Green Triple Decker Pilot Program - the catalyst

we needed a catalyst, something to get us moving in the right direction or maybe something to get us to pull the trigger, to spend money, and to do the most sustainable project we could afford.  most great projects and ideas need a catalyst.  as you may recall, the Bo01 project in Malmo, Sweden used the European Housing Exposition as it's catalyst for masterplanning the Vastra Hamnen neighborhood and specifically constructing the European Village (note: if you are bored reading my description which was a combination of amazement, awe, and excitement, read this more down to earth, fact filled description).  our Jamaica Plain condo upgrade catalyst started out casual and became very real very fast.

a casual meetup on the front porch over a beer got the deeper conversation started about sustainable living and fixing up our house(s).  every one of the owners (one condo owner per floor) wanted to do something significant to improve each unit as well as the property overall.  this meant coming up with individual strategies as well as thinking about overlap and shared strategies.  in the end we wanted our individual condos to be more comfortable, efficient, and livable and we wanted the whole building to be a great place to call home.  we immediately started talking about the building envelope, about super insulation, and about reduction of energy needs and energy use.  everyone agreed that energy efficiency and sustainability were important, but we didn't know exactly how we would take it to the next level.

one of our crew stumbled upon an announcement from the City of Boston about a "Green Triple Decker" Pilot Program, orchestrated by the BRA.  this program was exactly the catalyst we were looking for to get us going forward.  the City of Boston (along with the energy utilities - NSTAR and NGRID) was offering up to $30,000 to deep energy retrofit approximately 5 triple deckers in Boston.  according to the rules, there would be a preliminary application to narrow down the candidates.  once selected, representatives from the City would work with the homeowners to develop a scope of work that attempted to achieve a HERS rating of 65 or better.

HERS is a system that started in California in 2006 and is now respected across the globe as a method to attach home value (price) to energy use and consumption.  HERS (home energy rating system) basically takes a baseline (bare minimum) typical, wood stud, pink insulation home from 2006 and calls that 100 (as in 100%).  that typical house uses 100% energy.  a worse house (energy wise) uses more than 100 and a better house uses less.  according to this scale, a zero energy house scores a ZERO on HERS and a typical 2006 house scores 100.  an energy star house is 85 (15% better than a typical 2006 home).  the program we were applying for through the City of Boston aimed at 65 (35% better than a typical 2006 home).  our house existing 1000 sf condo, built in 1905 without insulation, would eventually be measured by an official HERS rater.  our unit topped out at 135 (35% worse than a typical home).  going from 35% worse than a new home to 35% better must be a piece of cake, right?

HERS, a scoring system developing and implemented in California in 2006, is the first successful system to tie home energy use to home value.  the system scores 0 as a zero energy home and 100 as a new "typical" home in 2006.  according to the Green Triple Decker Pilot Program sponsored by the City of Boston, we needed to achieve a HERS rating of 65 or better to receive the grant (35% better than a new home built in 2006). 

as soon as we discovered this potential cash inflow to jump start our sustainable makeover and aim us toward specific energy goals, we flew into production mode.  we drafted an essay for the submission including resumes and appendices.  several members of our condo association had previous experience in sustainable design and construction both in practice and in theory.  in fact, half of us had worked on the 2009 Solar Decathlon project for the BAC/ Tufts zero energy 800 square foot solar home, called curio.  that project could be a blog all to itself, but if you are interested in learning more, check out the department of energy's description of curio.

we applied for the program, ended up on the short list, and eventually were awarded one of five grants to deep energy retrofit our 1905 Jamaica Plain condo.  the next part was the hardest part.  we knew the windows and doors were terrible, that there was virtually no insulation, and that the systems were old and wasteful.  we just needed to figure out what to do, how to do it, where to invest, and how to stretch as far as we could...


to be continued...

a dip in the Oresund Strait before sunset

the day after I took a walk along the western edge of Daniaparken in Bo01, I stumbled across a series of people jumping (or dipping) into the ocean.  when I arrived at a stepped stonework area that led directly into the ocean, I knew this was the place.  the water must be cold, but if they are doing it, I try it too.  I pedaled home as quickly as possible.  even me, a crazy person who is willing to jump in the cold waters of Sweden, knows that scary monsters inhabit the ocean after dark.

