Green Building design and construction in Baja California.
Green Building design and construction in Baja California.
Good leadership is important to the success of any building project, but it is particularly vital in green building efforts. With NewTek Construction Solutions you will see the members of our building and design team are accustomed to thinking about a building as a single, well-integrated system — a key strategy in green construction — so everyone you’re working with is committed to thinking ahead and working collaboratively. Sustainable or “green building” design and construction is the opportunity to use our resources more efficiently while creating healthier and more energy-efficient homes. Although there is no magic formula, success comes in the form a leaving a lighter footprint on the environment through conservation of resources, while at the same time balancing energy-efficient, cost-effective, low-maintenance products for our construction needs. In other words, green design involves finding the delicate balance between home building and the sustainable environment.
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Brought to you in cooperation with KiZa Associates.
NewTek Constructions – committed to make a difference
Since Al Gore achieved international notoriety and shared the treasured Pulitzer Prize for his work illuminating the effects of global climate change as a result of increasing carbon emissions, there has been so much hype surrounding green initiatives and sustainability that people have become overwhelmed with information – so much so that many feel paralyzed by the number of options that exist to decrease energy consumption. We often overlook the bigger picture because it is truly overwhelming, offering very little “good news” for the future. This is not to suggest that the value of saving each watt or gallon of water is unimportant. Assuming the responsibility to make small dents in bigger items, instead of focusing our energies on making insignificant big changes to smaller items, is the real secret to reducing our overall global energy footprint.
Shore’s team opted for a smarter alternative building material offering benefits such as seismic strength exceeding Zone 4 earthquake design, the ability to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, and climate comfort – all part of the cast-in-place Quad Lock ICF “insulated concrete foam” system. This energy-efficient concrete / foam combination, pioneered and promoted by NewTek in Mexico, provides superior insulation, isolation, and interior acoustics. The Quadlock system, along with a shading model with deep balcony overhangs, also provides an estimated 50% reduction in
cooling load. ICF’s allow great flexibility, quick installation with reduced material handling, and far less wasted fuel required to deliver heavy concrete block over long distances to
development sites. Shore hopes to change the model and is leading by example.
At La Concha Pearl, Shore’s team designed a system that uses efficient chillers with evaporated cooling and after-hours production of “ice” in the thermal storage system and self-contained
cistern, instead of employing traditional air-cooled chillers or roof top condensers. Their method is purported to be 30% more efficient and shifts 30% of the cooling load to the night time, further reducing utility bills by staying off the peak billing period. To avoid wasting energy, smarter and practical “brains” were incorporated into simple computerized energy management systems
allowing the shutdown of systems when not in use. It is a known fact there is nothing greener than turning systems off, especially when there is no impact to the building occupants. To add greater efficiency to the building’s creature comfort systems, Shore commissioned the design for an air conditioning system that will further reduce energy costs by employing a mere 70-ton
system rather than the normal 150-ton air conditioning system for similar sized buildings found throughout Baja. Experiences gleaned in the Silicon Valley led Shore to a window manufacturer that offers windows that are not only extremely attractive, but are dual-paned and low-E coated, and filled with Argon gas for additional energy savings. These windows provide less heat conduction without losing interior light. The two-tiered swimming pool and spas are heated exclusively by solar water panels, and all perimeter lighting is powered by a photo voltaic system.
Leading with Intelligent Engineering
New Tek is the exclusive Quad Lock distributor for Baja and provides technical support for all of Mexico. Les Zwaryck, managing partner in NewTek and the project manager of LCP claims, “Our goal in bringing green methods to Baja Sur is to lower the strain of growth and development on the community and to respect and maintain the value of the views and the natural environment that first drew us to Baja. We strive to develop smart engineering solutions that will lead the world – not follow. Obtainable,
sustainable, and profitable will benefit everyone in the long run. If you think about it, we really don’t have any other choice!”. Feeling green is not enough, we have to build smart. Implementing this new way of thinking will have a significant impact on energy consumption in Baja as a whole. I feel the extra efforts we have made sends a dramatic statement to other developers in Baja – we must change the way we do things by educating ourselves on what is possible using today’s more energy–efficient technologies. If our building can earn a LEED certification, we then demonstrate that it is possible to build in an energy efficient manner that protects the very resources that attract our buyers, and remain profitable as well.
