Four Turnberry Place - Green Building Initiative

Green Globes Certification Rewards Sustainable Team Efforts Between Homeowners & Facility Personnel

Las Vegas, NV • Robert M. Swedroe Architects

As the General Manager at the Four Turnberry Place Condominium Association in Las Vegas, Nev., Joel Schwartz knows that achieving true energy efficiency relies on a partnership with the building’s owners. “It’s critical to have a forward thinking Homeowner’s Association Board,” says Schwartz.

Homeowner’s Association Board,” says Schwartz. “The owners here are willing to take the long-range view and make changes that drive energy efficiency and lower our environmental footprint. That saves money and has led to our significant Green Globes® achievement.”

Four Turnberry Place is the first multifamily building west of the Mississippi River to earn Four Green Globes. The 10-year-old condominium is a 40-story tower with 231 units. In addition to realizing financial savings through efficiency strategies, residents received a $500,000 property tax abatement from the State of Nevada thanks to its high Green Globes ranking. “We will collect our $500,000 abatement over the course of five years,” says Four Turnberry Place Condominium Association (FTPCA) Treasurer Stephen Pierce. “The abatement is deducted from each home- owner’s property tax bill based on their individual square footage, and no one needs to file individual paperwork because the abatement is tied to our address.”

SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES

LED light bulbs are now used throughout all public spaces in the building.
In the emergency stairwells, motion sensors in every other lighting fixture maintain illumination requirements without having to continuously operate all fixtures.
Recycling stations on every floor are cleared daily by housekeepers to make recycling easy for owners.
A written environmental policy includes goals and targets for energy, water, hazardous materials, and training.
Control valves on air conditioning units decreased operations from two condenser loop pumps running full time to one pump that runs at 60%. This strategy decreased the electric bill by 42%.

Hidden and Seen

Much of Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors improvements are so seamless that the homeowners don’t even recognize them. “But they certainly see how dramatically our electric bills have dropped, and thanks to our recycling effort, our trash bill is a fraction of the other towers in this complex,” says FTPCA President Robert Tyre. “We displayed our Green Globes plaque prominently in the building and when we see that plaque, it validates the resource management decisions we’ve made. It’s a real sense of pride,” Tyre asserts.

Working with the Green Globes Assessor gave Schwartz and Zlatev the opportunity to ask a lot of questions and look for new opportunities. “The assessor created an atmosphere of mutual respect so we could look to him as a resource,” says Schwartz. “It felt like he was working in our best interests, rather than judging our work. He was a great fit.”

Although Four Turnberry Place attained the highest Green Globes certification available in the US, every project that goes through the process receives a final report with recommendations for additional improvements. Zlatev found the technical suggestions beneficial as they helped him look at variations on a theme and consider new potential strategies for efficiency.

“When you offer people rewards for their actions, it creates momentum and encourages them to continue to do the right thing.”

“Our Green Globes award helped us prove we were on the right track, gave us advice for the future, and offered the property tax abatement to incentivize people our homeowners further,” says Tyre. “When you offer people rewards for their actions, it creates momentum and encourages them to continue to do the right thing.”