Mar 22 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Kim Brown Tulsa World, Okla.

You may have passed by an out-of-the-ordinary residential development in midtown recently, but it is no mere anomaly.

The two side-by-side town homes under construction at 1409 S. Rockford Road are contemporary and sleek, but it's what they're made of that counts, according to developers.

In fact, they say the town homes are to become some of the most sustainable residences in Oklahoma -- perhaps even in the country.

The project is called NINE, which stands for New Inspiration for a Natural Environment, and when completed, the 2,200- square-foot lofts will have many green features. They include: geothermal climate control systems, Structural Insulated Panels or SIPs construction, recycled carpet, a tankless water heating system, bamboo floors, a rainwater storage system, a droughttolerant landscaping system and to top it all off, a grass roof. And that's not all.

The project has an above-platinum rating from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) U.S. Green Building Rating System, said the project's architect and developer Shelby Navarro, of 1 Architecture, 418 S. Peoria

Ave.

The final rating will not be given until after completion of the project, but he said that its standing rating is the first of its kind in Oklahoma and one of about 25 in the country.

The NINE project is one of many green projects Navarro has worked on locally in recent years. Clients have become more and more receptive to building sustainable structures, he said, and the trend is gaining momentum.

"It's hard to argue with. Even if you don't like to hug trees, you like to save money," said Navarro, who said he's been conscious of environmental issues his entire life. Raised in Verdigris by his grandfather, Navarro said his architecture career is founded on these principles.

"I've always been on the green side. We had organic gardens and solar panels in the '70s. He taught me all about that stuff. It's in my blood," he said.

Navarro's company lists sustainability as its No. 1 priority, so when he began developing the NINE project, along with contractor and frequent collaborator Micky Payne, he knew it could be a showcase of green building and planning.

"We wanted to do something that would be a different design in a walking neighborhood that could help educate people," Navarro said.

Throughout the construction, the partners have led various city offi cials and other groups on tours though the development, so they could talk about the features. Payne said people in the area are serious about sustainable construction.

"It's going to be the way building is going in the future," he said. "They're doing it everywhere else in the country, and we thought we should try to do one in Tulsa. We're not necessarily trying to change the way everyone does things -- there is still a lot of the old guard -- but there are more effi cient ways of doing construction."

The town homes should be completed as early as April, Navarro said, and the asking price for each home is in the low-$400,000s. The developers said the price tag is on par for the neighborhood, but green building does not always have to come at a high cost.

"Even making a small change can have a huge effect. Just changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs have a big impact," he said.

Navarro will be conducting a tour of the project at 11 a.m. April 12, which will feature information about low-maintenance and drought-tolerant planting, sustainable tile and carpet, and water and energy saving strategies.

For more information, call 764- 9996, e-mail info@1architecture.com, or go to www.tulsaworld.com/1architecture.

------

Save green by going green

Developers Shelby Navarro and Micky Payne said the NINE townhouse project uses many examples of ways homeowners can go green without necessarily breaking the bank:

--Payne said the geothermal heating and air system is "pretty attainable for everybody. Pricing-wise, it's probably another 30 to 40 percent more, but you get that back in 10 years."

--Using low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint and fi nishes and taping up air ducts when you do any improvements will dramatically improve your home's air quality, Navarro said.

--A tankless water heating system is gas-powered and a fairly small system, Navarro said. It instantly heats water as it moves through it, rather than heating a larger amount of water in a regular tank.

--Replacing your appliances with those that are Energy-Star rated saves money over time.

--The recyclable carpet in the town homes has a 1-800 number on the back, so when you are ready to replace it, a representative will come to your home and do it for you.

--A two-flush toilet could save a family of four up to 10,000 gallons of water a year, Navarro said.

------

Kim Brown 581-8474

kim.brown@tulsaworld.com