Dan's Papers - April 25, 2008 - Let's Talk About Green

Anyone with an interest in green living has a treat in store at this year's Hampton Home & Garden Show. Sunday's presentation on Residential Green Building, Design, and Development promises to be a highlight for Expo attendees who are looking to learn more about environmentally conscious building and sustainable materials, or those who are just curious to learn about cutting edge ideas in architecture from a roster of top-tier industry leaders. Green building expert Charles Bergen of WDG Architects in Washington, D.C., will moderate a discussion between three of the most innovative eco-friendly builders on the east coast.

The event, which runs from noon to 2 p.m. on May 4th, will cover key ideas in sustainable architecture and development, along with a look at the financial aspects of going green. In addition to Bergen, the speakers will be Ric Stott of Southampton's Flynn + Stott Architects, and Chris Earley, a specialist in eco-smart civil engineering who will speak on storm water reduction systems and rainwater gardens, and developer Ari Meisel, who is spearheading the Watermill Ateliers project. All the speakers on Sunday will discuss their recent projects and take audience questions.

On the recent burst of consumer interest in sustainability, Ric Stott says, "I'm glad 'Green' has become a buzzword." The East End local has been drawn to environmentally conscious building since the 1970s, when he designed and completed his first solar house before training formally as an architect. From being part of the initial wave of interest in alternative energy sources, he has gone on to pioneer increasingly complex designs. For one recent project, his firm created a solar pool house, which uses sunlight not only to warm the pool, but also to pre-heat the boiler water for the main house, substantially cutting the energy usage of the residence as a whole.

An artist as well as a technician, Stott is committed to creating buildings that are as attractive as they are sustainable, and his work shows that the environmental benefits of green building needn't come at the cost of curb appeal. He feels that "home design is long overdue for a conscious, careful look at the synergies of efficiency and beauty," and finds his answer in creating sophisticated systems, which blend solar equipment directly into the infrastructure of the home. "I am committed to good design, and believe that building-integrated systems are the only way to make solar systems aesthetically pleasing and functional at the same time," says Stott. Long Island homeowners seem to agree with his philosophy, as in addition to designing new residential, municipal, and commercial buildings, the Flynn + Stott firm has spearheaded over 100 green renovations of existing structures.

Another panelist of particular interest to East End residents is Ari Meisel, the developer spearheading the Water Mill Ateliers project. The multi-use site will include 8,000 sq. ft of office space alongside affordable housing residences, and is expected to be the second LEED Platinum certified building in the state. Meisel will also discuss his popular green building blog (http://leedpro.blogspot.com), which gets over 1,000 hits per day.

Charles Bergen will start things off at noon with an introduction to green homes and the LEED rating system, which determines a green building's eligibility for tax rebates. Chris Earley will join him at 12:30 p.m. to discuss rain and storm water reuse systems suitable for homes and businesses. Ric Stott will talk on solar energy at 1 p.m., and Ari Meisel will close the panel with his presentation at 1:30 p.m.