At the beginning of June I had the opportunity to tour the beautiful home at  901 Moreland Avenue, or Eden House, as it’s also known, here in Atlanta.

The invitation-only “Friends Fusion” Open House was attended by over 100 people eager to see the environmentally friendly home.   The clean lines, airy design, and  careful selection of materials and textures gives this  contemporary home a luxurious feel without being fussy.   And while  it has many green features, the most striking is the living roof!

Designed by David Butler,  LEED AP, of David Butler & Associates, Inc.  and developed by Eastworks LLC, the Gold LEED for Homes certified,  3 bedroom, 2.5 bath is just one year old.   In addition to its LEED status, 901 Moreland Avenue has a  number of other  green credentials  such as  the Earthcraft ® certification and  HERS (Home Energy Rating System) – a program of the EPA’s Energy Star for Homes which includes being  Energy Star ® Indoor Air Quality Package Certified and  having Energy Star ®  and Watersense Appliances ®.    What it all boils down to is the home was built responsibly, to save energy and water and promote superior indoor  air quality.

The corner site allows for great visibility for many of the exterior sustainable features:   The 1,500 extensive greenroof wraps almost completely  around  the four  sides and draws a lot of looks from passersby.   The eight rain barrels are used as a gravity rain water harvesting and irrigation system, and two are located on the second story roof for direct irrigation of the greenroof.  

An interesting feature is that two of the rain barrels are connected by rain chains instead of the usual downspouts, which creates a lively interplay of the water as it descends.

Passive cooling is accomplished through a solar thermal canopy, which is also visible from the main street.   A  convenient ramp way provides accessibility and in fact the entire first floor is wheelchair accessible.   The interior is urban chic smart, yet very cozy in a uber-hip way and Environmentally Preferable Products (EPP) were specified throughout.

For example, the bamboo flooring is stunning, they only used  no or low VOC paint, and the well-designed small kitchen has reclaimed concrete countertops and a snazzy recycled glass mosaic backsplash.

And David designed the  house to really take advantage of natural light and ventilation – there are several skylights and a wide  breezeway connects to the separate  third bedroom (or other flexible space), bathroom  and garage.
 

The two bedrooms on the  upper floor benefit  from the cross ventilation positioning of the windows, and you can see how the living roof is visible from many angles upstairs.   The windows frame it beautifully ~ how wonderful to wake up to such greenery at eye level, but on the second floor!

The festive  Open House event was well put together and although the main  purpose was to showcase its many features (and offer it for sale), the organizers also celebrated the project’s recent LEED Gold certification  by  raising over $500 for Prevent Child Abuse Georgia  with a raffle.   Some of the big prizes included a solar thermal panel and frame and a water conserving Kohler toilet.

The film by Landon Donoho, “Sky Gardens Atlanta,” (I was a producer)  was premiered and guests got to see David Butler  being interviewed here last October by Landon when the green-minded architect shared his  experiences building this gorgeous, modern, single family dwelling.

The event was actually sponsored by many of the companies providing services and products, and they all set up shop in the  bright, walkout basement.   This team of specialists reported a brisk evening sharing green building techniques and product information with the inquisitive guests.

Greenroof-related sponsors included JDR Enterprises, Inc., who  supplied J-DRain drainage products; ERTH Products, who supplied the growing media; and T+E Design, Inc., who provided landscape architecture services.  As usual, it was great to see Janet Faust, LEED AP, GRP of JDR and it was very nice to meet Thomas Nichols, RLA, of both ERTH Products and T+E Design, Inc.   Others present were Gutter Water, LLC, rain water recovery system; CORT, Peachtree Home Staging; Woodman Insulation; Hardwoods Incorporated; PlumbWorksInc.; and Muffley & Associates, real estate solutions.

It’s wonderful to see architects and developers are taking (calculated) risks by taking on green construction, and I highly commend David Butler and Eastworks LLC for their innovation, commitment, and leadership with Eden House’s lovely architecture and healthy living environment!   Hopefully we’ll see more  sustainable development projects from this company soon.    For more info, please contact Nicholas Brown of Muffley & Associates at: 404.848.0996 or David Butler at: 404.589.0800.

Read more about the project in The Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database here, and if you’re in the market for a sleek 1,986 sf home in a bustling Atlanta  location, want dramatically lower utility bills, less maintenance, better use of the sun, a healthier living environment and fewer adverse impacts on the environment, this could be your new home!

Happy greening,

~ Linda V.