Drew Smith in the bay mag : the beauty of green

We loving refer to this home as the Coffee Pot house built on the Coffee Pot bay in St. Petersburg, FL.  The home is beautiful, not only on the inside and out, but it boasts some amazing green building science.  The article features builder, Jimmy Bratton of Design Works, of St. Petersburg.  The article explains the  green features of the home and the ambition of the owners to build an amazing green home.  The article quoted Drew Smith from Two Trails and compliments him on his consulting expertise in helping build the home to local and nationally recognized certification standards. This article written by Judy Stark and photos by James Borchuck: Flash Mag April 2011 page 54

New American Home a Source of Latest Product, Design and Green Building Ideas

Two Trails Inc. were the Green Consultants on this project. The New American Home (TNAH) 2011 is beautiful and loaded with new products and design innovations that will stimulate the imagination of anyone who makes their living in the housing industry. The grand show home will be a highlight of the NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS), Jan. 12 through 15 in Orlando.

The home features American Empire design with Greek Revival elements and combines an inviting layout with elegant style, eccentric interiors and easy classicism. Built in a quiet Orlando neighborhood, it offers a view of a lake with the city skyline beyond.

“Anyone attending the International Builders’ Show should see The New American Home,” said Alex Hannigan, a past TNAH builder and current chairman of the TNAH Task Force, which oversees the project each year. “Whether you’re looking for inspiration on green building, technology systems integration or the latest design trends, this home will give you great ideas that you can take back to your business.”

Now in its 28th year, The New American Home is constructed annually in conjunction with the IBS to showcase innovative building technologies and the latest building products.

As NAHB’s official show home, it displays design trends, construction techniques and materials that the building industry can use in any new or remodeled home. The showcase products in the home are provided by members of NCHI, the National Council of the Housing Industry, the leading manufacturers and suppliers for the construction industry.

Unlike previous New American Homes, which were sold after the Builders’ Show, TNAH 2011 is a custom residence that is being constructed for specific buyers.

Built by Orlando Builder Continental Homes, it is being constructed on an infill building site in an older neighborhood on the South side of Lake Davis near downtown. The architect of design for the project was Michael Curtis of The Studio in Alexandria, Va., and the architect of record was Christopher M. Donnelly of Donnelly Architecture, Inc. in Beverly Hills, Fla. Kate Clarke of Continental Design oversaw the home’s interior design.

In keeping with increasing demand for energy- and resource-efficiency, TNAH 2011 has been built to achieve “Emerald” status under the National Green Building Standard, and is seeking certification at this time. The standard was developed by NAHB and is approved by ANSI, the American National Standards Institute. “Emerald” is the highest of the four levels of achievement in resource efficiency that the standard recognizes.

To attain the Emerald level, TNAH 2011 relies on the latest innovations in green building and construction technology, including a state-of-the-art energy efficiency package.

The home’s green building features include masonry block construction for exterior walls, a solar-assisted HVAC system, solar hot water heater with gas backup, open and closed spray foam insulation for different parts of the house and photovoltaic cells. It also includes a greywater recycling system, tankless hot water heaters, hydronic air handlers and “intelligent” fire places.

Other energy and resource efficiency features include:

• Energy Star appliances
• Low VOC paints, stains, adhesives and sealants
• Formaldehyde-free wood cabinetry, paneling and sheathing
• Whole-house automation system
• Whole-house lighting control system
• Dual-flush water closets
• Low-flow shower head and faucets
• Native and drought-tolerant plants
• Artificial grass
• Weather-controlled irrigation system
• Rainwater harvesting system

In addition to state-of-the-art green building technology, TNAH 2011 features dynamic aesthetic design, including fountains, pools, solar elements and leading-edge art-glass work.

In addition to the Emerald certification under the National Green Building Standard, TNAH 2011 received the following:

• Energy Star certification
• FGBC (Florida Green Building Coalition) Platinum certification
• Florida Yards and Neighborhoods designation
• Florida Water Star designation
• Progress Energy's Home Advantage Program

“I live in Orlando, so I’ve been able to watch the construction of this home from beginning to end,” Hannigan said. “I’m very excited about TNAH 2011. It is full of innovative new products, the finishes are excellent and the interior design by Kate Clarke is wonderfully creative.”

Registered IBS attendees who want to learn about the design trends and new products in TNAH 2011 will find the show home at 820 S. Lake Davis Drive in Orlando (12.3 miles and 19 minutes — subject to traffic — from the convention center).

