Civil Engineering Associates

March 2009
On Tuesday, March 17, 2009 Civil Engineering Associates, along with the entire project team, was recognized by the Oakland City Council for their commitment to sustainability and green building.

The team attained a GreenPoint rating through 'Build It Green' for the Zephyr Gate project in May of 2008.

Build It Green developed the GreenPoint Rated system in 2005 which is becoming the standard for new single and multi-family residential green building projects in California

Pulte Homes was the developer/owner of this project and Kava Massih Architects was the architect.

The project team achieved this rating through the following:

-Construction of a high density urban infill project containing 130 residential townhomes near public transportation

-Installed water saving devices including drought-tolerant turf free landscaping, a high efficiency irrigation system, permeable paving to allow rainwater percolation and pre-plumbing for municipal recycled wastewater, thereby achieving a reduction of approximately 25% in water usage

-Installed energy heel roof trusses, energy star roof membranes, energy star appliances, pressurized ductwork and a high efficiency heating ventilation and air conditioning system to reduce energy consumption. Energy efficiency exceeded Title 24 lighting requirements by 16%.

-Low volatile organic compound paints were used and carbon monoxide alarms were installed to improve indoor air quality and resident safety and health.

-To address material resource conservation, the team diverted 50% of the construction waste from the landfill, reused existing concrete for the roadbase and railroad canopy in the park, used engineered lumber and installed bamboo flooring and exposed concrete flooring.