Southface Journal Summer 2007

The dignitaries at the Kendeda Sustainable Home groudbreaking received ceremonial shovels to commemorate the event.

Ground Breaking Ceremony on April 16, 2007
By Ku'ulei Mitchell

Atlanta is one of the fastest growing urban cities in the country. Not only is the population increasing, but so is the cost of real estate. As new homes are built, surrounding property values also increase which often prices low income families out of traditionally working class neighborhoods. An Atlanta-based nonprofit, Charis Community Housing (CCH) has contributed to rejuvenating urban Atlanta communities for more than 20 years. One of the many services and programs CCH offers is an affordable home ownership program for low-income working families. To cultivate affordable green homes, The Kendeda Fund offered a challenge grant to fund a competition for architects to design an affordable and green single-family home. The winning architect would implement the design on a lot located at 63 Gammon St. in historic southeast Atlanta and the structure would serve as an example of building affordable green homes.

The regional design competition, The Sustainable Home Competition 2006, was opened to architects in Georgia and surrounding states. The competition was based on overall design, cost and energy efficiency. The winning designer, Gamble & Gamble Inc. (G+G Architects) was to team up with partnered organizations assembled by the Kendeda Fund. Those partners included: The American Institute of Architects, Atlanta Chapter (AIA Atlanta); Charis Community Housing ; the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) and Southface.

Each organization contributed to the project in different ways. AIA Atlanta organized the competition by selecting the judges, developing the design criteria, maintaining the website and managing the marketing efforts. CCH provided the lot the house will be built on. MODA hosted an exhibit showcasing the completed project and Southface provided expertise on building a sustainable EarthCraft House.

The modern-design green home will include EarthCraft House features such as a sealed crawlspace, tight building envelope, roof rainwater collection and energy efficient appliances. These features will save energy, reduce utility bills and improve the home’s durability. The sustainable single-family home is offered below market price at $150,000. The home is being built in an up-and-coming neighborhood. “The mission and vision to redevelop communities and neighborhoods that are mixed incomes creates a healthy balance,” explained Cynthia Moreland, executive director of Charis Community Housing .

Eco Office News - The Synergy of Salvage
By Brian Sharkey

The recent groundbreaking for Georgia Power’s LEED® Silver Childcare Center has proven mutually beneficial to both Southface and Georgia Power. Salvaging materials and reducing waste, an objective of any green building endeavor, was accomplished seamlessly through the cooperative efforts of Reed Thomas of RJ Griffin and Southface’s Frank Burdette. A 1.5 ton wood frame bridge, valued at $6500, was recovered from the Georgia Power site and will be used to cross the rainwater garden at the south entrance of the Eco Office. Additionally, nine tons of pervious rubber paving was reclaimed by Southface, 300-square feet of which will be used as a walkway on the green roof of the Eco Office.

The reclaimed bridge will find a new home covering the rainwater garden at the Eco Office.

This exchange positions Georgia Power to achieve LEED credit MR 2.1 by diverting 50% of construction, demolition and land clearing debris from landfill disposal. Southface, on the other hand, is fulfilling LEED credit MR 3.2 by reusing 10% of building materials in order to reduce demand for virgin materials, bringing us one step closer to the goal of LEED Platinum. The sourcing of these materials from a project located one block away exemplifies LEED credit MR 5.1 by obtaining regional materials and raises the bar for what can be accomplished. Congratulations to all those involved for their efforts in realizing a sustainable future.

Southface Receives ENERGY STAR Award

The EPA presented Southface the 2007 ENERGY STAR® for Homes Outstanding Achievement Award in May 2007 for its role in qualifying more than 500 energy-efficient homes. Southface achieved twice the threshold of 250 ENERGY STAR qualified homes in the calendar year. Each year, EPA recognizes builders, providers, raters, utilities and sponsors that achieve specific levels of accomplishment with this honor.

The Southface ENERGY STAR team. L-R: Abe Kruger, Residential Green Building Services Project Manager; Sean Bleything, EarthCraft House Field Operations Manager; and Josh Duckwall, Multifamily Operations Manager.