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Original Post: http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2010-12-13/Front+Page/7.html

ecohome magazine: Case Study: Florida Concrete Home Is Ultra Strong and Energy Efficient by Design

Take a look a the article on the home we did with Jonathan Parks entitled The Oragami -Loft House. Since opening his architectural firm in 2002, Sarasota, Fla.-based architect Jonathan Parks AIA has quietly and consistently incorporated green building techniques into his residential projects.

For his wealthy clients, a high-performance shell is as much a given as striking interiors, fine finishes, and posh landscaping. Almost all of his customers assume their homes will be built to current and even cutting-edge best practices.

Here is a link to the rest  of the ecohouse article by Jennifer Goodman

"Tech House" To Be Certified Green

Tech House, now being built by Vision Homes in the new Trillium subdivision off Sarasota's Proctor Road, will become the first demonstration house to receive "green" certification from the Florida Green Building Coalition, said "green" construction consultant Drew Smith of Two Trails Inc. Vision Homes and the Home Builders Association of Sarasota County hired Smith to certify that the house is built to FGBC standards. Smith recently became an accredited professional of the LEED program (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Tech House will be ready for the Parade of Homes in late February, and will be open for about a year and a half. It's being built as a fund-raiser for the HBA.

“They’re doing a lot of neat things to it because it’s more than just building green,” said Smith. “They’re putting a lot of the newer technology into it … over and above (the FGBC standards).”

Among them:

-- A hurricane-shelter room.

-- Solar pavers in the pool deck so the pool will be heated from the solar decking material.

-- Super high-efficiency air conditioning.

-- Flapperless toilets.

-- Injected foam in the block walls, raising the R value from R-8 to about R-11, Smith said. There's also icynene insulation in the sealed attic.

-- Florida Yards & Neighborhoods certified with WaterWise landscaping.

-- Impact-glass on all windows except rear sliders, which will have Fabric Shield.

-- Spraying all interior framing wood with mold-resistant treatment. “It’s well worth doing and very inexpensive.”

The building won’t look like Florida House, but will act like it, said Smith. “It will be a newer version of it. We keep looking at new technologies.”

Council for Sustainable Florida Presents Awards for Protecting Florida’s Economy and Environment

Tallahassee, FL– Renowned nature photographer John Moran joined the Council for Sustainable Florida today in Tallahassee to honor business, non-profit, education and individual leaders committed to preserving the environment and creating a healthy economy for Florida.The Council presented awards in several categories including Leadership, Small Business, Large Business, Government, Non-Profit, Business Partnership, a Green Building Award and the Legacy Award. Award winners will also receive a resolution from the Governor and Cabinet at a ceremony on Tuesday morning. Honored at the Best Practices Awards program in Tallahassee were:

Non-Profit Award: A Gift for Teaching, Inc. Using the old adage “Waste Not, Want Not” as a guide, A Gift for Teaching recycles surplus goods that would normally be discarded by local businesses and puts them in the hands of deserving children. The Orlando-based non-profit has opened two free stores where teachers can shop for essential school supplies such as books, backpacks, paper, crayons and glue. A Gift for Teaching has gathered donations from more than 4,600 businesses and individuals and distributed more than $27 million worth of educational supplies.

Legacy Award: Babcock Ranch The Conservation and Community initiative represents the first partnership between Florida’s conservation land acquisition program and the private sector. This success pairing resulted in a planned community with a town center, high school and shopping center, while also including 9,000 acres of green space, recreation trails and restored wetlands.

Business Partnership Award: myregion.org - How Shall We Grow? Central Florida’s How Shall We Grow? Initiative is an example of many parties coming together—citizens, community leaders and elected officials—to find a common vision for their region. The project goal is to create a 50 year vision for the growth of the 93 jurisdictions that are included in the area and has become one of the most successful regional visioning projects in the nation.

Sustainable Government Award: Pinellas County With a burgeoning population and little land for continued growth, Pinellas county commissioners began to understand the importance of urban sustainability. Commissioners completed a Blueprint and Strategic Plan in partnership with the University of Florida and created the Bushnell Office of Sustainability. In addition to addressing problems associated with the county’s growth, the roof of the Bushnell Office was converted to a “cool roof” which now saves the county money, reduces its environmental impact and serves as an example to the community.

Large Business Award: Florida Power and Light The Florida Power and Light Green Fleet Program is an initiative to reduce fuel consumption in utilities’ fleets. George Survant, director of fleet services for FPL, led a group of utilities from across the nation to develop a pilot hybrid utility truck program. In the three hybrids used by FPL, the vehicles have reduced fuel consumption by 53 percent as well as reducing petroleum use.

