Going Green @ Rocketts Landing
Environmental stewardship and traditional designs happily coexist in town homes
Text by Doug Childers
Photography by Lisa Billings
Drive east on Route 5 and just as you leave Richmond and cross into Henrico County, you'll come upon an ambitious, mixed-use riverfront project named for the land on which it is being developed: Rocketts Landing.
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| The kitchen appliances are Energy Star-certified. Surfaces are granite and ceramic tile. The cabinetry near the window features glass doors and curved fronts. |
Nearly 300 years ago, this land served as the first port of the newly founded city of Richmond. And it's where Abraham Lincoln disembarked when he visited Richmond following Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House.
Now, the Village of Rocketts Landing is the site of the region's first major green building project.
Among a wide-ranging mix of restored historical buildings and new condominiums, the five environmentally friendly town homes built by Scandia USA Inc. stand out at first glance for their attention to traditional detail as much as for their forward-thinking green design.
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| The master bath features double sinks and granite countertops. All painted surfaces in the town home use low-VOC paints. |
"We've got modern architecture in the development, but with the town homes, the developer wanted a more traditional look," says Roger Petersen II, project manager for Scandia USA. "So we spent time on Monument Avenue and Church Hill, driving around and looking at houses built more than 100 years ago. We tried to replicate that look." The traditional details continue inside, with 7½-inch baseboards and 6½-inch crown molding. The traditional styling is so convincing that workers in the development have asked if the town homes are older houses that are being restored, Petersen says.
The town homes' green features are subtler, but they run from the floorboards to the roof. Literally.
The flooring — red oak in some rooms, bamboo in others — has been sealed with clear, water-based finishes, and the wall paints feature low or no volatile organic compounds.
| At right: A vegetated roof helps minimize storm water runoff. It also insulates and reduces noise.
Below: Green doesn't have to mean dull. Mosaic fireplace surround is made from recycled glass. The gas fireplace is from Mendota and produces enough warmth to heat the entire home. All of the furnishings use natural and sustainable materials. |
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The walls are six inches thick rather than the standard four inches to allow for more energy-saving, blown-in insulation. And the town homes contain no plywood because plywood contains formaldehyde.
Then there's the roof.
The model town home features a vegetated roof that retains 60 to 80 percent of storm water runoff and provides 950 square feet of outdoor living space.
In addition to keeping runoff from carrying dirt, oil, and debris from roadways to the river, the vegetated roof offers noise-deafening features and an insulation factor of R50+. The vegetated roof is included in the price of the three town homes remaining on the market.
All those energy-saving measures add up. The town homes, which are Energy Star- and EarthCraft-certified, are 42 to 48 percent more energy-efficient than a non-green house, according to the Department of Energy's Building America program.
The town homes range in size from 2,400 square feet to 3,600 square feet, and prices start at $550,000.
| GREEN is beautiful |
| The model town home features furniture with an environmental focus as well. Much of it is made from wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, along with furniture made from bamboo. And the carpets and bed linens are made from natural fibers like silk, wool, cotton, and linen.
"The lines of the home are so beautiful, and I wanted the eye to be attracted to that," says Kelly Blanchard, the interior designer who selected the furniture, rugs, and accessories for the model town home. "I was aware of not distracting from the home." Too many model homes are over-furnished, she adds.
The furnishings, which came from Crate & Barrel, can be bought with the model town home.
"It's a good mix, but I wouldn't call it eclectic," Blanchard says.
"It's traditional with a twist. I wanted people to be surprised when they heard it came from one retail store." |
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