provides a housing choice that is desirable, affordable and very rare in the current housing stock. All the houses will have a compact design which will help them fit in well with the surrounding neighborhood and will make them more affordable than almost every new house being constructed in the surrounding Crozet area.

The area next to the stream running through the property will be dedicated for Public use as a part of the proposed future greenway trail system that is shown in the Crozet Master Plan.

Rain gardens, native surface landscaping and other green infrastructure techniques will be used as much as possible to manage stormwater from hard surfaces on the site and from the areas draining through it. The site lies next to a small stream, so careful design will be used to filter and slow down the water travelling through the site as much as possible with tools that work with the existing environmental features. The existing topography will be respected and used to enhance the character of the neighborhood. For more details go to the project page:

Charlottesville Tomorrow did a little article on our little project!

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Green Building December 10th Building Tour: First Passive House in Virginia: Ten years in

Tour the first Passive House in Virginia with the General Contractor and Owner as they explain the intentions going into the project and lessons learned. Lankford Passive House has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, and about 2,250 square feet.

The green home has triple-pane Serious Windows 725 Series, double-stud wall framing, FSC-certified framing lumber and plywood, structural insulated sheathing with taped seams, a hybrid wall with nine inches of Agribalance open cell spray foam and cellulose insulation, a roof with Agribalance open cell spray foam and two inches of closed cell roof foam, a white roof, and an exterior with stucco and Western Red Cedar.

The home includes several other green elements, including a 1,100-gallon rainwater harvesting system, locally-sourced slate, regionally-sourced red oak floors with a water-based low-VOC finish, and building finishes from cherry and locust trees harvested on the site.

I GBCI and AIA CE credit pending approval

Fee: $5 for members and $15 for nonmembers.

Register Here

DATE AND TIME
Tue, December 10th, 2019: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EDT
LOCATION
229 Lankford Ave, Charlottesville, VA 22902
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Green Building November 12th Building Tour: A Closer Look at UVA’s Clark Hall

Clark Hall is a mixed-use academic building that opened in 1932 to house the UVA School of Law, and currently houses the University’s Department of Environmental Sciences and Charles L. Brown Science & Engineering Library. It is home to classrooms, office space, a library, a café, laboratories, exhibits, lecture halls and a “wet lab.” Recently, the UVA Facilities Management energy conservation team (Delta Force) implemented a combination of energy and water conservation upgrades, converting all 5,000 interior and exterior fixtures from fluorescent lamps to LED, installing low-flow toilets and faucet aerators, recalibrating air handling units, and upgrading HVAC controls. As a result, Clark Hall achieved an annual energy savings of $750,000, or 65%, along with an annual water savings of $22,000, or 79%, relative to their pre-retrofit baseline. The Delta Force team also documented the sustainable operations of Clark Hall, and the U.S. Green Building Council awarded Clark Hall its “LEED V4 Existing Buildings, Operations + Maintenance Silver” certification, the first such project recognized in Virginia

Speakers and Tour Guides:

Doug Livingston – Doug is part of the energy engineering team and helps identify and implement energy efficiency and retro-commissioning projects across Grounds. He also works with various stakeholders on Grounds to improve the built environment in order to increase health and wellness for the UVA community. Prior to joining UVA, Doug was the Program Manager of the Green Building Services department at Harvard University. Previous to Harvard he worked as a consultant doing HVAC and plumbing design, energy modeling, and energy conservation. He has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in architectural engineering from the University of Nebraska and he is a licensed mechanical engineer in the state of California.

Jesse Warren – Jesse is responsible for the University’s electric demand response and sustainable building programs. He leads a team of energy engineers who identify and implement energy efficiency and Delta Force retro-commissioning projects across Grounds. Previously, Jesse worked as a consultant doing energy conservation, HVAC design, energy modeling, and LEED project coordination. He has a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech and he is a licensed mechanical engineer in the state of Virginia. He is a proud father of three and a rain or shine two-wheeled commuter.

John Jones – John joined UVA in October 2010 after holding previous roles in the areas of facilities project management, physical plant operations, and mechanical and building automation systems contracting with various Virginia-based firms. He is currently responsible for evaluating, identifying and implementing energy reduction projects in existing university facilities at UVA. A few of his projects have included Gilmer Hall, Thornton Hall, West Complex and others. John holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering from Old Dominion University and is a licensed engineer in Virginia. He is also an accredited LEED AP BD+C and O+M as well as a Certified Energy Manager. Outside of work, John enjoys outdoor activities and music.

I GBCI and AIA CE credit pending approval

Fee: $5 for members and $15 for nonmembers.

Register Here

DATE AND TIME
Tue, November 12th, 2019: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EDT
LOCATION
University of Virginia, Clark Hall, 291 McCormick Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22904
Categories: Announcements, Education, Energy Efficiency, Preservation, Technology | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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