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  • SR Homes Opens Decorated Model Home at Chimney Creek

    SR Homes is expanding its popular new home offerings in Cumming with the opening of the decorated Brooklyn model home at Chimney Creek. Starting from the $500,000s, Chimney Creek is a new swim and tennis community of single-family homes.

    The Brooklyn model home is a newly designed ranch plan with 2,908 square feet of thoughtful living space featuring four bedrooms, three baths and a two-car garage. The Brooklyn updates the ranch plan with stairs to a fourth bedroom, third full bath and flexible loft space, perfect for work, study or play. Like many homes in Chimney Creek, the Brooklyn model home is built on an unfinished basement to offer a future family further room for expansion.

    Showcasing some of the builder’s most popular personalization options, the Brooklyn features an exterior fireplace, an upgraded laundry room with cabinets and a utility sink, a convenient butler’s pantry in the kitchen, dramatic exposed beams in the dining area and built-ins and coffered ceiling in the great room. Brooklyn homebuyers also have the option to turn the upper loft space into a fifth bedroom with fourth full bath.

    Located in sought-after West Forsyth County, Chimney Creek spans over 85 acres of scenic landscape with low-maintenance single-family ranch homes from the $500,000s and select two-story designs from the mid-$500,000s. Homes boast timeless architecture and bright, open-concept layouts ranging from 2,045 to 3,163 square feet of impressively designed living space with three-to-five bedrooms and two to four baths.

    Residents at Chimney Creek will enjoy resort-style amenities including a swimming pool, cabana and lighted tennis and pickleball courts. The community’s location off Pisgah Road also puts additional recreational options close by, such as Sawnee Mountain Preserve, Eagle’s Beak Park, Poole’s Mill Bridge Park and Big Creek Greenway. Nearby shopping, dining and entertainment options include The Collection at Forsyth, Cumming Marketplace, North Point Mall and Halcyon. Highway 20 and Georgia 400, also located close by, offer convenience to further exploration.

    Children residing at Chimney Creek will attend West Forsyth High, Liberty Middle and Poole’s Mill Elementary, part of the top-ranked Forsyth County school system.

    Chimney Creek is located at 4490 Pisgah Road in Cumming. Open by appointment only, contact Agent Angie Hatzileris at 678-252-2557 to schedule a private visit of the new model, or learn more at www.SRHomes.com/chimney-creek. See all photos of the new decorated Brooklyn model at https://bit.ly/3EJy8YL.

    SR Homes currently has several active and coming soon new home communities in sought-after, highly ranked school districts within Clarke, Cherokee, Forsyth and Oconee counties. With a reputation for designing homes for livability, SR homes are built with superior-quality materials and feature distinctive exteriors, impressive interiors and thoughtful outdoor living spaces that reflect the way families and individuals live today.

    To learn more about new Atlanta-area homes from SR Homes, visit www.SRHomes.com.

  • What are advantages of bamboo construction

    Pandas are often pictured munching on bamboo. This fast-growing plant is much more than just a snack food for zoo animals. It’s also a great construction building material. There are over 3000 species of bamboo! amaZulu, Inc. imports two species that have been certified as environmentally friendly construction-grade material.  Solid bamboo and Tre-Gai Bamboo. See the many advantages of using bamboo construction materials.

    Building With Bamboo

    Using large bamboo poles as a building material is so popular among architects and contractors. Many people mistake bamboo for wood, but it is a prominent type of grass. If you view bamboo from above, you would notice its grass-like form: the “trunk” is thickest at the base and gradually becomes more slender and wispy toward the tip. Not all bamboo species are ideal for construction, but solid bamboo poles and tre-gai bamboo are perfect.

    Every building material has its pros and cons. What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of using bamboo poles as a building material?

