The Greenest House in San Francisco

First city-approved installation of rain water catchment and recycling system. February 6, 2006.

The bar has just been raised on building green in San Francisco.

Built by LORAX Development and designed by John Maniscalco Architecture, this 2600 square foot home in Noe Valley earns the title of Greenest House in San Francisco. Coming March 1, 2006, 520 Clipper Street will not only be a demonstration piece that raises the bar on green building, but will also be a home that people will want to live in.

LORAX partners Mike Kerwin, Pat Loughran and Joel Micucci assembled a high quality team of sub-contractors as passionate about sustainability as they are. Experts in green building methods such as salvaging building products, solar power, recycled water, and green-certified cabinetry, this team of committed professionals used every environmental material and technology available to them in building this home.

Let It Rain

520 Clipper boasts the first city-approved installation of a Rain Catchment System in San Francisco. Available from Wonderwater, Inc. in Shasta, CA, the system will recycle an average of 18,000 gallons of rainwater that falls on the roof each year. A recycling unit ensures that no water is wasted, but is cleaned, stored and recycled through a separate plumbing system to flush toilets, do laundry and water the yard.

“Since the typical household in San Francisco uses over 5,000 gallons of water each month,” says partner Pat Loughran. “We think the Rain Catchment System is the solution to water short ages in the coming years. We will always be able to harvest and regulate a portion of our own water supply.”

Sunny Valley

In addition to producing the electricity for the home, the solar panels on the roof are incorporated into a water heating system, which provides 80% of the domestic hot water. It also heats the whole home by means of heated water circulating through Warmboard®, an integrated sub floor system that provides a soft radiant heat instead of forced air.

The Clipper House is on the grid, so excess solar power is automatically sold back to PG&E, providing power to the home while reducing costly over baseline electrical usage.

“LORAX Development has consistently been a supporter of the energy efficient technologies. They have insisted on including solar and radiant in all of their projects,” says Jake Tornatzky, Owner of Declination Solar.

Certified Green

“This home has a myriad of higher quality, green certified, alternative building materials” says partner Mike Kerwin. “At every juncture we discussed the options and chose the greenest alternative.”

The kitchen built-in cabinets and the bookcases in the living room were made with materials harvested from responsibly managed forests and certified by the non-profit Forestry Stewardship Council. Manufactured by Zwanette Design, San Francisco, a woman-owned business that also provides built-in green storage solutions, kitchens, and architectural surface treatments. De Gier's passion for sustainability has made her a natural for the LORAX team.

“As I've seen this project develop over time I've become more and more impressed by LORAX's willingness to go the extra mile to find more innovative and sustainable materials. Nowadays it doesn't take much for a developer to call a project “green”. Frequently these kinds of homes don't even have solar panels on their roofs. That's not what Mike, Pat and Joel are doing. They are really pushing the envelope and trying to raise the bar for true “green” development,” says de Gier, owner.

The wood floors are salvaged from 100-year-old Southeast Asian railroad ties, provided by Terra Mai, www.terramai.com. Terra Mai's products are all 100% reclaimed and recycled and LEED certified. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is the benchmark for green building worldwide.

“At Terra Mai our goal is simple - to provide exceptional and unique wood for innovative people like the folks at LORAX Development. We reclaim wood destined for landfills and burn piles. LORAX is using our Cinnamon mix product which has incredible variation, depth and beauty. This wood is also harder than most typical grades of flooring,“ says Richard McFarland, Owner of Terra Mai.

Another unique green feature, unseen to the homeowners but vital to the health of the workers installing it, is the insulation. Most insulation is made of fiberglass, which is irritating to the skin, contains formaldehyde and carries a carcinogenic warning label.

Instead, 520 Clipper is insulated with Ultra Touch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation, which is made from natural denim and cotton fibers that are 100% recyclable. The material, with the look and feel of an old pair of blue jeans, contains 85% post-industrial recycled fibers. Unlike fiberglass insulation, Ultra Touch has no VOC outgassing concerns and contains no formaldehyde or other chemical irritants.

