Eco

2472 MLK

• Non-VOC interior paint throughout  
• New LED overhead track lightbulbs throughout
• Recycled glass terrazzo kitchen counters
• Doors and sills handcrafted from salvaged wood
• Noritz Tankless Hot Water Heater
• Amana 90% Annualized Fuel Utilization Efficiency Forced-Air Furnace

Dwight Way Condo

• Reused car parts for awnings, railings, gates, shelves, parking bumpers and lighting (e.g., Volvo station wagon doors for the auto gate, doorway awnings made with hatchbacks of old Porsches and Mazdas).
• Reused 3 1/2 tons of street signs for siding, eaves, gates, light shades and railings.
• Insulated floor slabs with thermal break at edges.
• Thousands of board feet of salvaged wood reused for doors, siding, trim, walls. 
• FSC certified, sustainably harvested 2 x 6 framing lumber.
• Sustainably harvested oak slab counters.
• Formaldehyde-free kitchen and bathroom cabinet boxes in the new building.
• FSC certified sustainably harvested hardwood flooring.
• 100% wool carpets.
• Non-VOC paints and woodwork finished with natural oils.
• Photovoltaic panels.
• Non-toxic permeable gravel paving instead of asphalt to retain rainwater on site.
• Native and drought tolerant plants, eliminating the need for an irrigation system.
• Bicycle parking area.

 

A note on energy efficiency from the architect, Leger Wanaselja Architecture:

Our goal was to use time tested methods to minimize energy use and to rely heavily on salvaged, recycled, and low-toxic finishes. Thoughtful passive design strategies such as excellent insulation, careful window placement and siting for passive solar benefit were the most important strategies used to minimize energy consumption. We were able to achieve a 280% improvement in energy use in the existing building. The new building is almost twice as energy efficient as required by state energy code. 

Our heavy reliance on salvaged and recycled materials saved tremendous amounts of manufacturing energy and reduced overall environmental impacts. Just three measures saved as much energy as the two buildings will use in a year:

• Using blown-in cellulose insulation (made from old telephone books/newspapers) instead of fiberglass.
• Substituting 50% of the cement in the concrete with fly ash (a by-product of coal burning).
• Leaving the aluminum siding on the existing building instead of replacing it with wood or stucco.

Tour

Floor Plan

Neighborhood

Berkeley is a city that transcends its small population. While it is only the 51st largest city in California (and only 4th largest in Alameda County!), Berkeley is world renowned for academic achievement, free speech and the arts. Originally part of the northern Oakland Township, its new name was adopted in 1866 after Anglican Bishop George Berkeley and applied to both the town and the College of California's new location along Strawberry Creek (later known as UC Berkeley).

Berkeley grew immensely following the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, and again during WWII with many wartime jobs in the area at places like the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond. Later, the city became synonymous with social change and political activism, as the hippie movement spilled out of San Francisco in the late 1960s. Berkeley was the center of national attention in 1974 when Patty Hearst was kidnapped from her apartment at 2603 Benvenue Avenue by the Symbionese Liberation Army.

Today, UC Berkeley is one of the world's top universities. The Gourmet Ghetto, inspired by places like Chez Panisse, Cheeseboard Collective and Peet's Coffee, is a premier food destination. Brilliant masterpieces from architects Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan abound. Coupled with its natural amenities, such as Tilden Park to the east and the Berkeley Waterfront to the west, Berkeley is one of the most desirable places to live in the US, if not the world!

Useful Links:
City of Berkeley Homepage
Berkeley Unified School District
The Daily Californian
University of California, Berkeley