Builders See Value In Green Movement
Sunday, April 06, 2008
By JIM KINNEY
Business writer
SPRINGFIELD - The asparagus in the LA Fitness roll - on the menu for $6.95 - isn't the only thing that's green at Onyx Fusion Bar and Restaurant.
From renewable, fast-growing bamboo used for the floors to low-flow faucets in the rest rooms, developers Peter J. Pappas and Michael A. Spagnoli estimate they've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars making their new restaurant in the former Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on West Columbus Avenue a "green" building.
Redevelopment of the former Hall of Fame into the restaurant, an LA Fitness health club and a sports medicine office cost a total of $14 million. The restaurant is open while construction continues on the health club and medical offices.
These developers aren't the only ones thinking "green" as awareness about efforts to use recycled materials and preserving energy grows, making "green" building more economically attractive.
John M. Lilly, executive director of the Home Builders Association of Western Massachusetts, said his group formed a Green Building Committee a few months ago and some members have already started training offered by the state home-builder's group. Its latest version of the annual Western Massachusetts Home & Garden Show, in fact, focused on "green" building.
"Just what does 'green' mean?" Lilly said. "We need guidelines to take it to the next level. This whole 'green' thing'is still pretty new."
Edward R. Bourgeoise, sales manager at Lucia Lumber Co. in Agawam, said homeowners are asking him if the lumber they are buying was harvested in an environmentally-friendly manner from properly-managed forests, something lumber suppliers are touting.
"Years ago, no one cared at all," Bourgeoise said.
Onyx touts its environmentally-friendly features on its Web Site
"I don't know exactly how much of that was spent making it green," Pappas said of the multi-million investment. "We designed it this way from the beginning."
"Green" features at the restaurant also include water-saving fixtures and faucets along with waterless urinals in the men's room.
The new windows are built to be energy efficient. LED outdoor lighting, which saves power compared with neon, was installed. The dishwashers, along with the building's heating and cooling units, are all high-efficiency models, Pappas said.
He said it is hoped the the energy-saving equipment and lighting will save money over time.
More than 85 percent of the construction materials were recycled, totaling more than 500 tons of materials, according to Pappas.
There will even a retention pond behind the restaurant were rainwater from the roof will go to get cleaned and seep back into the soil instead of going into the city's sewer system.
"We're both from Springfield, and we want to keep it beautiful," Pappas said.
Homeowners can experience the same sorts of rewards, Lilly said. A high-efficiency home furnace, for instance, might cost $6,000 to $7,000 new, but will save enough energy in today's economy to pay for itself in three to five years.
"Green" building might mean something as simple as orienting a new home so that windows face to the southeast to catch as much sunlight as possible, Lilly said. "Right there you are saving on your heating costs," he said.
For many people the use of recycled building materials means decking made from recycled plastic, Bourgeoise said.
Michael R. Boilard, president of A. Boilard & Sons lumber and hardware in Springfield said his business is looking to get a "green" certification through an industry group.
"It has to do with dealer education on the types of lumber sold to how we handle our trash," he said. "I think this green movement is in its infancy stages."