I returned with a backpack loaded with a towel and an ice cold 50 cl (500 ml) Swedish beer.  I leaned the bike against the concrete wall, stripped down to my suit, carefully removed my flippie floppies, and waded ankle deep onto the wooden platform.  I stood for quite some time, skeptical of the temperatural (yes, that is definitely a word) effect of the sea on my body.  finally, after courage came and went several times, I swan dived into the icy blue water...

the aftermath of a dip in the ocean before sunset, as evidenced by flip flops and beer

nothing solves the world's problems like taking a dip in the ocean at sunset and drinking a cold beer.  

sunset in Vastra Hamnen

as the sun began to dip lower in the sky, I made my way along Ribersborg beach, aiming back toward Vastra Hamnen.  I stopped several times along the way to admire the kite surfers.  or are they called wind surfers.  judging by the amount of wind along the Western Harbor, this must be a great place to surf, regardless of what it's called.

if you google kite surfing while in Sweden, "kitesurf Sweden" comes up second, behind only the wikipedia page.  clearly there is a lot of wind here, even if Malmo is not listed as one of the hotspots.

as the sun went down, I walked along the boardwalk at Daniaparken in Vastra Hamnen on the edge of Bo01.  the weather was mild, maybe 64 degrees and the wind was not fierce.  as I walked along the boardwalk I saw many people eating bread and cheese, drinking wine, and sitting atop the wooden planks on the water's edge.

people eating, drinking, and watching the sunset on the western edge of Daniaparken in Vastra Hamnen

I passed by wooden steps leading down into the ocean and admired the platform, complete with a ladder into (or out of) the ocean.  the waves calmly lapped over the metal grating and splashed softly against the lowest steps of the wooden descent.

wooden steps leading into the ocean in Vastra Hamnen along the westernmost edge of Daniaparken.  in the summer this is, according to locals of Malmo, the best spot to jump into the ocean in all of Skane. 

I continued along the boulevard, admiring the quantity of people who were enjoying the setting sun, the mild air, and the light breeze.  it tasted like a perfect combination of summer and fall, neither too hot nor too cold.  people were sitting out at the restaurants, sipping wine and eating dinner.

people eating dinner as the sun set in Vastra Hamnen along the edge of the Oresund Strait

I passed by the corner building of Bo01 that houses Salt Och Brygga, a well known eatery anchoring the restaurants along the waterfront's western edge.

one of the most notable buildings in Bo01 is the building that houses Salt och Brygga (salt and bridge), a well known restaurant marking the corner of the first phase of Vastra Hamnen, easily picked out in photographs due to the giant wall of solar thermal "panels" on the southwest corner of the building 

this building is known for two things besides the restaurant: 1. it is the least energy efficient building in Bo01 according to post occupancy studies.  2. it has a giant vertical solar thermal array that ended up being slightly under efficient because its evacuated tubes partially shade themselves.

sunset along the Oresund Strait with the Bridge to the left

as I continued north along the water's edge, I stopped to capture the sun as it dropped lower in the sky and highlighted the Oresund Bridge.

Finnlines ship sliding along under the setting sun in Oresund

a Finnlines ship, which seemed to arrive in the harbor at least once per day, slipped under the sun toward the north harbor, the only area of the harbor that remains industrial in the 21st century.

Finnlines ship passing just north of Vastra Hamnen

no car neighborhood in the middle of the city?

at the moment I am a little surprised that no one is talking about this place.  maybe it's illegal.  maybe it's a secret.  I could be breaking some sort of sacred code of silence.  I don't even know what its called.  I just know that all of the sudden I took a "wrong turn" on my bike while looking for a soccer field and I was in the middle of a neighborhood in Malmo proper that has only one street.  hundreds of houses but no streets to speak of anywhere.  I was on the main road, a busy one, looking left and right and I saw this street.  something pulled me toward it, even though it didn't look like there'd be a field alongside it.  I rode my bike down this small, one lane street and saw to my left and to my right what I can only describe as gravel paths that led off to people's houses.

a backyard in the magic neighborhood just south of Malmo Stadium

the houses all have yards, some with picnic tables, some with benches, others with Swedish flags, most with gardens, mailboxes, etc.  it was, for all intents and purposes, just like any other neighborhood in the city, except there were no roads.  no cars.  no traffic.  no noise.  just birds chirping, greenery everywhere.  it almost didn't seem real.  I rode to the end of the one street (under 200 meters) and stopped.  there was a little church/ general store looking building and another smaller shed like building and a small parking lot with perhaps 50 cars in it.

"street" in a carless neighborhood in Malmo.  you can see where the regular neighborhood begins again because there is a higher apartment building.  that building is on a main street.

I turned around back toward the street I had come down into the heart of this unknown territory. the road I was on was definitely paved.  I wasn't hallucinating or imaging it.  I retraced my way back toward the main (busy) street on my bike, very slowly.  along the way I stopped and snapped a couple of quick pictures, mostly looking down the gravel paths toward the front doors of the houses in the neighborhood.  I felt like I was disturbing some amazing historical monument or some sanctuary.

carless street in Malmo

I left pretty quickly in search of my soccer game.  the whole experience was probably about 4 minutes of awe spent gawking as if I'd seen something that might never have been seen before and could well never be seen again.  I felt like the westerner who stumbles into the native tribal village and the place is empty.  I wanted to take a million pictures and videos and scoop up a piece of dirt to take with me to show others that this place is real, but I didn't want to be caught in the middle of somewhere I didn't belong.  I can't really say too much about it except I was there and it is real.  these pictures are the only evidence...

this "street" had high shrubs on both sides.  most of the other streets had smaller shrubs and or flowers along the street.  maybe this is the freeway and those are the sound attenuators?