UltraTouch is also a Class-A Building Product and meets the highest ASTM testing standards for fire and smoke ratings, fungi resistance and corrosiveness. It comes in R-Values of 13-19, and provides excellent noise absorption.

Other green features include:

Hardie Fiber Cement Siding® Instead of using traditional cedar or redwood siding, LORAX specified Hardie Fiber Cement Siding. Fiber cement siding provides low maintenance, resists rotting or cracking and it resists damage from rain, hail and flying debris. Hardie siding is non-combustible, and has a transferable warranty for up to 50 years.

AZEK® Cellular PVC Trim offers an unequalled combination of uniformity, durability, and workability. A perfect redwood replacement, this product works like wood and is impervious to rot and insect infiltration.

High Fly Ash Concrete. The concrete foundation and slab are of the highest fly ash content commercially available in the San Francisco area. The mix was a special order and while the product is more challenging to work with and takes longer to set-up it dries stronger than a conventional mix.

Company Biographies

LORAX Development
4319 21st St., San Francisco, CA 94114
Ph: 415-264-4428
Fax: (415) 282-6668
www.Loraxdevelopment.com

The company was born out of three partners, Pat Loughran, Joel Micucci and Mike Kerwin's desire to build a better home, select the greenest materials available and to pursue a vision of building the greenest house in San Francisco. The name was inspired by the Dr. Seuss character that “speaks for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.”

Founded in 2001, LORAX Development specializes in environmentally-friendly single family homes and multi-unit condominium buildings in San Francisco.

LORAX Development has also a long time supporter and volunteer for Rebuilding Together San Francisco, which provides free home repair and renovation programs for low-income, elderly and disabled San Franciscans and nonprofit and neighborhood facilities. Pat Loughran has been a volunteer house captain for 12 years. Mike Kerwin has been a volunteer skipper for 13 years for San Francisco BayKeeper, the only on-the-water environmental watchdog group on the San Francisco Bay. LORAX Development has provided materials and manpower to assist in the construction of the Scrap House as part of the 2005 Green Cities Expo in San Francisco, an urban experiment in building a unique structure entirely out of recycled materials.

Micucci, Loughran, and Kerwin were Contractors of Record for Home and Garden Television's Curb Appeal 2001-2003 seasons and Contractors of Record for Home and Garden Television's Landscape Smart 2003-2004 seasons.

Zwanette Design
Karin Z. de Gier, President & CEO
637 Alvarado St., San Francisco, CA 94114
Ph: (415) 595-3000
www.zwanettedesign.com

In today's hectic world, withdrawing to the tranquility of the home is essential for sanctuary. Karin de Gier as president guides Zwanette Design everyday by the passion to create home environments that rejuvenate people and the earth.

Zwanette Design offers quality built-in storage solutions, kitchens, displays, architectural surface treatments and bathroom vanities, in addition to a selection of timeless and eco-friendly home furnishings. As a woman-owned business that has manufactured now for 5 years in San Francisco, Zwanette Design currently does mostly “green” remodeling/construction projects in the Bay Area.

Karin de Gier states that: “It is our goal this year to expand operations so that we can exclusively manufacture and install high-end “green” cabinets”. “We are excited about the increase in demand by our clientele. We believe that quality construction, innovative design, the use of earth-friendly materials, combined with Old World service will allow any client the satisfaction of a successful “green” construction or remodeling project at a competitive price”.

Wonderwater, Inc.
Dylan Coleman
Ph: (530) 926-5050
Fax: (530) 926-5050
www.wonderwater.net

Wonderwater has one objective: to create a supplemental supply of water so we will continue to have enough to drink, wash, cook, grow, and play in. We accomplish our goal with a 3000 year old practice - by catching, storing and using the rain.

Wonderwater designs, creates and installs Rain Catchment Systems. Their non-profit arm, See the Rain believes that no one should ever die of thirst or water contamination as long as water falls from the sky. Their projects include teaching a community of farmers in Tanzania to catch, clean and store their rain, providing 4 times the water they currently have available to them. For more information, visit www.wonderwater.net.

