What Class A apartment residents want, they generally get—from dog parks to Olympic-sized swimming pools to walk-in closets to state-of-the-art fitness centers.
Surprisingly, what you don’t see on that list are green features. Why? Because, according to Chuck Berberich, vice president, design management, central region, for Irving–Texas–based developer JPI, consumers don't show a lot of interest in sustainable development. Rather, residents are interested in a different kind of green—money—and saving as much of it as they can. Which means that the altruistic definition of sustainability isn't top of mind for developers, but finding ways to improve energy efficiency and drive down costs is.
With little resident interest, where is sustainability in multifamily development headed? “It's not headed quickly in the right direction, but every little bit we do helps,” Berberich says.
Sustainable Products and Delivery
Some of the ways JPI is seeking to enhance sustainability in its communities is through solar energy and steel framing. The latter reduces on-site waste to virtually nothing while doing the same in the manufacturing plant, where any steel that doesn’t go to the jobsite is recycled and reused.
Sustainability takes other forms, as well, Berberich says.
“We have a lot of opportunity for growth with integrated product delivery by using BIM [building information modeling] and by how we have our design teams operate,” Berberich points out. “By integrating with different program providers, general contractors, and subcontractors, the coordination will have great sustainability potential. These groups can use technology to build the project virtually, and know down to how many parts and pieces and screws are going into a project.”
Typically, multifamily projects use a lot of lumber, and although much of it ends up being used, much also finds its way to the landfill. As Berberich notes, this could be due simply to a lack of planning.
Getting the Word Out
In the future, residents might start demanding features that lead to better energy performance to keep the cost of rent down. But only if they know the potential cost savings green products can provide. Much as when hoteliers began telling guests how they could help save water by requesting new towels less frequently, the multifamily industry will have to launch a public relations campaign educating residents about the benefits of sustainable design.
Berberich says net zero isn’t a reality in multifamily yet, though some new developments might suggest otherwise. Northwest developer SolTerra, for example, recently opened The Woodlawn, in Portland, Ore., the most energy- and water-efficient project in the city. The community saves residents 73% on utilities compared with the average Portland household.
Similarly, in downtown Los Angeles, Houston-based firm Hanover developed the 263-unit Hanover Olympic, which contains 20 solar-powered net-zero apartments. Besides being the first such units in the city, the innovation helped make the building financially feasible by sending energy back to the utility grid, notes Curbed Los Angeles.
Yet, Berberich says that water usage at developments is so strictly enforced by code that there isn’t a lot of room for innovation. “[Developers] are very responsible [in terms of] landscape and irrigation designs, to be efficient with water use,” he says. “Now, within the units themselves, we're bound by code to use water-saving faucets, toilets, and showers. In the future, I could see developing programs for graywater systems to manage wastewater.”
Now, JPI is evaluating how the Next Generation Development, the 2017 MFE Concept Community, is going to treat sustainability. Berberich says the company is looking at ideas that aren’t yet in full production. To track the development of this project, visit www.multifamilyexecutive.com/mfe-concept-community.
