USGBC FOUNDER MOVES INTO LEED-PLATINUM HOME

publication date: Nov 19, 2008

BOSTON, Nov. 18 -- U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) founder David Gottfried is settling into his newly renovated home, which received the highest score to date on the LEED for Homes green building rating system.

Gottfried, also the founder of the World Green Building Council (WGBC) and CEO of Regenerative Ventures, and his wife Dr. Sara Gottfried, medical director at the Center for Integrative Medicine, moved into the LEED Platinum home in Oakland, Calif., with their children in mid-August. The home received 106.5 points out of a total 136 possible under the LEED for Homes certification program. Platinum certification is awarded to homes that earn 80 points or more.

"We hoped to showcase how to green an old historic home and still achieve LEED Platinum, as well as downsize 50 percent for a family of four," Gottfried said.

The 1,500-square-foot home in the Oakland neighborhood of Rockridge is half as large as the Gottfrieds' previous home in the Berkeley Hills. Gottfried specifically wanted the home to be small to reduce the home's footprint and to show that a family of four can live happily in a smaller space.

The restored 1915 craftsman bungalow further reduces its impact on the environment because, as a restoration, it enables reuse of many materials and doesn't eliminate open space on a previously home-free site.

Gottfried works in a regenerative "Lifepod" in the back yard of the home, cutting out the air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions associated with a commute to the office. Also reducing commute costs, the house is built in a walking neighborhood, with most amenities available without the need to drive.

The home is designed to be a net-zero energy home, meaning that with its solar photovoltaic power generation and its solar and hydronic-powered water-heating systems, the home strives to produce all the energy it needs to operate without drawing from the power grid.

Rainwater is captured and diverted for use in one of the home's toilets, reducing reliance on potable water supplies. "Graywater," attained from the home's two showers, bathtub and two sinks, is used to water the landscaping and a future vegetable garden site.

Conserving resources does not mean scrimping on style. Some 27 colors make up the décor, which includes recycled abalone tile. The Gottfrieds call it "eco-bling."

The renovation was funded in part by a green construction loan from New Resource Bank and an interest rate break for its use of solar power and LEED. Learn more about the Gottfrieds' home at www.gottfriedhome.com.