Declination Solar
Jake Tornasky, Owner
2245 Quesada Ave., San Francisco, CA 94124
Ph: (415) 933-6133
www.declinationsolar.com

Declination is the angular distance of the sun north or south of the earth's equator. Declination Solar is a licensed solar contractor, based in San Francisco, CA. Declination has a wide range of experience in the solar energy field. In the past decade we have installed, serviced and designed a variety of solar energy systems. The entire field of solar power can be found in our services: Photovoltaic, Thermal and Passive. Declination also installs radiant heating systems that work in conjunction with solar thermal panels.

John Maniscalco/Architecture, Inc.
John Maniscalco, President
1501 Waller Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
Ph: (415) 664-9900
www.M-Architecture.com

With projects ranging from single-family homes to large scale academic, institutional and commercial work, the studio of John Maniscalco Architecture produces work based on two principles - creating livable, modern spaces, and engaging clients in the design process. Our approach takes the particular needs, desires and personality of each client and utilizes them to shape a unique architectural solution. We focus on the fundamental elements of architecture - quality materials, careful consideration of space and light, and clarity of design from concept to detailing. We introduce our clients to possibilities through design, but their needs and desires are entirely reflected in what we do. As building industry professionals, we feel it is our responsibility to utilize ecologically sound building practices as a fundamental design principle. JM/A's work has been published in local and national design publications, and is currently part of the San Francisco American Institute of Architects “Small Firms, Great Projects” exhibition.

Terra Mai
McCloud, CA
Ph: (800) 220-9062
www.terramai.com

Full-service recycled lumber millworks dedicated to reclaiming wood from all over the world and producing a line of high quality lumber products.

Founded in 1991 with the goal of saving some trees, employing some people and supporting their family in the timber country of Northern California. Since then Terra Mai has reclaimed over a million board feet of old-growth lumber and provided premium wood for projects ranging from Patagonia retail stores to the Baltimore Aquarium and the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers.

Material Resources

Rainwater Catchment System
by Wonderwater
www.wonderwater.net (530) 926-5050
This novel system, the first approved for use in San Francisco, will reclaim 18,000 gallons of water that fall on the roof of 520 Clipper Street each winter and use it for gray water applications inside and outside the home. This recycled water will be used for heating the floors, watering the garden outside, flushing the toilets and washing the laundry.

Recycled Denim Insulation
by Acoustical Surfaces
www.acousticalsurfaces.com (800) 448-0737
UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation consists almost entirely of natural denim and cotton fibers that are 100% recyclable are also 100% post-industrial and free of any contaminants. UltraTouch has no VOC out-gassing concerns and contains no formaldehyde or other chemical irritants unlike fiberglass insulation.

Photovoltaic (Solar) Panels
by Declination Solar
www.declinationsolar.com (415) 933-6133
Declination Solar designs and implements residential and commercial energy systems to match client specific needs. They install Solar Electric Systems under the California Energy Commission Emerging Renewables Buydown Program. With recent technological advances, solar power is now an economically competitive energy source. The Clipper House is on the grid, so excess solar power is automatically sold back to PG&E, providing not only whole-house power, but a rebate at the end of the year.

Reclaimed Wood Flooring
by Terra Mai
www.terramai.com (800) 220-9062
The floors are salvaged from Southeast Asian railroad ties that are up to one hundred years old. Their full-service recycled lumber millworks are dedicated to reclaiming wood from all over the world and producing a line of high quality lumber products.

Kitchen Cabinets and Bookcases
by Zwanette Design
www.zwanettedesign.com 415-595-3000
These built-in cabinets were made with materials harvested from responsibly managed forests and certified by the non-profit Forestry Stewardship Council.