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Brought to you in cooperation with KiZa Associates.
This seven-story luxury condominium
built on a white sand beach overlooking Mexico’s beautiful Sea of Cortez, is a remarkable example of engineering, education, and sustainability. La Paz, Mexico, located in southern Baja California, is a world-class destination. With white sand beaches, friendly locals, and first-rate services, it’s becoming the location of choice for vacationers and retirees alike. In the early years of the 20th Century, the city was known for its black pearls. Today, a new treasure can be found on the beach: La Concha Pearl, “The Pearl of La Paz.” The seven-story luxury condominium project is built to the highest sustainable building standards and makes extensive use of Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs). The story begins nearly five years ago, when developers Dan Shore and Robert Hefner purchased 45,000 sq. ft. of beachfront real estate in La Paz. The California-based developers spent more than a year researching the best way to develop the land, eventually settling on a luxury condominium suited for vacation or retirement living, with elegant interior finishes and a modern design, which would still blend into the Colonial Mexican architecture that surrounds it. They also decided to take advantage of cutting-edge, energy efficient technologies to make it as environmentally-friendly as possible. “I fell in love with the people and waters surrounding La Paz about five years ago,” says Hefner. “I felt that with this opportunity to live in paradise came critical responsibilities in regards to protecting the environment that could not be overlooked merely for the sake of additional profit. As my partner Dan Shore and I watched the sun set over the Bay of La Paz one evening, we made a commitment to minimize our impact wherever we could in hopes we may set an example of what can be done using leading edge technologies.” Shore made the decision to build La Concha Pearl with ICFs. After meeting with New Tek, the Mexico Quad-Lock distributor who has pioneered ICF use in Mexico, the developers were sold on the system. Les Zwaryck, owner of New Tek, spent a few months redesigning the building to optimize it for ICF construction. New Tek also did the ICF install on the job—no small feat considering it used 60,000 sq. ft of wall forms and 80,000 sq. ft of EPS decking. Shore is no stranger to the sustainable building movement, having worked for environmentally-conscious clients such as Yahoo! and Adobe. But, Shore believes safety and practicality should come first. That’s why he chose ICFs over earthen blocks. ICFs also have advantages over the traditional post-and-beam-with-CMUinfill construction common in Mexico.
They offer seismic strength exceeding Zone 4 earthquake standards, the ability to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, and climate comfort. The Quad Deck Flooring System virtually eliminates any interior noise between residences.
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1.First Green Commercial Building at Baja A remarkable example of engineering, education and Green Building This…
Brought to you in cooperation with KiZa Associates.
Residents are more conscious about living greener and healthier. The number of people looking to make more sustainable choices is growing exponentially. Local businesses are changing to meet this need. We provide Green building services for the consumer and their business needs. We at NTC provide direction and resources to the Green Building development by [...]
June 24, 2009
A remarkable example of engineering, education and Green Building
This seven-story luxury condominium project is built to the highest sustainable building standards and makes extensive use of Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs). What was once just an idea to utilize environmentally friendly construction techniques to engineer La Concha Pearl, a 7-story beachfront tower offering 33 luxurious residences [...]
NTC is a full services project management company operating south of the U.S. border. Our expanding head offices are in La Paz, Mexico. We currently are managing 2 projects in this city and have two under design. Our services to developers and investor groups are very broad due to the very diverse staff that we [...]
Home / Green Building / Green Building Made Easy
Sustainable or green building practices promote the construction of buildings that are healthier for the occupants and healthier for the environment. They reduce the tremendous impact that building construction, operation, maintenance, and disposal have on both people and nature. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Center [...]
Fact or Fiction: “The R-value tells me how much energy my house will use, right?” R-value measures the resistance a material has to heat transfer, this much is true. R-value alone, however, does not fully describe the energy performance of a building. Everyone in the ICF community knows that ICF buildings far outperform framed buildings [...]