The Green Week proclamation was presented to Dennis Creech on behalf of Gov. Sonny Perdue by David Freedman, Chief Engineer, Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The short version states that the Greenprints Conference offers a valuable forum for individuals and professionals to share their knowledge and inspiration as they strive for a cleaner, healthier and more vibrant Georgia - Thank you Governor Sonny Perdue.

EarthCraft House Builder Receives 2007 Chrysalis Award
Award-winning EarthCraft Renovator and Builder, Pinnacle Custom Builders, received the 2007 Chrysalis Award for Best Green Remodel and Best Whole House Remodel $200-$500k. The Chrysalis Award program recognizes the nation’s best work in seventeen categories of residential remodeling. The South Regional Awards were for a home located in Decatur and was also featured on the cover of the January 2007 issue of the Atlanta Home Improvement Magazine. “I attribute these awards to the quality of the EarthCraft program and our commitment to it,” says Robert Soens, President of the Pinnacle Custom Builders Inc.

EarthCraft House 2007 Builder Awards
The EarthCraft House 2007 Builder Awards were held during the Southern Building Show and Conference at the Cobb Galleria Center in Smyrna on June 22. The winners of six categories were honored: Longleaf at Callaway Gardens for Development of the Year, Summerfield Homes Inc for the Builder of the Year, Addison Homes LLC. for Regional Builder of the Year, Pinnacle Custom Builders Inc. for Renovator of the Year and Georgia Pacific for Sponsor of the Year. The ECH 2007 Project Managers honored were Michael McPherson of Hedgewood Homes, Adam Dover of Whitehall Homes, Terry Wilson of Leland Homes, Ron Langwell of O’Dwyer Homes and Matt Griffith of Big Canoe Builders. The Builder Assistants honored were Howard Bryan of Haven Properties, Sean “Yankee” Betts of Summit Homes, Herbert Smith of Black and David and Raoul Oviedo of Hedgewood Homes.

Southface Staff Receive Honor
Southface would like to congratulate new staff member, Allison A. Bailes III, Ph.D, as the newest certified HERS Quality Assurance Designee (QAD). He is now accredited to conduct HERS trainings and provide oversight of our operations, in addition, to managing the EarthCraft program on the regional level. Nationally, there are approximately 100 QAD accredited individuals and Southface is proud to have five QADs on staff to ensure the highest level of quality performance and training.

Southface Hellos & Goodbyes Southface welcomes our newest interns:
	Alexis Anzo, Brian Sharkey and Matthew Powers
Southface welcomes:
	Adam Deck as the Eco Office Foreman, Allison A. Bailes III as the EarthCraft House Regional Program Director, Andrew Lane as the EarthCraft House Inspector, Ethan Hirsch-Tauber as the Eco Office Field Engineer, Ku’ulei Mitchell as the Public Relations/Communications Coordinator and Wes Riley as the LEED® for Homes Project Manager
Southface offers best wishes to departing staff and interns:
	Jason Acosta, Dianne Butler, Shannon Gray, Kelly Hendry, Becky Rowe, Susie Trinh

The Southface Visionary Dinner and Greenprints Conference

Callaway Gardens staff and friends were out in full force, as President Edward Callaway accepted the 2007 Argon Award. Click to enlarge	Rusty Barber, Southface Board Chair, Pam Sessions, past chair, Edward Callaway, President Callaway Gardens and Dennis Creech, Southface Executive Director. Click to enlarge


Power speakers during Green Week. L-R. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin addresses the audience at the Visionary Dinner, reaffirming the city's committment to green development. Terri Montague, President of Atlanta BeltLine Inc. was the opening keynote at the Greenprints conference and spoke about the Atlanta Beltway. Quayle Hodek, CEO Renewable Choice Energy was the Visionary Dinner keynote and spoke about the future of renewable energy and green tags.

Saving the planet with great taste–the Whole Foods Chefs Panel takes a brief break before the Visionary Dinner. L-R, Chef Butch Raphael, Pangaea; Chef Michael Tuohy, Woodfire Grill; Chef Elisa Gambino, Via Elisa Fresh Pasta; Chef Virginia Willis, Virginia Willis Culinary Productions; Chef Mary Moore, The Cook’s Warehouse; Editor's footnote: the dinner was awesome.
Inset: Chef Michael Tuohy and Chef Sheri Davis, Dish; Scott Crawford, Whole Foods Market;