Large Business Award: Publix Super Markets, Inc. The Publix Get into a Green Routine initiative is designed to eliminate excess costs and promote environmental stewardship. The company has begun the use of reusable crates for shipping and donates surplus food to local food banks. Results show a 7 percent reduction in electricity consumption overall with 23 percent reduction in new stores.

Leadership Award: The Honorable Michael S. Bennett, Florida Senate Senator Michael Bennett’s commitment to preserving Florida goes well beyond sponsoring and advocating legislation. When his bill creating the Century Commission for Sustainable Florida was passed, he remained actively involved by serving on its board. His efforts have helped the commission respond to critical issues throughout Florida such as transportation, water quality, housing, health care, education and growth.

Small Business Award: Trifecta Construction Solutions Founded to facilitate environmentally sustainable construction practices, this growing organization has certified approximately 80 percent of the green homes in the state using the Green Building Coalition standards. By educating construction industry stakeholders, they are establishing the environment as a valued and quantifiable factor in construction.

Green Building Award: Verandah by Bonita Bay Group Recognized by the Green Building Coalition as Florida’s first green land development, the Verandah located along the Orange River, re-established wildlife habitat and protected the site’s ecosystems. The Bonita Bay Group partnered with the Florida Energy Extension Services Build Green and Profit program to develop green guidelines for Verandah’s amenity buildings and single-family homes, resulting in a new community that minimizes its impact on the environment, conserves energy and water usage and protects and enhances natural habitat.

Winners of the best practices award were selected by an independent panel including government and corporate representatives involved in the sustainability movement. The panel reviewed projects to determine if they were environmentally friendly, provided a strong business model and could be replicated.

“The work of each of these groups and individuals demonstrates that a healthy economy and a healthy environment are mutually supportive,” said Karen Childress, Council chair. “These programs and initiatives are truly best practices that can teach us all how to protect Florida’s vital natural resources while promoting strong economic growth—both of which are necessary for Florida’s future generations.” The Council also identified nominees that received a Promising Practices certificate for their outstanding efforts to promote sustainability in Florida.

Promising Practice certificates went to: Arthur R. Marshall Foundation and Florida Environmental Institute, Inc. - It Does Take a Village! West Palm Beach Centerville Conservation Community Tallahassee City of Dunedin - Community Center Dunedin City of Gainesville - Regional Transit Employee Pass Program St. Augustine City of Tallahassee - Solid Waste Administrative Building Tallahassee City of Tallahassee Commission - Energy Efficiency Initiative Tallahassee City of Winter Park - Swoope Water Plant and Railroad Avenue Initiative Winter Park Collier County Stormwater Management Department Naples Drew Smith, Two Trails, Inc. Sarasota Florida A & M University - - Green Coalition Tallahassee 1415 E. Piedmont Drive, Suite One �� Tallahassee, Florida �� 850/219.0082 ext. 104 www.sustainableflorida.org �� www.collinscenter.org Florida Biomass Energy Group, LLC Gulf Breeze Florida Keys Green Living & Energy Education (GLEE) Key West Gainesville Regional Utilities Gainesville Green Real Estate Education Tampa Indian River Habitat for Humanity Vero Beach Manatee Technical Institute - Photovoltaic Learning Lavatories Bradenton Massey Services, Inc. Maitland Nestle Waters North America Lee Plum Creek - Swallow-tailed Kite Initiative Gulf Hammock Program for Resource Efficient Communities, University of Florida - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension Gainesville Progress Energy Florida - Energy Education Program for Students Lake Mary Progress Energy Florida - Renewable Energy Program Lake Mary Rayonier Biomass Boiler Team Fernandina Beach Safety-Kleen Plano Solar Direct Bradenton T.K. Wetherell, Florida State University – Utility Conservation Program Tallahassee The Original Florida Tourism Task Force Gainesville The St. Joe Company - Bay County Sector Plan Jacksonville Titan America Medley Plant Deerfield Beach Walt Disney World - Strive for Five Lake Buena Vista WORKFORCE plus

The Council is an independent, non-partisan program of the Collins Center for Public Policy and has been defining excellence in sustainability practices sine 1990. Since initiating the Best Practices Awards program in 1998, the Council has recognized and honored more than 100 businesses, non-profit organizations, governmental groups and individuals whose work is committed to the future success of Florida.