To address indoor health issues ArmorCore plywood made with fsc-certified wood was used, as well as Medite II which is an MDF board produced from waste wood fiber that is a by-product of wood processing and lumber milling operations. Both products do not contain added formaldehyde which can cause severe headaches and migraines.

Kitchen Countertop
by Richlite
www.richlite.com (888) 383-5533
Richlite® is made primarily of paper purchased from responsibly managed forests throughout North America. The paper is treated with resin then pressed and baked to create solid sheets. As a kitchen counter it is beautiful, durable, stain, heat and scratch resistant, and sanitary. This material has been used for decades by the aerospace industry for tooling, the marine industry for fiberglass reinforcement and the action sports industry for outdoor skate ramp surfaces.

Fiber Cement Siding
by James Hardie
www.jameshardie.com (888) 542-7343
The fiber cement exterior siding that was used in this project is low maintenance and extremely durable without sacrificing the character of wood. Fiber cement siding incorporates Portland cement, ground sand, additives and water to make a durable, attractive, weather and fire resistant siding that has a 50 year warranty.

Exterior Trimboards
by AZEK
www.azek.com (877) 275-2935
AZEK® Trimboards is a wood replacement product. It offers an exterior trimboard that is a combination of Uniformity, Durability, Workability, and Beauty, with the look, feel and sound of clear, premium lumber. AZEK is the leading brand of cellular pvc trimboards.

Fly Ash Concrete Foundation
by Lorax Development
www.loraxdevelopment.com (415) 264-4428
Fly ash is a by-product of coal combustion in power plants, the disposal of which is a growing problem. Lorax specified up to 40% fly ash by volume to the concrete mix, making a stronger, more durable concrete foundation.

TREX Decking and Fence Boards
by Trex Company, Inc.
www.trex.com (800) 289-8739
Trex Company is the nation's largest manufacturer of composite decking, fencing and railing products that are made from a combination of reclaimed wood and plastic. The plastic shields the wood from moisture and insect damage, so there's no rotting or splintering. The wood protects the plastic from UV damage and gives the deck and fencing a solid, natural feel. Trex products offer design flexibility with fewer ongoing maintenance requirements.

Radiant Floor Heating
by Declination Solar
www.declinationsolar.com (415) 933-6133
Radiant heating is a highly efficient and comfortable solution for heating a home or business. Solar thermal panels are used to provide all the heat at 520 Clipper Street. Tubing is imbedded in floor slabs and integrated into the sub floors. Recycled water is heated by the solar panels on the roof and pumped through the tubing to heat the house. The quality of heat produced by this radiant system is extremely comfortable and eliminates the air quality issues with forced air systems.

Carpet
The bedrooms upstairs have been carpeted with all natural hemp carpet. The use of non-toxic vegetable dyes will make this a healthy floor covering.

Marvin Low E Windows and Doors
www.marvin.com (888) 537-7828
High quality Marvin windows and doors with Low E coatings. These thin, transparent coatings of silver or tin oxide permit visible light to pass through, but they effectively reflect infrared heat radiation back into the room. This reduces heat loss through the windows. Additionally ultraviolet transmission is greatly reduced.

Benjamin Moore Low VOC Paints and Caulks
Eco Spec® Interior Latex Eggshell
www.benjaminmoore.com
A low odor, low VOC, 100% acrylic latex eggshell enamel that provides high hiding, excellent touch up, and quick return to service. Its resulting film combines the beauty of a flat finish with the washability of a semi-gloss finish.

Fact Sheet

Developer and General Contractor:
LORAX Development
KLM Builders, Inc.
4319 21st Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
Ph: (415) 264-4428
www.loraxdevelopment.com

Architect:
John Maniscalco
1501 Waller Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
Ph: (415) 664-9900 X201
www.M-Architecture.com

Financing:
Bank of Marin
Lynn McHale
9 Commercial Blvd. Novato CA 94949
Ph: (415) 884-4596
www.bankofmarin.com

Listing Agent:
Brown & Company Real Estate
Tim Brown
John Farnum
775 Monterey Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94127
Ph: (415) 334-0100