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‘Hard-core’ sustainable in Hyde Park
  
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By KIRSTEN SALYER
Pigs flew over Hyde Park as residents and developers came together to promote Houston’s first green condominium.
There was a lot of concern when the sales sign for the land at 2410 Waugh Drive went down, developer Joey Romano said. But people didn’t have to fear the invasion of a huge high rise.
The silver LEED-certified Mirabeau B. condo building promises to be a “new type of sustainable residential building,” Romano said. Offering green features and only taking up about half the available land, the four-story brick and wood building was designed to blend with the aesthetics of the surrounding homes.
“It’s a building we’re sort of hoping will recede into the neighborhood,” he said.
In a January newsletter of the Hyde Park United Civic Association, the organization’s president, Kathy Schipper, wrote, “It promises to be an interesting and neighborhood-friendly addition.” The newsletter encouraged residents to recommend the condos to “anyone seeking unique and forward-thinking digs.”
Schipper was not available for more recent comment.
Romano said his group has been working with neighborhood representatives on plans for the development. They also will hold neighborhood events at the sales center.
“It’s a main corner in this neighborhood,” he said. “It’s something that can be an important piece of the history and moving forward for the neighborhood.”
Named after Mirabeau B. Lamar, who once owned the land around Hyde Park, the project will preserve the history of the area, Romano said.
“We’re really trying to sell the neighborhood,” he said. “It’s in the loop of Houston, there are great historic qualities.”
The condominium project intends to offer value and luxury with a conscience, its developer said.
More important than fitting a green standard, sustainability is about a sense of community and a quality of life, Romano said.
“Everything’s green now,” he said. “You sleep green, you eat green. It’s kind of like overkill. It’s more important how you do it in a meaningful way.”
Romano and his father, Joe Romano, created Harvest Moon Development Co., named after a Neil Young album. The company combines a father’s background in renewable energy with a son’s desire to create something unique and special to Houston, the younger Romano said.
Harvest Moon worked with Rhode Partners, an Austin architecture firm, to make the building energy-efficient and sustainable.
Romano said he will aim to sell six of the condos before breaking ground.
The 14 spacious units are larger than typical condos and feel more like houses than apartments, said Mark Oberholzer, senior designer at Rhode Partners. Units range in size from 1,300 square feet to 2,600 feet.
“A two-bedroom unit is as big as a Montrose bungalow,” he said.
But the units are more efficient than your average home.
Mirabeau B. will be a “hard-core sustainable green building,” Romano said. The building will be environmentally-friendly from the ground up.
“The building is passively designed to be efficient,” he said “A big focus in green building, that I think a lot of people don’t realize, is how much you can save on your energy bills by just smart design.”
Among the examples:
At least 10 percent of recycled materials will be used in construction and at least half of the building’s construction waste will be recycled.
Materials such as brick, concrete and wood will be obtained from regional sources.
A photovoltaic canopy that will cover one of the walkways will provide rain cover while generating energy from solar panels.
A high-efficiency central cooling and heating system also saves energy.
A vegetated green roof will provide insulation and prevent water runoff to help prevent flooding.
Building green means more expensive units, with projected prices ranging from $400,000 to $600,000 and almost $1 million the one penthouse, but the energy saved in use over time will pay off, Romano said.
“You’ll pay for it up front but you’ll get it paid back over time and your cost of living will be much less than in your typical building,” he said.
The condos use half as much land as they could, leaving room for “dedicated outdoor space,” Oberholzer said.
The outdoor design incorporates native landscaping and irrigation from collected rainwater. The development also will not get in the way of the five oak trees on the property.
“(Romano) is building much less than he could on that site to make sure the trees are preserved,” Oberholzer said.
The building was designed for the hot, humid Houston climate with the concept of “dog trots,” outdoor walkways, to bring breeze into the building, Romano said.
Balconies will overlook a common courtyard in the middle of the “L” shaped block of units. The semi-private garden will “facilitate a neighborly way of living,” Oberholzer said
“You’re always looking down into that garden area,” he said. “You enter the units from the common gathering space. It becomes the focus where residents might hang out together.”
The Mirabeau B. Sales Center, designed by Metalab, was to open Tuesday Sept. 2, offering a model for the sustainability of the condos.
“The thinking involved is how we want people to see Mirabeau B.,” Romano said.
Constructed out of repurposed shipping containers, the sales center demonstrates the concept of “upcycling, having things that improve as their life goes on rather than get reduced as they get moved on,” Romano said.
Solar panels on the roof can fold shut at night or during bad weather, said Andrew Vrana from Metalab.
