Touring Global Green’s home in New Orleans neighborhood
August 27, 2008 · Print This Article
When I saw that the first sustainable home had been completed by Global Green USA in the historic Holy Cross neighborhood of New Orleans, I called to set up a moment to view the house. What I got was a one on one interview and tour with the company’s president, Matt Petersen.
It’s been three years since the worst engineering catastrophe in the United States took place in New Orleans. Residents continue to work to rebuild neighborhoods though there are still many stretches of empty, abandoned homes. Within one of these neighborhoods lies Global Green’s Holy Cross Project where a three acre plot of land on the river will be transformed into a sustainable community of mixed income residents.
Gallery: The Holy Cross Project
The Holy Cross Project consists of five individual family homes, an 18 unit apartment building and a community center. The goal is to achieve LEED platinum certification for all of the structures through the use of innovative building techniques. The project is expected to be complete in the second quarter of 2009. The first house was finished in May and currently serves as a visitor center.
A worldwide design contest led by Global Green and Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation provided the respective projects with many creative and eco-friendly designs. It was Matthew Berman and Andrew Kotchen of Workshop/APD who proved to the best fit for the Holy Cross Project.
The outside of the house is in stark contrast with the homes around it. Nearly all of the existing buildings were constructed in the mid to late 19th century and are typical New Orleans architecture. Most homes are individual and double shotguns, modest without story buildings. The new building is two stories with a balcony and slanted roof which is covered in solar panels. I asked Petersen whether he had any problems with the neighborhood when introducing a style so different from the existing homes. He said that there was resistance initially but once folks saw the interior, they liked the architecture as it resembled the interior of the familiar shotgun style.
Once you step through the front door, it’s clear that architects drew from the design of the New Orleans shotgun to create a enlarged, open structure for ventilation aims. The front entrance opens into a small living room and you can see straight through the kitchen and dining room to the back of the house. The kitchen has all energy star rated appliances and the cabinets are constructed with solid wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (as is all wood used in building the home). A small office/bedroom is downstairs off to the right of the open plan next to a full bathroom. All of the downstairs cypress flooring comes from wood reclaimed from a demolished home down the street.
Tucked away in a closet is the solar inverter. As I mentioned, the roof is lined with panels. Global Green had to experiment with several styles to find one that had a high suitable wind rating for the tropical location. There is no storage component for any excess energy produced on sunny days in that home. However, the plans for the community center include energy storage for blackouts as well as decent water to sustain the community for several days in case of another hurricane. Excess energy generatred from the solar panels is not lost however as the house is on-grid meaning that the additional electricity is returned to the utility grid. that is the first such system in the city of New Orleans.
An open staircase leads to the master which shares a bathroom with another small bedroom. The two bathrooms were practically identical. Each has a tub with a low-flow shower head. There were dual flush toilets and floors made from recycled ceramic tile. There is a balcony off the master where
Though it was raining outside and the sky was gray during my visit, the number of windows in the house provided ample light. So much in fact that in retrospect, I don’t believe a one CFL was lit.
Back downstairs the caretaker/tour guide/man of many hats, Mike, showed off the house’s LCD television on the wall of the living room. Using a remote and a touchscreen, he was able to bring up the home’s energy and resource monitoring system. Matt Peterson explained to me that they were trying to figure out how to best get public to curb their energy use. One concept was to have an interactive display which showed up to the minute usage of electricity, gas, water as well as the solar energy generated from the panels.
Pointing to the LCD screen, Petersen told me that “this is the future.” With the press of a button, a simple graph arised juxtaposing the amount of energy the house was using against the solar ability. As it was a humid, overcast day, more ability was being used to keep the house cool than what the roof panels were pulling in. I expected the previous day to look better as it was very sunny. However, once again, the energy needed to run the cooling system was more than the solar allotment.
Though Mike and Matt explained that the home was currently serving as a visitor center and therefore needed to be kept cooler than a normal house, I am skeptical that the solar panels will supply all of the energy needed for the home. One thing that will offset some of the cost to residents, however, is the fact that they will receive a credit from the energy company during the cooler winter months.
Global Green USA is additionally looking into river turbines for the neighborhood. They work much like wind turbines except they are propelled by water current rather than wind. New York is currently evaluating a system in the East River and Peterson hopes to install the system in the nearby Mississippi.
Care was taken in every aspect of building that home. Instead of using volunteers or importing green contractors, Global Green took it upon themselves to educate local builders. Non-toxic materials were used from the paint down to the caulk. As I mentioned, all wood was FSC certified. The sheet rock is paperless and can stand water immersion without molding. The exterior is built with foam insulation and Bluwood which resists termites, fungus and rot. An even more complete tour of the home can be found on Global Green’s website.
The total square footage of the home is 1372 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths. It felt small to me even though my home is less than 100 square feet larger. There was very little storage and no attic. That said, it is fitting in with the environmetally friendly concept of the home as well as the modest price tag ($175,000).
I am very excited follow that project as the rest of the buildings are erected. whether you look at that little corner of New Orleans as a microcosm of the country, it is clear that individuals are making a difference. They are not only elevating the quality of life for others but are paving the way for future green builders. Kudos to Matt Petersen, Global Green and every activist out there who is actively making lives greener one home at a instance.
[Source] Kelly Leahy
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