Best and Promising Practice Award winners will participate in future events promoted by the Council for Sustainable Florida. The Council will work with Florida colleges and universities to create case studies of the winners for use in business programs statewide.

------------------------- Anna Prizzia Outreach Coordinator UF Office of Sustainability

In Osprey, Bay Street Village Is Under Way

By HAROLD BUBIL harold.bubil@heraldtribune.com

The redevelopment of Osprey is firmly under way now that ground has been broken at the Bay Street Village & Towncenter mixed-use project.  Longtime Venice developer Mike Miller of The Waterford Companies, Randy Moore of Crossgate Partners and a dozen other people involved in the project lifted the ceremonial shovels Tuesday at the site, on the east side of U.S. 41, between Bay Street and the Wal-Mart supercenter, in this central Sarasota County community.

The 45-acre Bay Street Village & Towncenter will bring 550 condominium residences, sized from 1,100 to 2,300 square feet and priced from $295,000 to the $700,000s, as well as 130,000 square feet of upscale commercial space in a "New Urbanist" plan. It is part of the county's Osprey Revitalization District.

The buildings will be LEED-certified

green structures, said Moore, and the landscaping will be designed to be resource-conserving, to Florida Green Building Coalition standards.

Henry Rodriguez assembled the land and came up with the town-center concept. Some of the land went to Wal-Mart for its new supercenter just to the south. The mixed-use portion will include a 25,000-square-foot county library. Entries will be on Bay Street and U.S. 41.

While recognizing the real estate market's current state of slumber, Miller says he is not overly concerned about the project's timing.

"If this product mix was similar to what was already available, it would be premature to bring it on line," he said. "The difference of this community, being mixed-used and building green, provides ... an alternative. I think there's a chance people will receive it well and we will be able to get a good start."

Miller said the residential buildings will range in heights from three to five stories. Units will be on one floor.

The commercial buildings will have

retail on the first floor, with commercial office space on the second and 50 Bay Street Towncenter Residences on the upper floors.

"We'll have soft-goods retailers, sandwich shops, hopefully a nice boutique hotel," said Moore. "I think it will really create a destination in between downtown (Sarasota) and Venice that hasn't been here before. You find a lot of commuters coming through this direction; it's a natural for them to stop.

"Instead of going downtown, some of the residences have an alternative that's right in their back yard. Hopefully the combination of mixed-use with the residential component will be a strong enough intrinsic value for the people to buy here and live here."

Information: www.BayStreetVillage.com or www.TwoTrails.net.

The entire project will be certified Green by Drew Smith, President of Two Trails, Inc.

The Region Becomes A Leader In Environmentally Friendly Building

Feature by Caryn StevensPhoto by Gene Pollux

Local homeowners may not know it, but they have just one degree of separation from movie heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio.

Their link: green building components incorporated in their homes. Movie star/environmentalist DiCaprio said so on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and hom

eowners are saying so with more interest in energy-saving products.

Going green covers a wide spectrum of possibilities, from high-efficiency air conditioners and recycled drywall to healthier paints and more drought-tolerant landscaping.

”There was a time when most folks said they wouldn’t spend $12 on an energy-efficient light bulb,” recalls Brenda Talbert, Collier Building Industry Association’s executive vice president. “Now they’d rather spend $12 on a light bulb than $200 on their electric bill.”

The construction industry is getting the message. The National Association of Home Builders, which recently received an energy award for its own green practices at its Washington headquarters, details the phenomenon in a survey it conducted with McGraw Hill Construction.

According to the data, 2005 saw a 20 percent increase in environmentally friendly residential construction nationwide.

The results of the survey lead to a prediction that green building will jump from 2 percent of housing starts and $7.4 billion in revenue in 2005 to $19 billion to 38 billion and 5 to 10 percent of housing starts across the nation by 2010.

What a difference a few years make.

When Drew Smith opened Two Trails, Inc. in Parrish five years ago, he admits the kickoff of his green building consulting firm was somewhat underwhelming. “It was pretty slow,” he recalls. “I had lot of doors slammed in my face.”

Smith estimates that 30 to 40 percent of the builders in Sarasota and Manatee counties have now warmed to some form of the concept. He works with builders by first establishing “how green they want to go—anywhere from a few energy-saving products all the way to a showcase home.”

“If they don’t start coming on board,” he says, “they might get left behind and start seeing decreasing sales. It’s the way building is going. In fact, some green building methods might start showing up in building codes.”

Smith credits the upswing in interest to outreach efforts he and others have made to area builders, and to Sarasota County’s green building incentive program.

