Featured Projects

Perrone Construction-Sarasota
Bird Key Custom Home in Sarasota

Perrone Construction in Sarasota doesn’t let size matter. The company is committed to promoting and building green even with its “McMansion” clientele.

This 8,189 s.f. custom home is touted as being the largest green certified home in Sarasota. It features steel and concrete exterior wall structural elements, Timberstrand recycled engineered studs on interior walls, and Insul-Deck insulated concrete forms floor systems.

The home received multiple green building certifications, including a platinum-level score of 199 from the Florida Green Building Coalition, an emerald rating under the National Green Building Standard, and a LEED silver rating. In addition to the green building certifications, the home earned a Florida Water Star Gold rating for water conservation and, using high-efficiency 16 SEER variable-speed, multi-zone air-conditioning systems to reach a HERS of 59, met the requirements for Energy Star certification under the new, stringent Version 3. Michael Sollitto (Sarasota) was the FGBC Certifying Agent for the project.

As with all green building projects undertaken by Perrone, a comprehensive approach was taken and each component of the home was evaluated. FSC certified tropical wood products were used for the custom mahogany entry and garage doors as well as custom built-ins. Low VOC paints and venetian plaster were used for interior finishes.    

The home is built to Miami-Dade hurricane standards and its hurricane-rated and insulated Loewen windows were another contributing factor in attaining its green designations. A Florida-friendly landscape design was used and incorporated high-efficiency irrigation systems, non-cypress mulch and drought tolerant Zoysia grass.

“Many of the practices we already had in place in our company lent themselves to the green building certification,” says Richard Perrone. “By adding a little bit to what we were already doing, we were able to build a very beautiful and sustainable home. We always knew that by using best practices we were building green, but it feels good to have the certification verified by independent certifiers. It’s assurance to our customers that the green features we claim have actually been incorporated into the home and evaluated to give optimal performance.”

Arbor Homes of Seagrove

Arbor Homes of Seagrove is raising the bar for Walton County home construction standards by being the first project in the area to achieve a gold-level Florida Water Star^SM certification for water efficiency and a platinum-level green home certification by the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC).

For over 20 years, builder Rod Joly incorporated into his projects energy-efficient HVAC systems with SEER ratings that exceeded the Florida Building Code requirements. His wife, Michelle Joly, attained the designation of GREEN REALTOR^®, so she understood the importance of green home features and how to communicate their value to homeowners.

The couple’s passion for sustainability eventually took them down a path of “walking the talk,” and so Arbor Homes of Seagrove was conceived. Their vision began with the wisdom to formally develop a core group of green professionals (known in the industry as a ‘green team’) to ensure that a systems approach to the construction process was taken. This collaborative process considers the house as one system with interdependent parts, each of which affects the performance of the entire system and it results in optimized building performance.

The green team consisted of builder Rod Joly of Arbor Homes of Seagrove Development LLC, REALTOR^® Michelle Joly of Davis Properties of Northwest Florida, developer Greenway Park, LLC, green consultant and certifier Pattie Glenn of Green$mart^®, Inc., energy-rater Todd Trusty of Energy Services LLC, and permaculture designer Chandra Hartman of cfhdesignstudio.

The home achieved a score of 211 points, aided by a HERS index of 51, to earn the platinum-level certification by the Florida Green Building Coalition. This energy efficient home features a tight building envelope using 2x6 frame construction with combined open cell SeaLite in the floor, closed cell InsulStar insulation in the attic, and blown cellulose insulation in the walls. Indoor air quality and comfort were achieved by using a zoned RUDD RHPL Series variable speed17 SEER heat pump featuring a passive fresh-air ventilation system. The piered home site incorporated pervious driveway materials with innovative storm water treatment to reduce runoff.

The gold-level Florida Water StarSM certification was achieved through incorporation of both indoor and outdoor water conservation measures. Its zero turf yard features native plantings and edible landscape of fruit and herbs, with only 15 percent of the landscape served by micro-drip irrigation from a community non-potable, shallow well piped from the development of Greenway Park. Its interior features include Delta Graile and Grohe WaterSense® faucets, Kohler dual-flush toilets and a Rinnai Tankless Hot Water on-demand system, along with water-conserving ENERGY STAR® appliances.

 

Progresso Point High-Rise Residential Building

Location: Fort Lauderdale
Owner: Reliance Housing Foundation
Certified: 3/9/12
Certification Level: Certified
Points: 55

Progresso Point is the first building certified under the Florida Green Building Coalition’s Green High-Rise Residential Designation. It is a 76-unit affordable housing project of the Broward County Housing Authority and the Reliance Housing Foundation

The project recycled more than 75 percent of its construction and demolition waste. Units are 50 percent more efficient than Florida Building Code requires, achieved through the incorporation of Energy Star appliances, dual flush toilets, tankless water heaters, programmable thermostats, and Energy Star qualified lighting in all open and common areas. Other green features include minimizing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through the proper selection of materials and finishes throughout, and use of drought tolerant landscaping that reduces use of potable water for irrigation by more than 75%. [More]

 

 

Tropical Farms Laboratory

Owner: Martin County
Certified: 9/1/11
Certification Level: Certified
Points: 50

 