    Advantages of Bamboo Construction

    • Tensile strength: The fibers in a bamboo pole run axially, creating amazing strength. In fact, large bamboo poles such as solid bamboo poles and tre-gai bamboo poles have a higher tensile strength than steel.
    • Weight: Bamboo is relatively light. This makes it easy to transport and install.
    • Elasticity: Bamboo doesn’t snap at the first sign of stress. Its elasticity allows it to weather storms and earthquakes that would break or crumble other building materials.
    • Fire resistance: Bamboo has natural fire resistance due to its high composition of water and silicate acid. It can withstand temperatures up to 400 degrees Celsius. Special organic treatments can improve this natural resistance.
    • Compressive strength: Bamboo is a sturdy material. Our two favorite species of bamboo are solid bamboo poles and Tre-Gai bamboo poles. Bamboo is often used as weight-bearing beams. Even slender poles can shoulder a surprising amount of weight without buckling.
    • Safety: Bamboo is a very safe building material. Working with it is fairly easy and doesn’t carry the risks that some more hazardous construction materials like asbestos do.
    • Durability issues: Bamboo can be vulnerable to insect and fungus attacks. Special treatments are needed to preserve and protect it. All of our bamboos are pressure-treated against infestation.

    Incorporating Bamboo in your next project

    With bamboo construction, the possibilities are endless. Bamboo can be used for everything from flooring to roofing. It comes in various sizes and finishes. How can you buy bamboo poles for your next project? Check out this bamboo poles comparison chart to find the right product for your project. With thousands of species of bamboo, not all of them will have the same characteristics. Working with an experienced and trusted bamboo supplier is essential to deliver a high-quality bamboo product.

    Bamboo Construction Supplier

    For almost 20 years, amaZulu Inc. has been supplying natural and synthetic construction-grade bamboo materials. We’ve traveled the world to locate unique, rapidly renewable bamboo products. Using bamboo as a building material is sustainable, sturdy, safe and ready for commercial construction. amaZulu has years of experience consulting for companies interested in bamboo construction. Our team of experts will help you find the right bamboo products for your project. If you don’t see what you need, we can work with you to create a customized solution. If you’re buying bamboo poles in the Orlando area, stop by. Our warehouse is located in Clermont.

  • Top 10 Reasons to Go Green | Green Living | Green Buildings

    10 Excellent Reasons to Go Green

    The moment anyone starts talking about going green, the question that pops up in the minds of most people is “why go green?” People talk about how the planet has been affected badly because of the tons of plastic and thousands of chemical products that are an environmental hazard. Of course, there are several ways to go green, however, the many reasons to go green now outnumber the ways to go green. The sad part is that most of these reasons are conveniently forgotten. One needs to pause for a moment and take stock of things, which will probably motivate all to join the very tiny band of crusaders who are desperately trying to make people understand the urgent need to go green. Here are 10 great reasons to go green:

    1) Adds value to your home

    Once you take steps to make your home eco-friendly, it automatically boosts the value of your home several points. By adopting sustainable energy practices like going for solar panels on your roof and windows, and opting for waterless urinals, and recycling grey and black water, you save money in the long run, and do your little bit towards saving the planet and making it greener. Using renewable energy methods has a positive effect on the environment.

    2) Considerable energy savings

    According to the U.S. Department of Energy, if all the buildings in the country were to go green, there would be $20 million savings on energy alone every year. What’s more, is a green home is entitled to special discounts. Remember, saving energy can start at very basic levels like using waterless urinals/toilets and recycling greywater. For instance, using the washing machine at full load each time helps save water and power as well.

    3) Smaller water bills

    Do you want to save a substantial amount on your water bill? Insist on using plumbing systems that are water savers and go for only Energy Star-rated appliances. These simple tricks will help you save hundreds of dollars, and you are still doing your bit for a greener planet.

    1) Adds value to your home

    Once you take steps to make your home eco-friendly, it automatically boosts the value of your home several points. By adopting sustainable energy practices like going for solar panels on your roof and windows, and opting for waterless urinals, and recycling grey and black water, you save money in the long run, and do your little bit towards saving the planet and making it greener. Using renewable energy methods has a positive effect on the environment.

    4) Green homes outlast others

    A green home can outlast a regular home. An eco-friendly home is built with care and it will turn out to be durable and will certainly last longer. It is a fact that recycled products tend to last a good 5 times longer than regular materials. There are sizable savings on maintenance and repairs of your home as well.

    5) Breathe easy

    When you live in an eco-friendly home and drive a vehicle that is eco-friendly as well, you are helping reduce pollution to that extent. The quality of the air indoors and outdoors is bound to be superior as it is cleaner and healthier, making you breathe easily. In the long run, breathing pure air will reflect in the perfect health of you and your family. Moreover, good health means fewer medical bills to pay.

