Chattahoochee
Hill Country Sustainable Village by Preston & Associates/Village
Habitat Design
The West Village Model Sustainable Village
Design in South Fulton County’s Chattahoochee Hill Country
represents a planning and design process initiated by
the community with the support of County Officials and
residents. Fundamental to the success of the project
is the concept of “Transferrable Development Rights.”
The designers recommended several amendments to County
overlay district regulations that controlled the shape
and mix of uses in the three villages. These villages
were designated as Transfer of Development Rights ‘receiver
parcels’ in the Fulton County Future Land Use Map. By
allowing the transfer of development rights into compact
villages, undeveloped green space is preserved, sprawling
infrastructure is avoided, and alternative travel modes
are encouraged. At the same time, full development value
may be realized by property owners selling their development
rights.
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The Sustainable Village
was designed to serve as a model for land use in
other communities.
Click for larger images |
A design based on the site conditions
of one village and the principles of the community-based
design process were documented to serve as a model for
greenfield development in the region. An environmentally
sensitive and socially equitable development, the compact
urban village offers a balance of diverse housing options,
office and commercial uses that reduce automobile travel
and traffic congestion, energy consumption and air pollution.
At the gateways of the village, working farms will be
established to connect the village with the rural character
of the surrounding land.
Atlanta Belt Line by Ryan Gravel,
Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein Architects
An important component of sustainable
design is the re-use of urban land, and in Atlanta,
there is a tremendous amount of underutilized land in
close proximity to the central city. For the first time
in decades, we also have thousands of people every year
seeking to live in a vibrant, urban environment. More
than any other proposal for city revitalization and
transportation initiative, the Belt Line will transform
urban development in Atlanta for the better.
The Atlanta Belt Line is a 22-mile transit
greenway circling Atlanta’s central city. It reuses
existing railroad rights-of-way as a wide linear park
with streetcars, bicycle paths and pedestrian trails
to connect over 40 neighborhoods. It organizes adjacent
underutilized urban land for transit-oriented development,
expands transit service within the urban core, and connects
various parts of an emerging regional trail system.
It takes advantage of Atlanta’s intown population growth,
creating smart new districts for over 100,000 new residents
and improved quality of life for hundreds of thousands
more. Gravel founded and serves as the president of
the nonprofit Friends of the Belt Line, Inc.
156 Mellrich Avenue Single Family
Residence by Hunter Reising Design Build, Inc.
Above: The facade of the
Mellrich Ave. home, winner of the Excellence
in Building Award from EarthCraft House.
Right: This 305-gallon rainwater cistern allows
the home owner to 'recycle' rainwater and
use it for landscape irrigation. |
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Hunter Reising set a goal to build a home
that maximized energy efficiency and environmentally
friendly, ‘green’ construction by using EarthCraft House
guidelines. Upon completion of construction, the house
won an Excellence in Building Award from EarthCraft
House. Prior to designing the house, the client had
Hunter Reising read The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka
in order to emphasize the desire to blend the home into
the area’s existing architectural context. After reading
the book and armed with EarthCraft standards, strategies
and special materials put the ‘green’ building aspect
into action. A 305-gallon rainwater harvesting system
was installed, with an external hose to provide the
homeowner with reclaimed water for landscape use. Construction
waste was minimized and recyclable materials were maximized
by using biodegradable waste like wood, gypsum board
and cardboard as soil erosion control and ground cover.
Recycled concrete rubble was used instead of traditional
gravel onsite. Also, the property’s original concrete
driveway and foundation were recycled and used to form
retaining walls, the patio and the front sidewalk. To
keep the home’s interior environmentally friendly with
good indoor air quality, low VOC paints, carpet and
polyurethane were used. The on-demand hot water heater
and 90% efficient furnace are other energy efficient
highlights that also maintain resident comfort.
Sweetwater Creek State Park Visitors
Center and Museum by Gerding Architects, LLC for the
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Above: Rendering of the
LEED-registered Sweetwater building.
Below: Floorplan & site of the Sweetwater
State Park, which has more than nine miles
of hiking trails. Click
to enlarge |
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By starting with a LEED kick-off meeting,
this not-yet-built commercial facility will highlight
the best in green building techniques. The entire structure
and portions of the exterior wall finish and roof system
are steel, a material that has a high recycled content.
The concrete used for floor slabs will have either fly
ash or another recycled component. Encouraging the public
to use modes of alternative transportation, an electric-vehicle
charging station and bicycle racks for employees and
visitors will be provided. In an effort to continue
educating the public on conservationism, the building
and its green systems will actually become part of the
museum exhibits.
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