News

Fairhope's Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects launches green consulting and education firm

By Kathy Jumper
Real Estate Editor
Mobile Press-Register

The annual energy savings at the Richard Shelby Center for Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management, under construction on Dauphin Island, should be enough to power 18 homes, thanks to its green-certified building plans.

Faulkner State Community College plans to save $20,000 a year on energy cost for its Health & Allied Science building in Fairhope with a design that uses Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, methods.

Going green has benefits, according to Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects, which designed both projects and has launched Watershed, a green consulting and education business. But, "there is still not much green action," in the Gulf Coast area, according to Rebecca Dunn Bryant, an intern architect at the Fairhope firm who will now work for Watershed.

The consulting business should help architects, engineers, developers, municipalities and homeowners create green building solutions in the area, she said.

Bryant and intern architect Catherine Hall-Pate, who both have LEED professional accreditation, will work with clients at Watershed under the management of architects Mac Walcott and Gina Walcott.

"Watershed grew out of the idea that our current financial downturn has the potential to be a 'watershed moment,'" said Hall-Pate. "We think it is an ideal time to rethink the way we build, the energy that we use and our impacts on the environment."

LEED-certified building can reduce the environmental impact of construction by focusing on site selection, water and energy use, building materials and indoor air quality, according to LEED experts.

Jeremy Friedman built a green-certified five-bedroom house in The Meadows in Point Clear last fall, using National Association of Home Builders green guidelines and a Chatham Home Planning design. He said 2,500 people responded when he offered tours of the home.

"We had a lot of interest from people wanting to know how they could go green in their existing home," he said, "and others wanted to build new homes that are green."

The 3,610-square-foot house, which has yet to sell, should cost about $73 a month to heat or cool, he said. The house is listed for $659,000.

Friedman said he spent two years educating himself on green building, so a firm such as Watershed would benefit builders.

Walcott Adams has designed six green buildings, including three LEED projects, and interest is growing, Mac Walcott said.

"Some folks don't care that the project is certified green, they just want a better house with energy and water saving features," he said.

Others, both homeowners and commercial clients, want the LEED certification so they can track their savings, Hall-Pate said.

Walcott said green building doesn't cost as much as some people fear, offering as an example that Faulkner State will pay between 1 percent and 2 percent more for its new building.

"We were careful and thoughtful about what we did," he said. "We used simple systems and nothing exotic. It's part of the education process. People have this image that green costs too much."

Tax credits are available for builders who use energy efficient standards, and green renovations can bring tax breaks, Friedman said.

Lenders such as Wells Fargo offer reduced-rate financing on a green-certified home, he said, and insurance companies in other parts of the country offer "green" price breaks.

A two-day class on Green Building For Building Professionals will be held on Feb. 4 and 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Baldwin County Home Builders Association office at 916 Plantation Blvd., in Fairhope. The class will be taught by an NAHB-affiliated instructor and offers continuing education credits.

So far, 13 builders and affiliates have registered for the course, and builders are being encouraged to attend, said Fran Druse, executive director of the builder group.

"We feel like in today's market, every builder needs to do something to set them apart from the crowd," she said. " Consumers are much more knowledgeable of technology and products available and we want to make sure our builders can provide that expertise."

For more information go to bchba.com or watershed.pro.