[crwhite0527]

This forum is meant to showcase the smaller projects in DT phoenix that receive less media hype but contribute to the success of downtown through unique infill and green development methods.

[crwhite0527]

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070425005265&newsLang=en


Greenroof Unveils Affordable, Green Homes in Downtown Phoenix

Young Developers Create First Affordable, Sustainable Housing for Downtown Phoenix

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Downtown Phoenix developer Urbistruct LLC today unveiled a unique name, standards and approach to development that makes the green life accessible today in downtown Phoenix.

The company’s new name is Greenroof Development Company LLC. The name reflects the company’s commitment to develop eco-friendly communities in downtown Phoenix that meet the eco-conscious desires of its target market at a price they can afford.

“We have the ability to build homes and communities that let us live more in harmony with the environment - it’s a matter of creating housing designs and using building products that are best for people, our sense of place and for the sustainability of the planet,” says Jenny Kramer, majority partner of Greenroof. “As a native Phoenician, it’s important to me to be part of making Phoenix a greener place to live in every sense of the word.”

Greenroof’s target market is the generation of up and comers who were raised with the concepts of recycling, energy efficiency, preserving natural resources and protecting the environment. They also value the power of a dollar and are looking for ways to balance their values and their budgets.

Greenroof develops communities that enable people to live the green life now in downtown Phoenix. The company incorporates contemporary, eco-conscious design with environmentally friendly building materials that result in neighborhoods where people can create a lifestyle that’s easy on the conscience and the planet.

Greenroof is committed to a green standard that’s better than LEED. LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, created by the US Green Building Council - is the nation’s accepted standard for green development. To guarantee best outcomes, which are not always synonymous with LEED certification, Greenroof has adapted LEED guidelines to Arizona’s desert environment. Greenroof’s “7 GreenStar Standards” provide a checklist of sustainable options for design, durability, energy efficiency, waste reduction, indoor air quality, water conservation and green building products.

About Greenroof

Greenroof Development Company LLC is a privately owned Arizona corporation whose owners are committed to building a better world one green community at a time in downtown Phoenix. The company is nearly sold out of its first environmentally-friendly development, PRD845, near the Roosevelt Historic Arts District, and will break ground soon on the nearby Viridian and other projects in the downtown Triangle area that bring ground-breaking green development to Phoenix. For more information, visit www.greenroofdevco.com.

About PRD845

PRD845, designed by Phoenix’s Studio Ma architects, is a 12-unit development at 8th Avenue & Roosevelt featuring a contemporary look and eco-friendly features. Only two live/work units remain available at $399,000 for 1,705 square feet. Listing agent is Jarson & Jarson, Scottsdale.

[PHX31]

/\ Interesting...

When I clicked on their website and clicked on the "communities" tab, it brought up 4 separate developments, PRD, Viridian, Taylor Street, and something called "Cooper Place"... the rendering in the "Cooper Place" picture was a mid-rise building (maybe 5-12 stories). It was a very small rendering, but it was there nonetheless. Now, every other time I've gone to that website and clicked on the "communities" link, "Cooper Place" is gone and it only shows the other 3 developments.. hmmmmmmm

[HooverDam]

Do we need a separate thread for this? It seems like the Phoenix Development News thread could cover this. Its not like Phoenix is NYC or Chicago and is so busy we are forgetting to talk about the small things- I mean, we did have a 2 page argument about a small government building west of 7th ave after all.

[vertex]

:previous: Why not? I think there are enough projects to keep this thread active, although I wouldn't mind the focus of this thread to be more about sustainable architecture in general, rather than being just LEED-certified or LEED-specific.

Anyway, if you look over towards Tempe, there are a few examples starting to develop, the most notable being the transit center.

http://www.otak.com/_files/project_photos/Tempe-TC_5.jpg

from the architect's website... (http://www.otak.com/what/project.cfm?id=64)

Tempe Transportation Center
Location: Tempe, AZ
Client: Valley Metro

The City of Tempe sought to create a mixed-use transit center that could accommodate the region’s increased business needs while integrating with its new transportation solutions. Officials also aspired to create a sustainable structure, which proved a significant challenge in the desert climate. Through the strategic use of shade, glazing, vegetation and wastewater, Otak+Architekton designed the facility to be the first LEED-certified transit center in the United States and just the second LEED-certified building in Arizona.

[vertex]

Also in Tempe...

East Valley Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility
A 25-acre bus maintenance facility, owned and operated by Tempe and located west of Priest on Rio Salado Parkway has begun construction. The facility will include 75,600 sq. ft. of fuel and washing space, and 19,650 sq. ft. of administration and operations space, and will serve as a base for a 250-bus fleet. The Tempe transportation division provides transit services to Tempe, Scottsdale, and the surrounding area as part of the Regional Public Transportation Authority/Valley Metro Transit Agency. This Facility will be certified at the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver level by the U.S. Green Building Council.

http://www.tempe.gov/lake/development/Construction.htm


http://www.tempe.gov/lake/development/Images/aerial%20bus%20maintenance%20facility.jpg

[vertex]

Just off-the-cuff, the new Papago Center buildings under construction at the corner of Mill and Washington are also LEED-certified. They are pretty decent sized buildings too, over a quarter-million sq ft.

