OREGONIAN

January 20, 2008 | By John Kirkland

Taking the LEED

Oregon contractors have earned their national reputation for environmentally sensitive building. But some builders, developers and architects have taken energy and resource efficiency way beyond the minimums required for calling a project "green." They are the greenest of the green and have been recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

LEED's rating system for homes has four progressive levels: certified, silver, gold and platinum. Builders earn LEED points for each components of the home that promotes sustainability and healthier living the more points scored, the greater level of LEED certification.

We've chosen three projects that show what it takes to earn these elite certifications. For more information about LEED, visit: www.usgbc.org/LEED

Sustainable sanctuary in Salem

Sustainable Development bought 32 acres in Salem in 2004 with the idea of building Pringle Creek, an entire community developed around the concept of sustainability.

Three years later, Pringle Creek was the first recipient of Land Development Project of the Year at the National Home Builders Association's Green Building Awards.

The first house built at Pringle Creek achieved a LEED platinum rating, recognizing it as one of the most environmentally friendly single-family homes in the country.

Developers have kept the first home open as a model to show prospective buyers the kinds of features they can select if they choose to build on any of the 139 home sites, such as geothermal heating and cooling system. In winter, the system draws groundwater from a central neighborhood well and uses a heat pump to extract heat from it. In the summer, it performs the same process in reverse, transferring heat from the house into the circulating water.

James Meyer of Opsis Architecture in Portland, Pringle Creek's lead designer, said the system reduces heating bills to just a quarter of what they would be with conventional heating methods.

The home also includes rooftop photovoltaic cells that provide the house with solar-generated electricity. Combined with the geothermal system, the solar panels could bring residents' electricity bills down to zero, depending on how conservative they are, Meyer said.

Solar panels won't be an option with all Pringle Creek home sites, because some are shaded by trees. But that's another green feature of Pringle Creek: Through efficient planning, the developer saved 80 percent of the existing trees.

The ability to capture and absorb 90 percent of neighborhood rainwater runoff is another green feature of Pringle Creek. All streets use porous paving material. Rainwater goes through the asphalt and concrete and travels down through rock and soil, eventually entering the aquifer as clean water. It is the most extensive community porous-paving system in the country, said Don Myers, president of Sustainable Development.

A custom home nearing completion in the development listed for $432,000 is "the greenest home in America," according to Myers. The 1,460-square-foot home scored 103 LEED points to earn platinum status, the highest score ever recorded by LEED.