PROJECT
hvac
Tankless Water Heating Leads To LEED Platinum Rooftop installation, with 64 solar-thermal collectors and 18 tankless units, meets domestic hot-water needs. Photography: Peter Barreras, AP Photo Top left. The 182-unit Avalon Hayes Valley apartment complex in San Francisco is a podium-style structure with five levels of residential living in two towers, situated over a single-level parking garage. Top right. Domestic hot water for each apartment building comes courtesy of an 18-tankless-water-heater installation located on the roof, capitalizing on San Francisco’s year-round mild climate. Because of the units’ light weight, installation crews were able to transport them to the roof using a service elevator.
W
hen the 182-unit Avalon Hayes Valley apartment
in each tower, situated over a single-level parking garage.
complex in San Francisco was awarded LEED
“Building in San Francisco is kind of experimental, so you
Platinum Certification in the Multifamily Mid-
must always be on your game,” said senior project manager Bryan
rise category, it was only the most recent expression of the ongo-
Moore, LEED AP, who served on the Avalon Hayes Valley Asset
ing commitment of AvalonBay Communities to environmental
Team with senior development director Joe Kirchofer and proper-
sustainability and corporate responsibility in its properties. The
ty manager Alyssa Perry. “Of course, that challenge also puts Ava-
latter now number 282 developments, containing nearly 83,000
lonBay on the cutting edge when it comes to green building.”
apartment homes in 11 states and the District of Columbia, with another 27 communities under development.
AvalonBay recently announced a new “Building Certified” construction standard, requiring all of its new high-rise and mid-
“This is a highly intentional culture,” explained Mark Delisi,
rise construction projects to achieve third-party certification of
senior director of corporate responsibility. “We act like owners,
environmental and energy efficiency from external rating pro-
and as such, we must consider the life-cycle impact of our deci-
grams such as LEED or Energy Star.
sions. When deciding whether to do something, we will evaluate
A major contributor to the impressive LEED scores at Avalon
the opportunity based on its contribution to the future health of a
Hayes Valley is the buildings’ use of a solar-thermal-supported,
property: Is it the right thing long term? As property owners and
tankless water-heating system, manufactured by Noritz America,
managers, that’s a priority for us.”
Fountain Valley, CA, for all domestic hot-water needs.
ACHIEVING PLATINUM
preciates the energy savings of on-demand water heating, as op-
Earning LEED Platinum designation for the East and West build-
posed to constantly reheating and storing hot water in large tanks
ings at Avalon Hayes Valley was no small achievement. The proj-
in anticipation of its use. A dramatically smaller footprint also
ect is a podium-style structure with five levels of residential living
comes with eliminating the storage function. But while these attri-
Like most proponents of tankless, AvalonBay management ap-
40
COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE
OCTOBER 2017
commercialarchitecturemagazine.com