Looking for pics and renderings...

[vertex]

And if you expand your boundaries just a bit more, the granddaddy of the modern 'sustainable architecture' movement (http://www.arcosanti.org/expCosanti/main.html) is right up the street in Paradise Valley.

http://www.arcosanti.org/expCosanti/Cosanti-top.jpg

[District8]

:previous: Why not? I think there are enough projects to keep this thread active, although I wouldn't mind the focus of this thread to be more about sustainable architecture in general, rather than being just LEED-certified or LEED-specific.

Anyway, if you look over towards Tempe, there are a few examples starting to develop, the most notable being the transit center.

http://www.otak.com/_files/project_photos/Tempe-TC_5.jpg

from the architect's website... (http://www.otak.com/what/project.cfm?id=64)

Tempe Transportation Center
Location: Tempe, AZ
Client: Valley Metro

The City of Tempe sought to create a mixed-use transit center that could accommodate the region’s increased business needs while integrating with its new transportation solutions. Officials also aspired to create a sustainable structure, which proved a significant challenge in the desert climate. Through the strategic use of shade, glazing, vegetation and wastewater, Otak+Architekton designed the facility to be the first LEED-certified transit center in the United States and just the second LEED-certified building in Arizona.

Very cool. This is directly across the street from my office. Most of the site is still undergoing archeological review (guys with paint brushes carefully removing dirt from Hohokam relics). As long as I can get to downtown Phoenix in a half an hour or less, from this location, I will be an avid rider. I just spent $71.50 filling up my car. It is enough to make you want to move in next door to Vandercook.

[vertex]

Just off-the-cuff, the new Papago Center buildings under construction at the corner of Mill and Washington are also LEED-certified. They are pretty decent sized buildings too, over a quarter-million sq ft.

Looking for pics and renderings...

Regarding my earlier post about the LEED-certified building in Papago Park, here are a couple of images, from the construction company's website (http://www.okland-const.com/project_details.cfm?id=308).

Six floors, with 260,000 sq. ft. It includes double-skinned glass curtain walls with built-in louvers. This is going in at the north-west corner of Mill and Washington, and will have the new, unnamed light rail stop at the west end of the property.

http://www.okland-const.com/images/Rendering%20night1.jpg

http://www.okland-const.com/images/Papago%20RenderingDay.jpg

[andrewkfromaz]

:previous: Color me incredibly excited about that project. Not too far from LRT station, potential wet labs for bioresearch space, I'm almost going to do an annoying dancing banana...
Ok I will. :banana: CHEESY!!!

[JimInCal]

Technology can help sustain desert living
Jun. 9, 2007 12:00 AM

Arizona was built on optimism - a welcoming land of dazzling landscapes, abundant sunshine and seemingly limitless economic opportunity.

But lately, there is a growing unease among our citizens, concern that the bounty that drew us here might be running out.

The decadelong drought may turn into a 1930s-style Dust Bowl. The choking brown cloud of air pollution may never lift. Night-time temperatures may pass the century mark and keep on rising. Freeway construction may never relieve the growing load of traffic.

Similar worries face people in different regions of the U.S. and the world. More frequent and intense hurricanes traumatize the Gulf Coast. Climbing gas prices threaten our nation's mobility. Conversion of corn into ethanol causes the cost of basic foodstuffs to skyrocket. New diseases like bird flu spread across the globe at the speed of a 747.

The sustainability of our lifestyle, our economic prosperity and our environment suddenly seem to be at risk. Societies everywhere are confronted by limits that they did not worry about before. Solutions appear to be beyond our grasp.

But adversity always contains the seeds of opportunity for creative individuals, companies and societies.

In the spirit of optimism, Arizona State University, The Arizona Republic and other organizations are working together to help Arizonans understand both the challenges of sustainability and their possible remedies.

In 2004, with the support of business leader Julie Ann Wrigley, ASU gathered a number of its programs together under the umbrella of the Global Institute of Sustainability, or GIOS. The hallmark of GIOS is its research on rapid urbanization, which uses Greater Phoenix as its main laboratory.

ASU professors receive millions of federal, state and industry dollars to study all aspects of how cities grow. Among the major questions being addressed are:

• How does the expansion of metro Phoenix affect the Sonoran Desert ecosystem that supports it, and how does that natural environment influence the way the city develops?

• How do commercial and government managers make decisions about water allocation in the face of uncertainty about drought, climate change and population growth?