The county awards builders a $1,000 credit toward their permit fees for homes that have been inspected by the Florida Solar Energy Center for compliance with specific green building requirements. Priority inspections are another perk. And builders get fast-track permitting, so a green builder might receive a permit in three days while a non-green builder might wait two weeks. Although there’s a limit on credits per builder per year, interest has been high in the two-year-old program, says county building official Paul Radauskas.

A lot of things came together to make it so. “For one thing, consumers are demanding energy-efficient appliances and other environmentally friendly building components,” Radauskas says. “For another, Lakewood Ranch began requiring builders to build green. The county is setting an example by building all of its new buildings green, and the national consciousness is growing.”

Vision Homes of Southwest Florida is building green in Gladstone Park in Sarasota, Radauskas says, as is Lee Wetherington, who is building 147 homes in Willow Chase in Nokomis. According to a company spokesman, all Lee Wetherington Homes projects in Sarasota and Manatee counties have incorporated green features for the past two years.

“The response has been so great that we now have 25 plans examiners and inspectors on staff certified as agents by the Florida Green Building Coalition to help builders by reviewing their drawings and building check lists,” Radauskas notes. “I doubt if that exists anywhere else in the state.”

In 2005, when Lakewood Ranch began requiring its 20 participating builders to incorporate green building practices, it was an enormous catalyst to the area’s green building movement.

The plan initially met with resistance, says Bob Sisum, director of builder programs for LWR Communities, who is also chairman of both the Florida and Sarasota County Home Builders Associations’ committees on green building.

“Builders were mainly concerned about the costs,” says Sisum, “but we told them we’d arrange for consultants to review their plans and keep costs to a minimum.”

Sisum says builders subsequently were surprised at what happened. “Once they were ordering the low-VOC [volatile organic compound] paints in large quantities, the price came down,” he says. “Then we got a deal from the air conditioning folks to replace the traditional duct tape with mastic. And once Sarasota County started offering expedited permits and permit rebates to green builders, even the most reluctant builder jumped on the bandwagon. Now all 20 participate.”

Sisum says the experience has had a ripple effect. “Now the developer is looking into establishing green building for the commercial construction taking place at Lakewood Ranch,” he says. “And the builders who build here also build at other sites throughout the area. Since they tend to build the same way wherever they are, green building practices are spreading throughout the community.”

They’ll be spreading for miles around if Steve Ellis has his way. The native Massachusetts resident sold a business he started to help companies reduce, reuse and recycle their waste streams, and he’s now recycling in a different way. With partner/contractor Grant Castilow, he has launched MyGreenBuildings, a firm devoted to saving older Sarasota homes and rebuilding them greenly.

Their first project: expanding a 1,100-square-foot, 1946 home at 1876 Goldenrod in Southgate into a 2,100-square-foot home with three bedrooms and three baths. They will utilize such products as blown-in insulation made of soy and a beadboard ceiling rescued from a tear-down. The project’s salvageable, leftover construction materials will be sent to recycling destinations. Price for the spec home: between $750,000 and $800,000.

The time is right for his business, Ellis says. “We’re seeing many baby boomer consumers who are educated, moneyed and equipped with a social conscience. Not only are they anxious to lessen the impact of their footprint on the environment, but they are impressed by how the small investment in green products now will get them big energy savings in the future.”

Ellis says he can bring his company’s savvy to homeowners who want to stay put. “What we’re hoping to do is show them how they can improve their own homes practically, cosmetically and in a softer way.”

Healthier and more economical environments are spurring civic groups to change, too. In Venice, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s board of directors amended guidelines in July to award new construction capital grants only for projects that are certified green. They did so in hopes of reducing nonprofits’ long-term building operating costs.

That’s music to the ears of Dr. Jennifer Languell, CEO of Naples-based Trifecta Building Solutions and director of Florida Gulf Coast University’s green building program.

The material science engineer said she felt she was a lone voice when she started advocating the concept to the local building industry in 2001. Now she is encouraged by the numbers of builders who attend her talks and the NAHB study that anticipates 50 percent of builders will be offering green options this year or next.

“I liken small builders to speedboats,” she says. “They can change direction easily. The bigger firms are like cruise ships—not so easy to make a change in direction.”

But some major players have made the turn, including Taylor Woodrow Homes at its upcoming Pacifico project in mid-Sarasota County and WCI’s Venetian Golf and River Club in Venice. The Casa Verda model there was named the greenest home in Florida by the Florida Green Building Coalition, and all 150 homes are certified green.