    6) Think of your kids

    Give thought to your kids and what they will inherit tomorrow. It is the bounden duty of all parents to endeavor to leave behind a healthier world for the next generation. By helping create a cleaner and greener world, you are ensuring a bright future for your kids and their kids.

    7) Reduced carbon footprint

    Going green has a positive effect on reducing the carbon footprint. This is accomplished by reduced pollution. Moreover, when the amount of conventional energy being used is reduced, a cleaner and greener environment is guaranteed.

    8) Creativity in Recycling/strong>

    There is another side to recycling other than the considerable savings in energy and money. Several attractive and useful items can be created from recycled materials. This helps bring out the creativity in the artisans and also lays the path for being energy and material efficient. Going green involves recycling materials, hence insist on recycled materials when constructing new buildings.

    9) Self-sufficiency

    Green initiatives always end up with people depending less on fossil fuels, thus reducing noxious and toxic emissions. People can become self-sufficient and devise new ways to commute to work, saving energy in the process. Living sustainably involves using renewable sources of energy and other natural resources.

    10) Eating green

    Eating green is not only good for leading a healthy, disease-free life, it also has an impact on the ecosystem. Insisting on organic food and dairy products contributes to the economy and helps reduce the greenhouse emissions that would otherwise be caused by the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides and fertilizer to grow food. Organic farming helps maintain the delicate ecological balance and goes a long way in conserving the planet.

     

    Hashtags:
    #gogreen #goinggreen #greenliving #sustainableliving #ecofriendly #sustainability #renewableenergy #recycling #greenbuilings #greenhomes #saveenergy #greeninitiatives

  • 4 New LEED Credits for a COVID-19 World

    In response to the pandemic, the USGBC unveiled four new pilot credits that touch on disinfection, workplace re-occupancy, IAQ and water quality. Read more to learn how they were created and other tips for sustainability success.

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  • Top 3 Controllable Factors in Energy Cost Management

    Facility managers can’t change realities like shutdowns, weather, or market conditions, but these elements of energy cost management are within their control.

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  • Data-Driven Building Design That Gives More Than It Takes

    An emerging, data-driven framework for building operations and materials is changing the way we look at sustainable design.

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  • A Closer Look at the GBAC STAR Accreditation

    Major hotels, convention centers and even cities have committed to earning the GBAC STAR accreditation. Read more to see who has committed.

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  • An Earth Day Sustainability Checklist for Green Buildings

    How does your building’s sustainability effort measure up? Read this checklist, compiled in honor of Earth Day 2020, to see if your green game is up to the challenge, or how to catch up if you’re behind the sustainable buildings curve. Read more.

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  • Green Building rating recommendations: How it is helping us during COVID-19?

    Green Building rating recommendations: How it is helping us during COVID-19?

    Green Building
    Hand Sanitizers

    When we embarked on our green building journey, as a building owner and as an occupant who may spend half my lifetime in this building, the importance of reducing the operational costs and making the ambience healthy was my key interest. At this time, grappling through the worst pandemic that I have seen in my lifetime, some of the decisions that I made influenced by the LEED rating system’s green building certification requirements flashed in my mind giving a sense of gratification and validation.

    Before the 21-day lockdown was announced, there was a lot of uncertainty on how this COVID-19 pandemic was heading and fear started gripping our people. The awareness and importance of using hand sanitizers and washing hands frequently set-in to most people.

    Hand Sanitizers
    Thanks to the LEED requirements for Green Buildings, we had installed hand sanitizer dispensers in all the floors of our building which came into good use. While the usage was very minimal over the years it spiked very high during the pre-lockdown period.

     

    Sensor operated Hand-wash Taps

    Green Building
    Sensor Taps

    As part of our water-saving initiative, we had installed sensor-operated taps in our cafeteria and all toilets fitted with aerators. These taps gave a better sense of hygiene and the aerators continued to save a lot of water as the usage tripled as people were recommended to wash hands more often as a precaution.

