According to Sara Greenwood, principal at The Greenwood Consulting Group and Valentia’s project manager, “Green Globes was the best choice to demonstrate the project’s sustainable practices as it is well suited for multifamily, mixed-use projects. Other green building rating systems contain some unrealistic requirements for multifamily developments and they can be cost-prohibitive for developers,” she says.

Green Globes provides more flexibility in how buildings can earn points in each of its seven categories to best fit the specific project type and the needs of the owner and occupants. As a development in Southern California where water conservation is a genuine issue, Valentia excelled in Green Globes Water category. The project achieves a 43.1% water reduction thanks to ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers and clothes washers, EPA WaterSense low-flow fixtures, and native drought-tolerant landscapingwith highly efficient irrigation.

“I think the fact that Green Globes has a third-party that actually goes out to the site holds stronger accountability to the team and public.”

Valentia also shows its commitment to the environment, staff and resident health through:

• Low-or no-VOC paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants and composite wood installed in the interior and environmentally friendly cleaning products in the common areas.
• Smart thermostats in the residential units (which are remotely responsive) and programmable thermostats in office and common areas conserve energy.
• Optimized daylighting design and controls to minimize glare, and dual-pane windows that minimize thermal heat gain.
• Building materials that contain recycled content and were sourced locally took priority throughout the project.

Strong Accountability

In order to stay on track with its myriad of sustainable building measures, Valentia’s project team took an integrated design approach and active participation from the architects, engineers, and owner evidenced by meeting minutes at the kick-off meeting and throughout the design process.

Greenwood reviewed all the plans and specifications and responded to the Green Globes online summary. “I find it best to complete the online performance survey and then compile a memo of questions that warrant input by the project team members because the survey goes beyond project plans and specifications,” Greenwood says. “When I noticed areas that could improve the project’s performance, I’d share it with the project team and we would address the feasibility of implementing it.”

In some other green rating systems, projects may start with high aspirations and the best intentions when submitting their green building practices to achieve certification, but items that receive credit toward certification sometimes never make it into the final project. With Green Globes, the project’s assigned assessor performs a visual inspection to verify all systems and strategies are truly implemented.

“I think the fact that Green Globes has a third-party that actually goes out to the site holds stronger accountability to the team and public,” Greenwood notes. With its Three Green Globes award, Valentia Apartment Homes can proudly demonstrate that all of its environmental stewardship goals were incorporated.

While Greenwood finds Green Globes a great certification for multifamily developments, she sees opportunities growing for a range of project types. “The General Services Administration and other government agencies have adopted Green Globes, and that has opened the doors to create interest and validity for Green Globes certification across other building types.”