Alys Beach Certified Green Development

Developer: Alys Beach
Certified: 5/26/11
Certification Level: Certified
Points: 212

  

Village at Gulfstream Park Achieves Certification

Developer: Forest City
Certified: 8/30/2010
Certification Level: Certified
Points: 203
 
Facts & Figures
• Total Project Size - 1,000,000 square feet
• Retail GLA - 750,000 square feet with ± 410,000 square feet in Phase I
• Residential - 1500 units when fully developed
• Clubhouse - 310,000 square feet
• Office - 140,000 square feet with 90,000 square feet in Phase I
• Mixed Use - retail, restaurants, cinema, residential and office
• Parking - more than 7,000 spaces
• Amenities - gardens, pedestrian promenades, fountains, clubhouse, paddock, thoroughbred racetrack and turf course 

Green Achievements
• Redevelopment of site to complement existing use of Gulfstream Park
• Reuse and recycling of existing materials on site, such as the use of existing demolished concrete as sub base for new surface parking lot
• Creation of a vibrant urban environment with pedestrian oriented streetscapes and the provision of ample pedestrian facilities to encourage pedestrian activity on site and connections into and out of the project
• Highly connected to surrounding transportation infrastructure and the provision of an internal network of streets to continue existing street grid
• Provision of bicycle parking adjacent to buildings
• Mixture of land uses planned to provide close proximity between residential, retail, and employment opportunities as well as shared parking
• Offsetting of energy use through the purchase of renewable energy credits
• Weather controlled reuse irrigation system providing reuse water irrigation for all common areas
• Sub-metering of water consumption for all users
• Green landscape management plan
• No language in covenants and deed restrictions limiting green practices
• On site green buyer training program
• Paperless marketing program and green purchasing policy for internal operations
• Environmental Education signage to educate users of environmental benefits of green development practices
• Website contains links to green resources and educational material
For More Information, visit the Village at Gulf Stream Park website

City of Jacksonville Earns FGBC Gold

Certified: 5/20/10
Certification Level: Gold
Points: 41.8%

The City of Jacksonville is the 20th Certified FGBC Green Local Government, achieving Gold-level certification with 41.8 percent. Jacksonville implemented an environmentally preferable purchasing program (EPP) and adopted a green cleaning ordinance for local government buildings. The City also participates in the Florida Clean Marina program, assisted in the creation of organic community gardens, engages in carpool assistance, and provides mitigation audits to homes, businesses and local government buildings to help minimize the impacts of a disaster. The City of Jacksonville utilizes landfill gas as an energy resource, operates energy-efficient LED traffic lights, and trains their police officers in Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED). Jacksonville provides green building education and incentives, offers green power choices through JEA and provides distributed generation incentives to encourage the adoption of alternative energy technologies.

St. Lucie County Earns FGBC Gold

Certified: 4/26/2010
Certification Level: Gold
Points: 43%

 

From Left: St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky, Environmental Resources Department/Education & Outreach Coordinator Sandra Bogan, Commissioner Doug Coward, Chairman Charles Grande, FGBC Board members Cindy Hall and Kyle Abney, Commissioner Chris Craft, Clerk of the Court Joe Smith, and Commissioner Paula Lewis.

 

City of Orlando Earns FGBC Gold

Certified: 11/9/2009
Certification Level: Gold
Points: 42%

 

Accepting the FGBC Green Local Government Certificate for the City of Orlando are (l-r) Jeff Benavides, Jonathan Ippel, FGBC Project Evaluator Jeremy Nelson,and Mayor Buddy Dyer.

 

The City of Orlando is currently tied with the cities of Plantation and Tallahassee for the highest score for a city. GreenWorks, an environmental action agenda for Orlando, focuses on action plans to:
• Conserve natural resources and protect the environment
• Invest in green buildings, vehicles and materials
• Foster alternative transportation options
• Increase the amount of trees and green spaces in the City
• Provide residents the tools and information they need to become more environmentally responsible
• Work together as a community to combat the urgent threat of global climate change
The LYNX Transportation system utilizes biodiesel, their police department utilizes lead free bullets for training, and the city encourages EnergyStar, green building and the Florida Friendly Landscaping Program in the community. The City of Orlando built the first LEED certified fire station in the state of Florida and has realized significant savings by installing LED traffic lights. Orlando further demonstrates environmental leadership by offering a green business workshop program to teach waste reduction strategies and encourage environmentally friendly purchasing to businesses.

Town of Cutler Bay Earns FGBC Certification

Certified: 11/19/2009
Certification Level: Silver
Points: 25%

The Town of Cutler Bay was the first local government to be certified in Miami-Dade County. Cutler Bay achieved the designation by offering green building incentives to encourage environmentally friendly building practices within the town, and by utilizing hybrid and fuel efficient vehicles. It also incorporated timers and energy efficient lighting on the city’s sports fields and offers online bill pay for their water utility. Cutler Bay continues to pursue and achieve green goals outlined in their environmental strategic plan. In 2009, Cutler Bay adopted and implemented the green cleaning and maintenance procedures recommended by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FL DEP), and also adopted and implemented an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing program that encourages the purchase and use of environmentally friendly products.