01/07/09

• Home

• The Magazine

• Archives

• Webcasts

• Advertising

• Job Board

• New York

• Subscribe

Greener pastures

A renderings shows what the completed green Manalapan home could look like.

Is it possible to combine luxury with green? That's what one South Florida builder is about to find out.

After 20 years of building mansions that sell for as much as $135 million, Delray Beach developer Frank McKinney is betting that just one of the estimated 50,000 people in the world who can afford his ultra-luxury homes will choose to purchase one that is certified as green.

In July, McKinney commenced construction on a speculative 15,000-square-foot, ocean-to-Intracoastal mansion in Manalapan that he claims will be the largest and most expensive certified, environmentally friendly house ever built. The asking price: $29 million.

While it may be hard to believe that a 15,000-square-foot home could be considered green, McKinney is building the house to the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Florida Green Building Council. He claims that he's seen "the green light" and is already planning to build a second green house for which he intends to seek platinum certification — the toughest green standard possible for homes.

"We want to set the standard for environmentally responsible luxury construction practices," says McKinney, 44, ( Featured in this month's Closing). "The more I researched the greening of America, the more I realized that not only is green building responsible and good for the environment, but it also has applications that are stunning."

McKinney calls the home Acqua Liana, the Tahitian word for "Water Flower." The design is inspired by McKinney's trips to Bali, Fiji, Tahiti and Hawaii. The three-story house will feature thatched roofs, meandering water gardens, a waterfall spa with a fire feature in the water, an interior acrylic main floor with moving water below, a 24-foot sheer water wall with a fog/smoke screen on which moving images will be projected, a suspended double-helix glass staircase, a hand-blown chandelier that mixes electricity with water, and a guesthouse constructed out of palm and bamboo that is partially submerged in a lagoon.

Oh, and don't forget the seven bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.

But the house isn't just about style; it will have some serious green features as well:

• Enough solar panels will be used to cover a regulation basketball court (and generate enough energy for two average-sized homes).
• A water system will collect enough "gray" runoff water to fill an average swimming pool every 14 days.
• Enough reclaimed wood will be used to save 7.5 acres of Brazilian rain forest.
• Sufficient pools, reflecting ponds, water gardens and misters will drop the site temperature by three to five degrees over neighboring properties.
• Approximately 340,000 pounds of debris will be recycled during construction.

According to Rob Hink, president of the South Florida chapter of the USGBC, several factors are driving the popularity of green building these days. First, Al Gore has raised awareness about global warming and the importance of saving the environment, creating demand from buyers. In turn, that demand has led to an increase in the number of builders interested in constructing green homes. In fact, at the February International Builders' Show, recently held in Orlando by the National Association of Home Builders, six of the 10 most popular education sessions were devoted to green issues.

Building green also helps builders differentiate themselves in a tough market, giving them a leg up on the competition.

"I think green features can be used as a marketing tool," says Tedd Gatteau, a real estate agent with Regency Realty Services in Boca Raton who specializes in waterfront homes in Palm Beach County. Gatteau feels that green buildings are part of a trend, and that people who are interested in owning an environmentally friendly home won't mind those features being exploited in marketing.

Buyers also benefit by owning a LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green home. According to the USGBC, a green home uses less energy, water and natural resources, creates less waste and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants. Owners will have lower energy and water bills, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and less exposure to mold, mildew and other indoor toxins.

To date, only one house in South Florida has been LEED-certified, Hink says, and that was an affordable house in Miami.

McKinney expects to receive his LEED certification within 30 days of obtaining the certificate of occupancy for the house, which is slated for completion at the end of 2008. He's already planning his second green project, a 10,000-square-foot house for which he plans to seek the even tougher platinum LEED certification.

"I'm not the kind of guy who is going to go out on my lunch break, hug a tree and then eat granola," says McKinney. "I'm a businessman first. But when you dovetail responsible environment stewardship with a smart business approach — I've never seen two things that come together like this."