• How can changes in construction materials reduce the urban heat island effect, the tendency of urban areas to retain daytime heat, which when slowly released causes night-time temperatures to rise dangerously high?

• How might new information-sharing technology allow the Valley's police departments to more quickly identify criminals who slip from one city to another to avoid capture?

• How can "green" energy technologies like biodiesel made locally from bacteria and roof-top solar reduce a city's reliance on vulnerable, distant fuel sources whose combustion contributes to the perils of global climate change?

• Where does the Valley's air pollution come from, which neighborhoods are most affected and what can be done to reduce it?

Although these questions may seem diverse, they share three elements. First, they can be solved only through an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together many different professional perspectives, as occurs routinely in modern research universities. Second, they seek practical answers to many of the issues of greatest concern to Arizona's citizens. Third, their solutions offer new business opportunities by creating "sustainable technologies."

In the coming months, expect to see articles written by sustainability experts from among the ASU faculty, students and staff, as well as our partners in the community. We hope that these columns will provide you and your family with helpful suggestions to guide your own choices about how Arizona can continue to grow in ways that preserve our bright future.

Jonathan Fink is vice president for research and economic affairs at ASU. On July 1, he becomes the Julie Ann Wrigley Director of the Global Institute of Sustainability as well as ASU's first chief sustainability officer.

[andrewkfromaz]

I noted on the Tempe thread that First Solar, the Nasdaq (I think they're listed on the Nasdaq) darling, leased space in the Papago Gateway Center.
Check out my post: (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=96153&page=69)

[JimInCal]

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/109634

February 22, 2008 - 1:00AM
APS announces joint program for solar power facility
Comments 0| Recommend 0
Tony Natale, Tribune

A more than $1 billion solar-powered energy plant planned near Gila Bend is expected to create 1,500 construction jobs and supply power to more than 70,000 households in Arizona.

The plant, Solana Generating Station, will cover 3 square miles about 70 miles south of Phoenix and will produce 280 megawatts of power, making it the world's largest solar power facility.

Solana - Spanish for "sunny place" - will be built and operated by Abengoa Solar, a Spanish technology company that will sell its power to Arizona Public Service and its customers beginning in 2011.

Abengoa and APS executives and Gov. Janet Napolitano outlined the planned energy plant Thursday at a news conference at the Arizona Science Center in downtown Phoenix.

"This is a win for Arizona," Napolitano said. "It shows the rest of the world we're a forward-moving state." Besides adding to the state's economy, the new plant will offer Arizonans a clean and efficient source of energy.

Abengoa has more than 20,000 employees in more than 70 countries through five business units, said CEO Santiago Seage. "This is a new era in the energy sector in the United States," he said. "In Arizona, we've found the right mentality and business climate to make this happen."

Seage said the energy plant will capture solar heat and convert it to steam, which will be stored and used to generate electricity for APS customers.

He urged members of the Arizona Corporation Commission and other local and state officials in the audience to not only approve and support the project, but also to push to extend the tax credit for solar-powered plants. The 30 percent investment tax credit expires this year unless Congress extends it.

The plant will cover an alfalfa farm, but will use an estimated 75 percent less water compared with the farm, according to APS, which also reported it will spend $4 billion buying power from the plant over 30 years.

"It's a monumental project for APS," said Don Brandt, president of the electricity utility that serves about 1.1 million customers in Arizona. "And, it will put Arizona on the map as the solar capital of the world. We're taking solar power to the major league."

[PHX31]

It's about time... Arizona and our sun should have already been on the map as a leader.

[gymratmanaz]

i just stopped my English class of 5th graders to announce this news. This is what Phoenix and AZ should be on the map for. FINALLY!!!!!!

[Cranetastic]

Where is this going to be located at? I'm trying to visualize it on a map. Thanks.

[andrewkfromaz]

On the north side of 5th Ave, between the police station and the stadium.

Or, click here for an aerial. (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Tempe,+AZ&ie=UTF8&hl=en&f=q&ll=33.425881,-111.93495&spn=0.003116,0.005021&t=h&z=18) The vacant land in the middle of the image, south of the mountain but north of 5th/Veterans' is what you're looking for.

[Vicelord John]

If I have to keep hearing people say "green" I'm gonna start hitting things. That has got to be the dumbest buzz word ever used.

[andrewkfromaz]

But all the alternatives are so stinkin' long and unwieldy. Get used to it, is my advice. Invest in a punching bag. It's only getting more popular.

[PhxSprawler]

"Sustainable," "environmentally friendly," and "carbon neutral" have waaay too many syllables for the masses.

[andrewkfromaz]

Funny how buzzwords work and don't work. "Synergy" is hard to type and looks funny, and yet it's so popular among the C-Suite set. I guess it's a lot more fun to say than it is to use in a presentation or other written attempt at communication.