While some homeowners can afford green options, others might be more inclined to adopt green ways if incentives were available.

The state is stepping up to the plate with the Solar Energy Systems Incentives Act, signed by former Gov. Jeb Bush last June and effective until June 30, 2010. It will provide rebates to customers buying certain solar energy products for home and business, and includes a matching grant package of $10 million for the research, development and commercialization of renewable energy technologies.

Further, the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) has joined with the independent nonprofit Florida Green Building Coalition Inc. (FGBC) to proliferate green building awareness among builders, unify standards and provide better education for everyone.

FGBC executive director Roy O. Bonnell Jr. says the coalition will publish a magazine this year with relevant articles and resources, and community workshops are planned to bring together builders, affordable housing proponents and government officials.

“Builders are starting to realize that green building is no longer a niche market, but the direction the market is taking,” Bonnell says. “Builders who provide green homes will have a marketing advantage over builders who continue to build non-green homes.”

WINDS OF CHANGE An Englewood homebuilder profits from energy-efficient and hurricane-resistant designs.

Brian Bishop’s idea to replace FEMA trailers in New Orleans with pre-fabricated “Katrina” cottages is turning into a whirlwind mission to replace them in trailer parks and schools, too.

Englewood manufacturer Home Front Homes made a splash last year with hurricane-resistant, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly cottages with shells that can be built in less than a week.

At $30,000 to $55,000, depending on the 50 or so styles, they were the choice of the Catholic Diocese of Venice for its 125-unit affordable housing community in Arcadia, scheduled to be completed this summer. The $20-million Casa San Juan Bosco project will provide homes for 700 farm worker families, some displaced by Hurricane Charley, plus an 8,000-square-foot community center. It is Home Front’s largest undertaking.

Replacing trailers in disaster areas led Bishop to his most recent venture, working with a Pinellas County waterfront mobile home park developer to replace old mobile homes with new beach cottages.

“It would allow the transformation of trailer parks into safe, wind resistant, green communities,” he says, adding that reusing existing roads and sewer lines fits with the company’s ethics mission.

“It’s ‘EHD’—efficient, healthy and durable,” Bishop says. The homes contain a fraction of the materials in a conventional home, with polystyrene and cement board walls that don’t emit chemical gases and are resistant to water, termites and winds up to 200 mph.

Bishop also is working to replace school portables in Charlotte, N.C., with cottages shaped like 1920s schoolhouses, complete with bells.

The seven-year-old company has built 160 homes in Sarasota and 14 other Florida counties, ranging from 280 to 2,000 square feet with styles ranging from Florida cracker to Craftsman bungalow to the modern Sarasota School of Architecture style. It has 15 employees.

With another 200 homes currently under contract, Bishop expects the number to double next year.

Bishop and his wife, Jeanne, founded Home Front Homes in 1999 in a Venice warehouse. In November 2004, the company relocated to a facility in Englewood that enabled it to produce greater numbers of wall and roof panels.

The move was prompted by Hurricane Charley that August, which devastated Port Charlotte, where two Home Front homes had recently been completed. Both survived the eye of the hurricane with minimal damage, and the company capitalized on its growing reputation for producing storm-resistant homes.

“Five years ago, nobody wanted a hurricane-proof home,” says Bishop, a self-described inventor. “Now the market has changed.” —Cindy Lane

SRQ Feature: Modern Fairytale

You meet a handsome, successful business owner who has a habit of designing dream homes for himself. Two nights later, hecooks you dinner, and he calls every night from then on. He asks you to marry him. And then he builds you a modern mansion complete with your own painting studio and space for abutterfly garden. “I thought he was too good to be true,” says Brigitta Wagner Sultana. And from the look on Mark’s face when she passes through the room, the feeling is mutual. Mark, part-owner and designer at DSDG Architects, and Brigitta, a graphic designer at Coldwell Banker, moved into their home last October, which also happened to be the one-year anniversary of their engagementMODERN WARMS UP

From the outside, this 3,200 square-foot, four bedroom, three bath canal-front home exudes sleek modern. A stark white façade slices an ocean blue sky, with reflections of clouds passing through mile-high windows and glass doors. Mark says he designed the exterior to reflect the clean lines of pure modern, but inside, he had something different in mind. “I love modern,” he says, “but I don’t want to live in a stark modern house.” He speaks from experience. Mark has designed two other homes for himself, and his last one was one of the aforementioned “stark moderns” on Longboat Key. “If a glass was on the counter, it looked out of place,” he says. “It was cool, but not family friendly.”

