By: Johnny Hartsfield

Sited on a hillside overlooking Lake Sammamish and the Cascade Mountains near Seattle, the Zero Energy Idea House minimizes energy usage while maximizing comfort and style.  At only 1,700 square-feet, this two bedroom home combines solar power with the most efficient building products and appliances that result in a total energy bill of less than $500 per year.  Additional features include: SIPs (structural insulated panels), rainwater collection, salvaged wood flooring, efficient ventilation, green roof and a “living wall”  used for soil retention.

For this project, the term “zero energy” does not actually mean that the house uses no energy.  The home actually combines on-site power generation with other efficiency measures to meet its own energy requirements.  So, the solar panels will meet electrical needs and heat hot water but the hydronic in-floor radiant heating system will be gas-powered. 

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By: Johnny Hartsfield

Join Seattle Great City Initiative for a brownbag lunch discussion led by Owen Richards of ORA and Robert Humble and Joel Egan of Hybrid, as they discuss their winning entry for the 99k House Competition. 

Come hear first hand how these local Seattle architects designed a house that is flexible enough to adapt to the changing needs of inhabitants while incorporating rainwater harvesting and a geothermal mechanical system.  The best part? - it can be built for only $99,000.  This concept was the winning entry in a competition to design an affordable, sustainable house prototype for the Gulf Coast Region devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

When: Monday, June 23, 2008 from 12:00 pm to 1:30pm

Where: Bertha Landes Room, 1st Floor, Seattle City Hall, 600 5th Ave

I encourage all to attend.  Cosponsored by Council Member Sally Clark and Seattle DPD, this brownbag lunch is especially timely as Seattle searches for ways to provide quality homes at affordable prices.   

By: Johnny Hartsfield

The following is from Councilmember Sally J. Clark’s May 2008 E-News.

Have you noticed townhomes propagating in your neighborhood? Not thrilled with much of what you see? Curious why this happens? If you’re like me, you answered “yes” to each of those questions. So, in my ongoing effort to take the Planning, Land Use & Neighborhoods Committee (PLUNC) into the neighborhoods once a quarter, I bring you: “Townhomes - Can the Patient Be Saved?” This will be a special PLUNC meeting slated for Saturday, June 7, 10 a.m.-noon at the Capitol Hill Arts Center (1621 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122).

The morning will start with a few examples of the good, the OK and the fatally wounded. Then we’ll hear from a panel of developers, neighborhoods activists, architects and planners with suggestions and ideas for remedies. I guarantee time for questions and comments from you, the attendees. I anticipate that PLUNC will receive the Mayor’s proposed changes to the City’s Multi-Family Code sometime this spring. Townhomes are just one issue among many that will be addressed in those changes. This meeting will be a great chance to talk proactively about housing choices, affordability and neighborhood-friendly design.

You may have heard that Capitol Hill isn’t known for its ample parking. Plan your bus trip here.

If you’ve not been tracking townhome design issues and want to know what all the bluster is about, check out this article from a few weeks ago.

By: Johnny Hartsfield

We have an update on a project we highlighted last March that will change the future of Seattle’s rental market.  Last week, the Seattle Times published an article on Unico’s new development - Inhabit, made up of affordable, prefabricated apartment units.  Prototypes of these units have been on display in Rainier Square Plaza in downtown Seattle for months now but finally Unico is waiting to close on a property that will become home to thier frist modular project.

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By: Johnny Hartsfield

A recent Seattle Times special report titled “Failing our Sound” suggests that “we pledged to protect Puget Sound.  We’ve passed laws and spent millions to preserve it.  Yet we keep sabotaging it.”  This is all because we are making poor development decisions, decisions made easily behind a set of rules and laws that are simply inadequate to save our region.

Right now, politicians are beginning an enormous effort to protect and restore Puget Sound by 2020 - at which time, we are expected to gain another 800,000 people.  This could end up costing us up to $18 billion.

“Failing our Sound” is a four part series (The painful cost of booming growth, Saving wetlands: a broken promise, Beaches suffer as walls go up, and Paying landowners to protect Puget Sound) highlighting the specific reasons why our current growth habits are undermining the health of Puget Sound.  Continue reading for an introduction to all 4 parts of this Seattle Times special report.

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By: Johnny Hartsfield

Sharon Pian Chan of The Seattle Times has just written an interesting new article on the rise of townhome development here in Seattle.  This new “movement” has sparked some major debates in our city over the last few years - mostly focused on the dilution and denegration of design and craftsmanship.  These are the townhomes we all love to hate with poor materials and skinny asphalt driveways that replace usable open space.

To make things worse, most of these new developments are not subject to environmental or design review.  Vlad Oustimovitch, a West Seattle architect and a former design-review board member, sums up the effects of this process in his own neighborhood - “instead what we got was a very vanilla, cookie-cutter” development.

Developments like these are just one of the many reasons why GreenFab is determined to develop projects that provide healthy, inspired and affordable living.  We value private and community open space as well as safe and walkable neighborhoods. 

As the article points out, developers are not the only party to blame, our own planning department, permit and code review process almost encourage these types of developments.

GreenFab is following this trend closely and will be posting updates as changes develop. 

READ THE FULL ARTICLE “TOWN HOMES SPARK NEIGHBORHOOD DEBATE”   

Source:  Seattletimes.nwsource.com

Related Stories:

Townhome Invasion

Townhouse Market Slows

By: Johnny Hartsfield

The 1.6 acres of Lake Union Park’s phase 1 opens today.  After a year and a half of construction, the park will have it’s grand opening from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today.  Karen Daubert, executive director of the Seattle Parks Foundation says that “after 100 years of vision, 20 years of land acquisition and five years of fundraising, Lake Union Park is now open to be enjoyed by all.”

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By: Johnny Hartsfield

The Pacific Northwest might reflect itself as a Mecca for environmental protection and all things “green”, but digging deeper into our diverse cultural landscape exposes a different story. 

Read the full story at ColorsNW Magazine

By: Johnny Hartsfield

The Seattle Green Festival starts this Saturday and runs through the weekend at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center.  As a joint project between Global Exchange and Co-op America, Green Festivals are a celebration of what’s working in communities for people, businesses and the environment.

The Green Festival craze began back in 2005 in San Francisco and has quickly bloomed to include Chicago, Washington D.C. and now Seattle.  Hosted by the City of Seattle and led by the Office of Sustainability and the Environment, the Seattle Green Festival will be highlighting some of the best green products and services the Northwest has to offer.

Take in more than 350 exhibits and hear more than 125 speakers on 5 stages.  Let’s make Seattle proud by participating in our first of many Green Festivals.

Admission is $10-$15 per person.  Click here to register

Show Hours
Saturday 10AM - 8PM
Sunday 11AM - 6PM

Venue Name and Address
Washington State Convention & Trade Center
800 Convention Place
Seattle, WA 

By: Johnny Hartsfield

Join Seattle Great City Initiative for a brownbag lunch discussion led by T Frick of Mithun. 

T Frick, an Associate Principle at Mithun and a former colleague of mine, will be leading a discussion this coming Thursday April 10, on how to transform Seattle streetscapes into usable, pedestrian friendly spaces. 

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By: Johnny Hartsfield

I am a Seattleite and wouldn’t have it any other way. This has been my home, and always will be. We are lucky here in Seattle to have such easy access to natural beauty and resources. Along with Portland, OR and Vancouver B.C., Seattle has received some positive media attention over the years for our environmental awareness and focus on sustainable building practices.

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