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November 29, 2007

K2 adds touch of silver to green home

Developer unveils first Florida home with 'LEED' environmental certification

By Dave Hodges
DEMOCRAT BUSINESS EDITOR

Source: Tallahassee Democrat
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Tallahassee developer David Wamsley made good on his promise last month to build "green" homes that are better for the environment. He and partner Fincher Smith unveiled a new house Wednesday that is actually "silver."

The two-story home in the development Evening Rose is the first new house in Florida to receive a silver "LEED for Homes" certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. "No home has scored higher in the state to date," Wamsley said.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a council initiative to set nationwide critieria for construction that reduces energy consumption and impacts on the environment.

Wamsley said certification even at the basic level is difficult, each step requiring verification by independent, third-party reviewers. "And I can tell you it is not a simple process. There are probably over a thousand things on the checklist, each and every one of which ensure that the building is designed and built to a specification that reduces the amount of energy required and makes it as environmentally friendly as possible," he added.

The silver rating means his firm, K2 Urbancorp, met additional requirements beyond the basic standards.

"It's remarkable because there are yet no homes like this anywhere anywhere in the state of Florida," said Tallahassee Mayor John Marks.

"These homes are cheaper to operate, use less energy, create a healthier indoor atmosphere, pollute the outdoor environment less, use less water and they don't really cost much more than comparable homes of comparable quality that are not green built," Marks told the gathering.

In about two weeks owners Shawn and Ginevra Kalbli will move in. A landscape architect, Shawn Kalbli said the couple liked the development's location and its urban setting. To have a silver LEED-certified home "was the proverbial icing on the cake," he said. "We were very excited to add that layer on to what we were already buying into."

Evening Rose occupies 32 acres northwest of Mahan Drive's intersection with Capital Circle Northeast. It will have 132 homes and a town center within walking distance. Wamsley said the first town center construction will start in January.