Mark’s quest for warmth proves successful as soon as visitors climb the stairs lined with powder coated steel railings to the raised main level, where an open floor plan presents two living spaces, a kitchen and dining area. Dark brown cork floors anchor the space, adding a sense of softness, both visually and physically. Above, square clearstory windows offer a constantly changing skyscape while allowing light to pour in. Chocolate leather chairs and a sleek-but-comfortable white sofa offer a cozy place for lingering beside the floating fireplace. Low lights suspended from the ceiling give the aura of a late-night lounge, and seem to invite relaxed conversation. “I love modern architecture but not modern architecture you can’t live in,” says Mark.

Inspired by the MOMA on a recent trip to New York, Mark designed his walls with a reglet, or recessed groove, which gives the illusion of a wall floating in space. Brigitta’s paintings, which suggest a love of abstract expressionist Mark Rothko, add bold color and a sense of playfulness throughout the home.

An interior pallet of cobalt, bark, lime, lemon and olive fills the home, reflecting Florida’s landscape and providing a sense of earthy calm. In the kitchen, the centerpiece may be the stainless Viking range, but it’s the marble pebble backsplash tile that will be the center of dinner party conversation. Flat-front blue and white cabinets are finished in a high-gloss lacquer, and Juperana white granite countertops offer both texture and sparkle. Mark and Brigitta love to cook—they’ve taken cooking classes at the nearby Casa Italia, and the couple made a book of their favorite recipes, which they gave as wedding favors—so making the kitchen a focal point complements their lifestyle. The ten-foot, ten-person dining table indicates they might be sharing some of their expertise with friends in the near future.

A wing behind the kitchen holds two bedrooms, one of which Brigitta uses as an art studio. Two additional bedrooms—the master and what Mark currently uses as a home office—sit at the other end of the house just off the living room. “You can see the Intracoastal from here,” says Brigitta of the very Zen master bedroom outfitted with chocolates and blues.

Placed on-center with the master bath door is a floating tub—a modern take on a clawfoot. Caribbean blue glass tiles, shallow square sinks, floating mirrors and a walk-in two-person shower complete the spa-like serenity of this room. A third bathroom can be accessed off the living room and also from the adjoining office (a pocket door to separate the toilet area from the sink area). Instead of using tile, Mark lined the walls with stained plywood, which he framed with metal rail inset.

Down below, an open-air covered space creates a perfect setting for poolside entertaining—and winter weddings, as the case may be. Last New Year’s Eve, friends and family gathered under the stars to celebrate a new house, a new marriage and a new year. Here’s to glass slippers forever, and clocks that never strike midnight.

MODERN, WARM AND GREEN

Mark’s Quest for warm modern goes beyond aesthetics—his house is a certified green building. Mark and Brigitta worked with Drew Smith at Two Trails Consulting to ensure the home met the minimum 200 points needed to land the coveted Florida Green Building certification. Built with all foam construction, R-30 walls, low flow toilets, impact insulated low-E green glass windows, insulated garage doors, a system for collecting water from the roof for irrigation and a one-point butterfly garden, the home scored 220 points, far exceeding the minimum.

NATURAL MATERIALS

A marble stone tile backsplash adds an earthy element to the kitchen. Cork floors are warmer and softer than polished concrete or bamboo. In the back courtyard, coquina shell-lock tiles provide an earthy texture.

Light: Clearstory windows overhead flood the house with natural light. “You never have to turn the lights on during the day,” says Brigitta.

Bright, Colorful Art: Brigitta’s art brings a sense of happy playfulness to each room. Her work can also be found at State of the Arts Gallery in Sarasota.

Comfortable furniture Mark designed a home for the owner of Cassina furniture at Lighthouse Point. So naturally, Cassina was one of his first stops when it came to outfitting his home. A Cassina white sofa and Sunpan traditional chairs are sleek without sacrificing comfort. Modern barstools from Eurway make a statement.

Preservation of Natural Landscape Elements: Instead of creating a garden of stark rocks or hyper-controlled symmetry, Mark constructed his house around a giant oak in the front yard. He allows naturally occurring species to grow beneath the tree’s branches, and says orchids are particularly happy here.

