BAIHP and WCI Communities, Inc., Construct Prototype Green Homes

May 2003

The Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (BAIHP) conducted by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), has partnered with WCI Communities, Inc., to construct the first in a series of prototype "green homes." The home is currently under construction in WCI's Evergrene Community, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and is slated for completion summer 2003. WCI is constructing The Green Home at Evergrene as a model home to showcase the latest in green building technologies and features to its customers, and to the community at large. BAIHP is providing technical assistance and is monitoring the home's performance. Data that is collected will be posted on the Internet through the BAIHP Web site.

WCI Communities, Inc., (WCI) is the 18th largest homebuilder in the United States and the largest developer of master planned communities in Florida. Through its long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship, WCI has been creating communities that meet the certification standards of Audubon International and, more recently, the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) Land Development Program.

To complement their commitment to the environment, which is showcased through the development of their communities, WCI is extending its stewardship principles in the construction of green single- and multi-family homes within the communities. Most of the single-family homes within ten new communities certified by Audubon International or FGBC are planned to also meet the minimum requirements of the FGBC Green Home Designation Standard (GHDS). Through the certification program, the GHDS acknowledges homes that incorporate a sufficient number of principles in the areas of energy efficiency, water efficiency, responsible site development, indoor environmental quality, resource efficient materials, and disaster mitigation.

The WCI Green Home at Evergrene is the first in a series of "showcase" model homes. At least one such showcase home will be constructed many of their certified communities, located in central and south Florida. Each of these models is designed to demonstrate myriad green building technologies and features, all of which will be available to their customers as options or in package form. Although WCI is striving to ensure that each home constructed within a certified community will meet the minimum requirements of the GHDS, the model homes go well beyond minimum requirements and are designed to incorporate more green principles than any other homes built in Florida to date. The Green Home at Evergrene is acting as a prototype for all subsequent showcase models and a practical basis for their design.

The 1,555-square-foot prototype home is constructed using insulated concrete forms (ICF) for its first floor walls and 2x6 framing for its second floor. The home is expected to score above 90 on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) scale, indicating a greater than 50% savings in heating, cooling, and water heating energy use over the HERS baseline home.

Select energy efficiency features include the following:

• ENERGY STAR^®appliances
• Variable-speed 15 SEER air conditioner
• Low solar gain windows
• Compact fluorescent lighting with occupancy and daylight sensors
• Ductwork in conditioned space via an unvented attic.

Select water efficiency features include the following:

• Dual flush toilets
• Drought tolerant landscape
• Micro-irrigation
• Rainwater harvesting.

Select indoor environmental quality features include the following:

• Extensive VOC source control through paint, cabinets, and countertops selection
• Mechanical ventilation
• Whole-house filtration with UV sterilization
• No CCA-treated lumber used for the home's construction
• Reverse osmosis drinking water purification.

Select resource efficiency characteristics include the following:

• All lumber used is certified sustainable
• Extensive use of engineered lumber
• Eco-friendly flooring and finishes.

Select disaster resistance characteristics include the following:

• Impact resistant glass
• Meets FGBC GHDS criteria for flood and wild fire resistance.

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