BEYOND
GREEN
| Higher Ground: How
the Vertical Revolution Creates Sustainable Urban Living |
by: Dale Rowse, Viridian
Group
|
 It
seems that every day we’re bombarded with new and alarming
news about the future of our planet. Global temperatures continue
to climb as a result of pollution and uncontrolled energy
consumption. Sometimes the statistics and projections can
be overwhelming. At these times, it’s tempting to feel
that there isn’t much we can do to make our world a
sustainable home for our grandchildren’s descendants.
Fortunately, we in the urban
Real Estate community are doing far more to achieve a sustainable
world than many of us realize. Urban areas, which have traditionally
been centers of pollution, are slowly becoming models of clean,
sustainable housing. We have the technology to build sustainable
communities, and we’re implementing that technology
in the form of vertical developments.
According to the United
Nations , 47 percent of the world’s population lived
in cities in the year 2000. By 2030, that number is expected
to increase to 60 percent. More and more, our Earth is becoming
an urban planet. One of the primary solutions to global climate
change is the revamping of our cities into sustainable living
centers. When it comes to sustainability, vertical developments
offer incredible advantages over sprawling subdivisions.
The National Association
of Industrial & Office Properties cites four goals of
sustainability, namely: reducing energy consumption, recycling,
achieving sustainable facility design, and using energy-efficient
products and equipment. For each of these goals, vertical
dwellings tower over their subdivision counterparts.
 Reducing
Energy Consumption
Reducing the consumption of energy is a major step in the
move toward sustainability. One way in which vertical developments
reduce energy consumption is by fitting large amounts of people
into a small area of land.
Clifford Korman of Toronto-based
Kirkor Architects helped to create Sullivan Square, the LEED-certified
multi-use vertical community in Las Vegas. Sullivan Square
serves as a model for future green communities in the city.
According to Clifford,
a typical suburban development of 1,600 housing units would
require 160 acres of land, roads, sewers, water services,
asphalt paving, lawns, fences and pools. All of these resources
require energy to install, use and maintain. “Not to
mention,” says Clifford, “the increased reliance
on the car even to go for milk.” A compact urban development
such as Sullivan Square, on the other hand, sits on just 16
acres. Milk—and many other amenities—are within
a pleasant walking distance.
 Recycling
Although recycling has been slow to prosper in Las Vegas,
it is gaining ground. Republic Services now offers curbside
residential services to many customers and maintains a drop-off
recycling center for all residents.
Vertical developments facilitate
recycling because an entire neighborhood’s recyclable
waste ends up in the same pick-up location. The recycling
service can drive a truck to the base of a vertical tower
instead of being forced to make a circuit through a subdivision.
 Achieving
Sustainable Facility Design
It’s much easier to build a sustainable community than
to revamp an existing community. When you design a facility
from scratch, you can incorporate thousands of conservation-minded
decisions at the construction level.
One of the inherent sustainability
advantages of a vertical community is a centralized heating
and cooling system. Christian J. Agulles, vice president and
managing director of the Las Vegas office of Flack + Kurtz,
Inc., says that Sullivan Square’s campus-style heating
and cooling system is far more efficient than single-unit
heating and cooling systems. The centralized climate control
system saves up to 30 percent in energy consumption compared
to a subdivision full of individual units.
Although energy consumption
is an issue of urgency everywhere in the world, an even more
pressing issue in Las Vegas is water consumption. As of September
2007, Southern Nevada’s only major supply of water,
Lake Mead, stood at 49 percent of its capacity and continues
to fall . Although plans are underway to import water from
White Pine and Lincoln counties by 2012, the ongoing need
to conserve water affects the entire desert community.
Christian’s team
has designed a system to reclaim Sullivan Square’s water.
The reclaimed water is treated onsite and distributed to cooling
and irrigation systems. Such a system not only saves millions
of gallons of water annually, but also eliminates the energy
needs associated with pumping the water from Lake Mead to
Las Vegas. Water conservation extends the water viability
of the city while reducing energy consumption at the same
time.
 Using
Energy-Efficient Products and Equipment
Using low-consumption products and equipment is one of the
simplest ways to effect positive change. Whether during construction
or occupancy, even the smallest decisions can be made with
conservation in mind. For instance, Christian’s team
outfitted Sullivan Square’s cooling fan units with Electronically
Communicated Motors (ECMs), which use DC current and are substantially
more efficient their traditional AC-powered counterparts.
The sheer number of fans in the vertical community means that
the energy savings multiplies.
In addition to installing
high-efficiency cooling fans, the team chose to install low-consumption
water fixtures such as toilets and faucets. This decision
can be replicated inexpensively by every homeowner and even
by many renters.
 Vertical
in the Future World
As the world continues to urbanize, it will be up to the Real
Estate developers to keep the population educated on the advantages
of vertical living. Reduced energy bills, reduced water consumption,
and reduced automobile dependency all combine to create a
more relaxed lifestyle. More importantly, every vertical resident
can bask in the understanding that he or she is living a life
that contributes to global sustainability.
GREEN TIP OF THE
MONTH
Install low-flow
showerheads
Although the best time
to implement sustainability features is during the construction
phase, there are many ways in which you can make an existing
home more water-efficient. One of the simplest and least expensive
ways is to install a low-flow showerhead. These devices typically
cost between $10 and $50 and are easy to install.
There are basically two
types of low-flow shower heads: aerated and non-aerated. Aerated
models mix air with the water in order to produce a full,
lush shower effect similar to the standard high-flow showerheads.
The disadvantage of aerated models is that the aeration tends
to cool the water slightly. Non-aerated models, on the other
hand, use thin and/or pulsating water streams to produce a
sensual massaging effect.
 Dale
Rowse is the owner and president of Viridian Group. He is
responsible for the strategic and long-range planning of Viridian
Group, a full-service brokerage firm specializing in high-rise
residential and commercial Real Estate. Prior to founding
Viridian Group, Dale was licensed at RE/MAX CENTRAL, where
he received numerous awards and recognitions for his sales
production. Dale received his Real Estate license in 2003
after graduating from the Southern Nevada School of Real Estate.
He also attended Real Property Law courses at UNLV, completing
the class with a perfect 4.0. Dale can be reached by calling
(702) 733-1130 or visit Viridian’s Web site at www.ViridianGroup.com.
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