Austin Day 1

     After meeting for coffee in the early morning at The Purple Bean we decided that our first visit in Austin would be to The Pedernales Lofts; located at 2401 E 6th St Austin, TX 78702.  This multi-use loft complex, completed in 2005, was the first live-work 5-Star Green Rated/ LEED Gold development in East Austin.  

 

     We walked around the property and saw some very interesting things. The style was very modern, but at the same time it had many features that are common in Austin. The construction was mainly Texas limestone which covered most of the outside.  So, even though the building was very modern it was still familiar.    

                                                                                                                                 We noticed some “Eco” features, such as the community garden and open green space in the middle courtyard. They had also installed a pair of cisterns that were adjacent to the courtyard bathrooms and situated under an amphitheater-like awing. Strangely, they seemed to be almost more decorative than functional. It appeared that the roof that the cisterns collected water from was only connected ½ way to the collection system (as you can see in the pictures). This seemed strange to install such an extensive system only to have it not perform at peak efficiency. There were some thoughts that the system would also treat and reuse water from the adjacent bathrooms. This was not the case. After further inquiries, it would appear that the cisterns were mostly for show, although with the addition of a simple course of gutters the system could have been made more viable and complete. Although, the water collected is used to supplement the water for the community garden, just in lesser amounts than originally thought. Either way, this seemed to be a nice place to congregate and gather outside to cook out or just to enjoy the space. 

 

          Following our walk around the Loft, we went to the Pauly Presley Realty Company, which is located in the front of the loft. They explained to us that the loft was planned as a mixed-use building, where people could live in the upper levels and have work spaces (like Pauly Presley) on the lower floors. There were also units on the backside of the unit that were being used as single family dwellings instead of storefronts. It was interesting that they were zoned generously enough so that the occupants could switch between residential and living space as their needs changed.                                                                                                   They told us that the loft units were Owner-Filled not Rental Spaces and that they had sold/filled all but one of them. We asked them about the 5-Star rating and how that might feature into their sales pitches for the property. Apparently, the Green Building rating (and associated lower utilities) was not a point that the stressed or even brought up to their prospective clients, which came as a shock to me. Apparently, the location, which is very close to Austin’s downtown area, is the biggest selling point. This was a disappointment, but also understandable due to the fact that there are actually very few locations that are similarly priced in the downtown area.

          Next, we went to Bercy Chen Studio LP, an architecture & urban planning firm which was started in 2001. This partnership of two international students from Belgium and Taiwan by way of Australia brings an international flavor and mindset to the Austin development scene. Thomas Bercy; told us about his build and design philosophy which reflects his European sensibilities.  He is very interested in quality designs that have a longer than average lifespan and are focused on quality building materials. Even though this is a newly emerging, and some would say niche market, this firm embraces the differences between themselves and other architecture and design firms. He explained that he was interested in a “whole building” approach to quality and not the usual “piecemeal” building practices of other firms. This was interesting because this idea is so different than the usual way of building these days where the bottom line is the only factor and ideas like “project lifespan” innovation through use of new and nonstandard building materials are just not considered.  He explained his ideas about building sustainability as a change of responsibility through simple changes and a “common sense” approach to construction and an overall improvement in the quality of life for the builder/tenant.

          Still, he has to live/work in the real world. He told us that even though there is an ever increasing trend of developers demanding sustainable upgrades and features where a project will have less waste, that the largest “killer” of deals is the financing.  In his opinion, banks and lenders still have a long way to go to recognize the value of sustainability and the use of higher quality construction materials which will keep a property from needing repair and upgrades in the near future. Also, he mentioned that zoning was a troubling issue, which like banking has yet to catch up with development and architecture trends. This means that they often have to be very creative with their zoning applications.

          I was very interested in some of the new building materials that he was using in his projects that I had not heard of before. For instance; the option of stained art-glass is prohibitively expensive at $100 Ft², where the alternative of tinted and colored window film is so much less expensive that he had no reservations in using it in several of his projects where price was an issue. Even though the product was priced much less, the desired design effect is the same. The most unusual material he showed us was “blown aluminum” which was a solid block of aluminum filled with holes and air like Swiss cheese. This product was extremely lightweight, but at the same time it was able to hold load bearing walls. The air matrix of the material actually adds to its strength. Unlike metal beams and supports that distribute weight in lateral and horizontal directions, the blown aluminum load is transferred in a web-like pattern over the entire piece of metal and thus, can hold more weight safely. Also, he was very interested in using locally produced materials like Texas Limestone as well as locally harvested timber. These materials were chosen as much for their extended life and lower transportation costs as for their design aspects. 

 

          The third site in Austin was the GoodLife Team. This Real Estate, Project Management, and Investment Company was focused almost solely on the idea of sustainability and green ideas. The properties that they represent are some of the most progressive in Austin, it’s their specialty. We visited heir “Flagship” property, the Riverside Grove development. This collection of condos is located directly across from the southern location of Austin Community College, where the vast majority of their clients are younger “Gen Y” or “Millennials” These units were constructed with a very tight envelope and with modern construction materials which focused on obtaining the lowest possible utility bills. The units are mostly occupant owned as opposed to the traditional student renter model. This is a boon for them as more of the units are successfully sold they can make a stronger case for continuing to build student homes in a new way.

          We were also informed that they had a second large client pool to draw from for designs of this type. Baby-Boomers who have raised their children and now are living by themselves are also interested in the newer housing model. Instead of keeping the traditionally large empty home that their children grew up in, these savvy parents are downsizing their living space and concentrating on stretching out their savings by purchasing homes where low utilities are one of the main concerns. 

 

          The final stop of our first day in Austin was Austin Energy. This was really interesting to me, as I live here. I had heard about the Green Choice initiative and some of the other programs that Austin Energy has implemented, but it was nice to hear about them straight from the source. 

The Green Choice program (started in 2001) is one in which customers of Austin Energy can purchase energy generated from green sources (wind, solar) instead of the usual power purchasing plan. This energy is locked in at a special rate that is fixed over the lifetime of the contract. This benefits the client by having a price point that is fixed throughout the life of the contract. This enables them to plan and budget more easily than the ever-changing and often unpredictable pricing of “regular” electrical service. It also gives people a chance to voice their opinions and approval of renewable energy through the power of their purchase dollars. 97% of this alternative, renewable power is generated in West Texas wind farms, while 3% is made in the San Antonio, Tessman bio-fuel landfill. Their stated goal is to have 35% of their entire electrical load to be produced by renewable and environmentally responsible sources by 2020.

          They also told us that both the “Energy-Star” and “LEED” ratings are based on Austin originated ideas. The city of Austin has/had their own independent “Green Building” ratings that rank efficiency for the past 20 years.  This ranking takes into account the site location, energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality as well as resources and materials used in construction.  These ratings are all part of the Austin Climate Control Plan, which incorporates utilities, transportation, solid waste, and water usage. The city has even gone so far in embracing these concepts of conservation that all new construction in Austin must have a minimum Green Building rating before the plan can be approved. This idea is new and unique, where energy modeling is used before construction begins in the design phase, not just after the building is completed and ready for move in.