“We would like to further develop this as a solution,” he said. “People could have one of these made and put in their backyard and supplement their energy with solar power.”
There was a lot of concern when the sales sign for the land at 2410 Waugh Drive went down, developer Joey Romano said. But people didn’t have to fear the invasion of a huge high rise.
The silver LEED-certified Mirabeau B. condo building promises to be a “new type of sustainable residential building,” Romano said. Offering green features and only taking up about half the available land, the four-story brick and wood building was designed to blend with the aesthetics of the surrounding homes.
“It’s a building we’re sort of hoping will recede into the neighborhood,” he said.
In a January newsletter of the Hyde Park United Civic Association, the organization’s president, Kathy Schipper, wrote, “It promises to be an interesting and neighborhood-friendly addition.” The newsletter encouraged residents to recommend the condos to “anyone seeking unique and forward-thinking digs.”
Schipper was not available for more recent comment.
Romano said his group has been working with neighborhood representatives on plans for the development. They also will hold neighborhood events at the sales center.
“It’s a main corner in this neighborhood,” he said. “It’s something that can be an important piece of the history and moving forward for the neighborhood.”
Named after Mirabeau B. Lamar, who once owned the land around Hyde Park, the project will preserve the history of the area, Romano said.
“We’re really trying to sell the neighborhood,” he said. “It’s in the loop of Houston, there are great historic qualities.”
The condominium project intends to offer value and luxury with a conscience, its developer said.
More important than fitting a green standard, sustainability is about a sense of community and a quality of life, Romano said.
“Everything’s green now,” he said. “You sleep green, you eat green. It’s kind of like overkill. It’s more important how you do it in a meaningful way.”
Romano and his father, Joe Romano, created Harvest Moon Development Co., named after a Neil Young album. The company combines a father’s background in renewable energy with a son’s desire to create something unique and special to Houston, the younger Romano said.
Harvest Moon worked with Rhode Partners, an Austin architecture firm, to make the building energy-efficient and sustainable.
Romano said he will aim to sell six of the condos before breaking ground.
The 14 spacious units are larger than typical condos and feel more like houses than apartments, said Mark Oberholzer, senior designer at Rhode Partners. Units range in size from 1,300 square feet to 2,600 feet.
“A two-bedroom unit is as big as a Montrose bungalow,” he said.
But the units are more efficient than your average home.
Mirabeau B. will be a “hard-core sustainable green building,” Romano said. The building will be environmentally-friendly from the ground up.
“The building is passively designed to be efficient,” he said “A big focus in green building, that I think a lot of people don’t realize, is how much you can save on your energy bills by just smart design.”
Among the examples:
At least 10 percent of recycled materials will be used in construction and at least half of the building’s construction waste will be recycled.
Materials such as brick, concrete and wood will be obtained from regional sources.
A photovoltaic canopy that will cover one of the walkways will provide rain cover while generating energy from solar panels.
A high-efficiency central cooling and heating system also saves energy.
A vegetated green roof will provide insulation and prevent water runoff to help prevent flooding.
Building green means more expensive units, with projected prices ranging from $400,000 to $600,000 and almost $1 million the one penthouse, but the energy saved in use over time will pay off, Romano said.
“You’ll pay for it up front but you’ll get it paid back over time and your cost of living will be much less than in your typical building,” he said.
The condos use half as much land as they could, leaving room for “dedicated outdoor space,” Oberholzer said.
The outdoor design incorporates native landscaping and irrigation from collected rainwater. The development also will not get in the way of the five oak trees on the property.
“(Romano) is building much less than he could on that site to make sure the trees are preserved,” Oberholzer said.
The building was designed for the hot, humid Houston climate with the concept of “dog trots,” outdoor walkways, to bring breeze into the building, Romano said.
Balconies will overlook a common courtyard in the middle of the “L” shaped block of units. The semi-private garden will “facilitate a neighborly way of living,” Oberholzer said
“You’re always looking down into that garden area,” he said. “You enter the units from the common gathering space. It becomes the focus where residents might hang out together.”
The Mirabeau B. Sales Center, designed by Metalab, was to open Tuesday Sept. 2, offering a model for the sustainability of the condos.
“The thinking involved is how we want people to see Mirabeau B.,” Romano said.
Constructed out of repurposed shipping containers, the sales center demonstrates the concept of “upcycling, having things that improve as their life goes on rather than get reduced as they get moved on,” Romano said.
Solar panels on the roof can fold shut at night or during bad weather, said Andrew Vrana from Metalab.
“We would like to further develop this as a solution,” he said. “People could have one of these made and put in their backyard and supplement their energy with solar power.”
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