My column for the August 2011 issue of Builder & Developer magazine is now posted online.
For this issue, entitled "Multi-Family Goes Green,"I wanted to discuss the ways in which multi-family developments, even though they're inherently greener than single-family homes, face their own set of unique challenges when building to green standards such as LEED and CalGREEN. At the same time, there are a couple of tax incentive programs which remain vastly under-utilized.
...Fortunately, for builders and operators of multi-family projects, higher unit densities, smaller square footages and shared common areas or services make them substantially more sustainable than their single-family counterparts -- even before any green building techniques are employed. For example, a recent study funded by the EPA found that a typical apartment uses 38% less energy than a green single-family home. For those households looking to move from a typical single-family home in a far-flung suburb to a green multi-family building adjacent to mass transit options, the energy savings could exceed 70%...
To read the entire column, click here.
To read the entire August 2011 issue in digital format, click here.
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