     

     

     

    Steam Cleaners
    Green Building
    Steam Cleaning

    We wanted to reduce the water used for floor cleaning (as our floors are predominantly uncarpeted), control the dust during cleaning and avoid chemical detergents as per LEED requirements. The topic “LEED and Human Health” led us to the awareness of the usage of UV cleaning devices to reduce the germ loads on all high-touch surfaces like all countertops and fixtures in bathrooms, kitchens and dining areas, doorknobs and handles, light switches and elevator buttons. We couldn’t find any commercial UV cleaning equipment in India at that time and further search led me to Steam Cleaning. The steam cleaners save 75% water, there is absolutely no rise in the dust during cleaning, uses just plain water (no detergents) and more importantly generates dry steam reaching up to 160°C that kills 99.99% germs (better than powerful chemical disinfectants). We were so happy and impressed with steam cleaning and went ahead implementing the same. Today we feel good that our high-touch surfaces, floors, toilets, kitchen and dining areas get disinfected every single day, using just 1/4th water and absolutely no chemicals. When COVID-19 started spreading, I checked on the precautionary measures to be taken at offices and I found that steam cleaning is more effective than all other forms of disinfection as it even kills the germs settled in joints/cracks where regular methods fail.

    COVID-19
    Fresh Air Filtering

    Ventilation

    Ours is a software development centre that is densely populated and air-conditioned which makes it precarious for seasonal flu and cold to spread easily. The LEED requirement based implementations to provide enhanced fresh air supply, usage of MERV 13 filters for reduced dust levels, monitoring of PM 10 and PM 2.5 levels (particulate matter) is today helping us reduce the spread of all airborne infections and improve the lung capacity of our people over a period who get to breath high-quality fresh air with very low dust levels. To ensure less energy usage, our filters are cleaned more often, systematically. All this made us feel safer during the pre-lockdown period.

     

    Close to office accommodations

    Green Building recommendations
    LEED Arc Skoru

    We use the U.S. Green Building Council’s Arc Skoru platform that helps us to benchmark our green building’s performance against all similar buildings across the globe. The survey performed for this purpose captures the distance traveled by our occupants which impacts the carbon emissions due to staff commute to work. This made us look into this aspect seriously and we started providing walkable subsidized accommodations very close to our office and also incentivize people moving to closer neighborhoods. We also set up an in house cafeteria to provide subsidized healthy food to avoid people movement for lunch.

    A week before the lockdown, the availability of public transportation reduced and restaurants were closing, but our operations weren’t hit much since most didn’t have any difficulties to reach office or have problems with the availability of food.

    The lockdown was finally official. What was said to be a 7-day lockdown, was extended to 21 days.

    Touch-free Lighting & HVAC controls

    The lighting at our facility switches-on/off automatically based on the occupancy detection and LUX level detection ensuring that there is no manual intervention needed. The indoor air conditioning units are again automatically operated based on the entry/exit of people detected by the access control systems. Our employees use our eFACiLiTY® Smart Building Controls app if they want to operate their lights and air-conditioners manually. Our facility is void of switch controls or remotes reducing the possibility of infection spread through high-touch surfaces. The automation was implemented primarily as an energy-saving initiative.

    Fully Automated Building

    Our plants need to be watered regularly, the security of the premises has to be taken care, the air conditioning system should run properly to ensure that the data centre is not affected, the fire alarm, security systems should operate flawlessly, in case of any power failure the diesel generator should kick-in and we should be intimated well in advance if the DG set is set to run out of fuel.

    eFACiLiTY® Building is one of the most automated buildings in the world and this was designed primarily to save on the resources. Owing to the full-fledged automation, all these requirements during this lockdown are fully taken care without the need for anyone to visit the office. Today, our facility is running on autopilot with absolutely no physical intervention and our facility management team remotely monitors if all systems are performing at its best. Our solar arrays continues to generate power efficiently, enhanced by the automated cleaning process.

    The fresh air supply is operated for a few hours every day even though there are no occupants to ensure that the building doesn’t become polluted with stagnant air in which bacteria thrive making it unsafe when we resume operations.

    PS: Our eFACiLiTY® Building is rated as the World’s 2nd Greenest Building under the LEED NC v2009 rating system and we are extremely happy that we chose the LEED rating system for our validation.

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    Hashtags:
    #LEED #USGBC #GBCI #Covid19 #coronavirus #OfficeBuildings #eFACiLiTYBuilding #eFACiLiTY #greenbuilding #SteamCleaning #sustainability #sustainablebuilding #LivingStandard

  • LEED for Data Centers: Solutions for 3 Common Energy Challenges

    Earning LEED certification for a data center is a challenge. Use these tips from the USGBC to drive sustainable change. Read more. 

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