MARK'S AND BRIGITTA'S SOURCESHEET

Foam construction Eric Levine at DPL Walls, 561-329-8400. Structural Engineer of Foam Walls David Karins, Karins Engineering, 2206 Joan Dr., 941-927-8525. Green certification consultant Drew Smith, Two Trails twotrails.net. Kitchen and bath cabinets Toscana Italian Cabinetry, 830 South Tamiami Trl., Osprey, 941-918-8122. Granite Sarasota Natural Stone 8302 Blaikie Ct., Sarasota, 941-342-7774. Plumbing fixtures Kohler from Ferguson Bath and Kitchen Gallery, 2451 17th St., Sarasota, 941-951-0110. Glass tile Alpha Tile, 1808 Whitfield Ave., Sarasota, 941-727-7433. Cork flooring iFloor, ifloorpro.com.Bedroom furniture and barstools Eurway, eurway.com. Leather chairs and bench Sunpan Imports, sunpanimports.com. White sofa Cassina, cassinausa.com. Mecco blinds (bedroom) Shutter Elegance, 820 Bell Rd. Unit C., Sarasota, 941-342-4333. Whole house audio and automated lighting Advanced Audio Design, 4915 S. Trl., Sarasota, 941-925-2673. Pool Water Designs of Sarasota, 1899 Porter Lake Dr., Sarasota, 941-341-9930.

By Britta Alexander. Photographed by Gene Pollux

University Park Town Center is going green as well

Benderson Development is working with Moule & Polyzoides, urbanist architects, and Two Trails Inc., green consultants, to develop an approach for integrating green technologies and materials in stores, homes and offices. The 1.9 million-square-foot University Town Center hopes to become the mixed-use development that achieves a "working sustainable lifestyle center."

University Town Center is using the "new urbanism" approach.Included in the development will be an upscale shopping center, movie theater, boutique stores and offices with living spaces above, and affordable housing residences in a park-like setting.

The key to making a lifestyle center is the use of "green spaces," strategically placed to create the overall atmosphere of a "park-like setting."

There are more than 60 acres of conservation area and miles of walking paths.

Landscaping throughout the development will be installed in accordance with Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Guidelines.

"It all starts at the entrance to University Town Center, where roads have been designed to gently flow around lakes and through the natural setting.

To provide monitored speed maintenance, a turn-about has been incorporated to keep traffic flowing at a manageable pace," Benderson's marketing materials say.

"Benderson Development is applying for the Florida Green Building Coalition 'green development certification,' and is exploring the possibility of LEED certification for the entire development," said Drew Smith, green consultant for Two Trails.

Some unusual aspects of the development will be the trolley system, which will run using an alternative fuel and will reduce the need for shoppers to move their cars.

Pedestrian walking paths and petite parks with benches and water views provide a serene setting.

Residents above shopping and offices will not be gazing on concrete roofs. Buildings will have "green roofs" providing additional space for gardening and relaxation.

The staggered building layout adds to the diversity needed to create an interesting overall design that is pleasing while fitting into the surrounding natural environment.

Benderson also has taken the step of added preferred parking for alternative fuel vehicles, such as hybrid cars, and carpooling, preferred bicycle parking areas at all buildings and even showers provided in employee areas for those who choose to bike to work.

Providing LEED certifications nationwide and Florida Green Building Coalition certification, Two Trails provides hands-on consulting. You can find them on the Web atwww.twotrails.net. _____

Environmentally Friendly Homes Garner Prestigious Aurora Awards

The AURORA  Awards regional design competition honored environmentally friendly, newly constructed homes and developments with Grand Awards during the recent Southeast Building Conference (SEBC) in Orlando. “Builders and utility companies, working together, combined their talents and resources to create award-winning homes that are environmentally friendly,” said Michele Harrison, a Naples builder and 2007 Aurora Awards Chair. “Their achievements are highlighted with the AURORA Award to display their distinction within the home building industry.”

The Grand AURORA Awards were presented to companies that incorporated energy efficiency, water conservation, solar energy, and green building practices into their new home construction projects. The homes serve as models for other builders to gain knowledge and techniques to emulate in the future.

Home building professionals in a 12-state southeast region received prestigious AURORA Awards for new home construction and design excellence during an industry gala.

“The AURORA Awards are the Grammy’s of the home building profession,” said Harrison. “They symbolize tremendous achievement, honor and distinction among building industry professionals.”

The Grand award-winning environmentally-friendly homes are:

2007 BEST GRAND ENERGY, WATER-WISE, SOLAR AND

GREEN CONSTRUCTION AWARD WINNERS

Gulf Power

Gulf Power / Best Energy Efficient Home

Russell Home Builders

Schultz Residence

Gulf Breeze, FL

Team Members included: Russell Home Builders; Lee Mabire and Company; Landscape Solutions; Decorating Den