Press Releases
Roseland to Require Green Building Standards of Builders
December 14, 2007 - GBS Holding, Ltd. announced today that all builders in Roseland shall meet green building standards to provide healthy, energy efficient homes in the community.
“The environmental impact of development is something we take seriously,” said Casey Sowers, a partner in the Roseland project, “and we expect to do what is right to minimize that impact wherever we can.”
Green building standards are aimed at increasing energy and resource-use efficiency as well as healthy indoor air quality in buildings through construction techniques, materials, and quality controls. Heating and cooling systems, insulation materials, and sealing systems are some of the areas where homes can see the biggest gains in efficiency.
By requiring that home construction in Roseland is certified green, homebuyers will be assured that they are getting a better return on their biggest investment. “Many builders around the country are already having their homes certified by green building programs such as EarthCraft™’” said Dave Anderson, a partner in the Roseland project. “These builders know that efficient home construction is not a luxury but an expectation of future homebuyers.”
Earthcraft Virginia ( www.earthcraftvirginia.org ) is a provider of green building certification. Karl Bren, Executive Director of Earthcraft Virginia, thinks that the public’s buy-in of green construction is largely that of education. “Once a homebuyer understands the long-term value of building green, from a cost
and an environmental standpoint, the decision is easy,” said Bren. “The best part is that it isn't hard to do and the benefits to the homeowner extend throughout the life of the home.”
EarthCraft™ is a residential green builder program created in 1999 as a partnership between the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Southface Energy Institute www.southface.org , a non-profit dedicated to sustainable high performance housing.
EarthCraft™ is endorsed by the Homebuilders Association of Virginia and is being widely used throughout the Southeast. Thousands of single family homes and multifamily housing units have been certified under the program.
While Roseland will expect all builders to build certified green homes, they will assist the builders in getting green building right. “It is very important that we not put requirements on our builders and then leave it to them to figure it out,” says Sowers. “We will help those builders who want to be in Roseland by making training courses in EarthCraft™ implementation and certification available, as well as other resources. We need to work together to achieve the best success.”
By becoming the first large-scale developer to require green building standards, Roseland continues to push its sustainable design message, even before the project is formally zoned by Chesterfield County. “When you are building something over the next few decades, you need to plan over that horizon,” said Anderson. “Green building must be a foundational element of building in the future, and we are excited about leading by example.”
Roseland has been in planning stages for over three and a half years with the zoning application made in November of 2006. GBS Holding Ltd. involved some of the world’s greatest New Urban talents, including lead planning firm Urban Design Associates, in the creation of its plans. The vision is a New Urban town of up to 5,140 residences and up to 1.5 million square feet of commercial development in a pedestrian-friendly setting and catering to a wide variety of lifestyles and economic means.
The Roseland zoning is set for a public hearing before the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors in January.