Page 13 - New England Condominium September 2021

NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM -SEPTEMBER 2021 13 Building EnvelopeYour Restoration Specialists Since 1981, Alpha Weatherproofing Corp. has served building owners and property managers throughout New England with comprehensive weatherproofing and building envelope restoration services. AFTER BEFORE • Concrete Restoration • Façade Inspection & Repair Specialty Coatings • Masonry Restoration • Sealant Removal & Replacement • Parking Garage Repair & Traffic Coatings • Historic Restoration • • Waterproofing Systems • Roofing & Roof Maintenance • Structural Repairs • Emergency Repairs 617-628-8888 www.weatherproofing.net • Request a free consultation • View projects • Sign up for our e-newsletter Online Homeowner Payment Portal Lending Solutions 3 Extensive Deposit Solutions 4 No-Fee Lockbox Services 1 ConnectLive Software Integration TM Full Online Banking Services 2 Specializing in: Innovating community association banking solutions is our business, so you can focus on growing yours. 1 Funds deposited through the Lockbox will follow Western Alliance Bank’s funds availability policy as outlined in the Deposit Account Agreement Disclosure. Fees may be imposed for additional services related to online banking. Refer to 2 Business Online Banking Setup and Authorization for more information. All offers of credit are subject to credit approval, 3 satisfactory legal documentation and regulatory compliance. Refer to the disclosures provided at account opening and 4 the Schedule of Fees and Charges for additional information. Alliance Association Bank, a division of Western Alliance Bank, Member FDIC. Western Alliance ranks top ten on Forbes’ Best Banks in America list, five years in a row, 2016-2020. | allianceassociationbank.com Tom Loughran Vice President (781) 254-8220 tloughran@allianceassociationbank.com Stacy Dyer, CMCA, AMS Senior Managing Director, East Region (843) 637-7181 sdyer@allianceassociationbank.com Meet Your Community Association Banking Experts: Top 10 - Forbes Best Banks green roofs, and one of the first cities in the U.S. to study their impact on the “heat island effect” that occurs in dense urban environments where acres of concrete and buildings absorb and trap heat and then release it back into the environment. The Windy City was also one of the first to provide financial incentives to com- mercial and residential property owners to build or convert their roof to one that includes a layer of live vegetation. With nearly 7 million square feet of such roofs, according to city estimates, the city still leads in this area. American Hydrotech, Inc., headquar- tered in Chicago, is a leading supplier of materials for all types of green and oth- er efficient roofing systems—not just in Chicagoland buildings, but in other met- ros as well, including New York and Bos- ton. Garden Roof & Blue Roof Depart- ment Manager Richard Hayden tells New England Condominium that the benefits of these types of installations are many and varied. “First of all,” he says, “the in- sulating materials keep the building dry. That’s the most important thing. From there, you have everything from storm- water runoff management to habitat for- mation to urban farming to increased building value. These are amenities that people like to have.” Installations can be scaled for all dif- ferent property types and locations, says Hayden—it all depends on what a build- ing or community wants from its green roof. “The technologies and applications continue to evolve,” he says. “You can have just a layer of low-soil plantings, or an entire rooftop park, with pavement and decking and furniture.” With costs for such projects also ranging widely, a board must also consider how much return on investment the project will produce. In the United States, green roof costs— including everything from waterproofing to plants—tend to range from $18 to $25 per square foot, depending on how inten- sive the system is. The initial capital and ongoing maintenance costs of a green roof are typically offset by long-term cost sav- ings that come from reduced roof main- tenance and replacement needs and lower which the climate crisis must be ad- utility bills. Other benefits like property dressed and the impact that buildings value and resident quality of life are hard- er to quantify but equally significant. What About Solar? Adding photovoltaic panels to any green roof project is a way to enhance both the ROI and a building’s overall energy efficiency. With lighter, more ef- ficient, and less expensive solar modules hitting the market (see our companion story, ‘New Green Tech for the Multifam- ily Sector’ for more on this), bringing solar to an urban high-rise is no longer cost-prohibitive. And in some cities, like New York, all new buildings, as well as any undergoing extensive roof renova- tion or replacement, must include some kind of green component or solar array or both, per Local Laws 92 and 94. In any roof project, determining load tolerance is the first step to deciding what is possible on a particular surface. If a roof is 15 years old or more, say the pros, it might be time to replace the roof any- way, which allows for more options when it comes time to ‘green’—whether that’s in conjunction with the roof replacement or down the line. Alimonti recommends starting the process of evaluating the fea- sibility and design of any roof project by hiring a professional architect who will bring in structural, mechanical, electri- cal, plumbing, or other engineers, as well as a code consultant to determine appli- cability of the design to obtain tax credits or incentives. Once the load capacity and other struc- tural elements are determined, green roof plans can be expanded to include solar energy production. “Solar panels are de- signed to absorb the sun’s rays and trans- form them into electricity,” says Alimonti. “This electricity can then be used by the building, stored in batteries for later use, and/or it can be sent to the electrical grid for consumption by others. Solar panels are a great way for a building to create its own electricity and help reduce the elec- trical loads.” There are even applications that com- bine green and solar technologies. Green Rain Solar, based in Nevada and partner- ing with cities nationwide, has created next-generation solar greenhouses, de- signed and developed by architect Antho- ny Morali for use on urban rooftops. Us- ing customized red greenhouse glass and seamless solar panels, says the company, these rooftop additions provide aesthetic appeal, health benefits through greenery and a sustainable food source, solar pow- er, community space, and perhaps even a commodity. Energy collected through the solar panels can be used in the building or sold to a utility provider; vegetation grown in the greenhouse can also be dis- tributed or sold within the building or to the broader community. Raise the Roof Given the scale and immediacy with specifically have on the disaster, elevating a conventional roof to one that is green— by any of the foregoing definitions—can be a cost-effective and practical solution for any community—one that also pro- vides benefits to residents and the sur- rounding neighborhood. Any other roof is just … a roof. n Darcey Gerstein is Associate Editor and Staff Writer for New England Condominium. GREEN OPTIONS... continued from page 6