NEARLY COMPLETE: Work crews place solar panels on the roof of TERRA house, the sustainable-design demonstration home at 586 N. Main St. in Uptown. The two-story, 1,842-square-foot home was designed by students at the University of Memphis’ Center for Sustainable Design. -- PHOTO BY ERIC SMITH

Ten days remain before TERRA house, the sustainable-design demonstration home in Uptown, is unveiled at a ribbon cutting, so Eric Criswell is making sure all the final touches are in place before the public gets a glimpse of what will be the “greenest” residence in Tennessee.

Criswell’s company, DPC Construction LLC, built the two-story, 1,842-square-foot home that was designed by students at the University of Memphis’ Center for Sustainable Design.

The TERRA home sits on an old park site at 586 N. Main St., at the northeast corner of Main and Greenlaw Avenue. It was designed to meet U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines, with hopes of garnering the organization’s highest level, platinum. It would be the first home in the state to accomplish that.

For Criswell, whose company incorporates numerous sustainable design concepts even when not aiming for LEED certification, getting the platinum designation would be an important milestone.

“As a company, we said if can take it to the platinum, let’s do it,” Criswell said. “If we achieve that, we’ll feel like we really achieved something.”

Greener than green

LEED certification can be bronze, silver, gold or platinum, with each level awarded based on a point system. Points are awarded on the sustainable products or techniques used for every phase of the home, from development and site selection to design and construction to how the consumer will use the home. That could include programmable thermostats, Energy Star appliances and gray-water reclamation systems.

GOING FOR PLATINUM: Eric Criswell is principal with DPC Construction LLC, the company that built the TERRA sustainable-design house at 586 N. Main St. in Uptown. The home features a host of green materials and techniques in hopes of attaining the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification. -- PHOTO BY ERIC SMITH

TERRA house is green from A to Z.

First is site selection: TERRA’s Uptown address is a walkable location near public transportation and other amenities, reducing the need to drive everywhere; also, the home’s roof is angled so the sun will hit the solar panels.

Next is the use of sustainable materials: patio brick was reclaimed from a project in St. Louis; kitchen cabinets and floors are made of renewable bamboo; compact fluorescent lighting is used throughout the home; glass from recycled bottles is used in the concrete for the countertops and kitchen table; and the sheetrock is 99 percent post consumer recycled content.

As for energy consumption: insulating concrete form (ICF) walls make the building envelope more efficient; solar panels generate half of the home’s energy; a high-efficiency HVAC system and tankless hot water heater have been installed; and the bathrooms feature dual-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads.

Lastly, the home will feature green principles such as extensive shading on the property to cool the home, plus a gray-water reclamation system that takes drainage water from a sink or shower and sends it to a sump pump, which then feeds that water, now non-potable, back into the toilet tank.

Savings

The home is listed for $200,000 with Henry Turley Realtors. Criswell said prospective buyers should, when looking at the cost of the home, consider the savings they’ll see in their utility bills. Not only will the home have a smaller carbon footprint and be better for the earth, but because it is more efficient to operate, the water, electricity and gas charges will be much lower than a non-green home.

“You have to look at it over time or you’ll never come to the conclusion that it makes sense,” said Criswell, adding that the home also is being built to Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division’s EcoBUILD standards.

Criswell said DPC – whose other principals are Marshall Davis and Gerry Patrkios – was thrilled to build this sustainable home. The company already considers itself a green builder, incorporating five sustainable components for all its projects, regardless of whether or not it aims for LEED certification.

Criswell said DPC always builds with insulated concrete form (ICF) walls; low emissivity (Low-E) glass windows (which have a coating that blocks ultraviolet light); spray foam insulation; a tankless water heater; and a high-efficiency HVAC system.

DPC has put its green savvy to work on plenty of other projects, including the sustainable La Quinta Inns and Suites being built near Wolfchase Galleria and Justin Timberlake’s Big Creek Golf Course in Millington.

“We’ve entrenched ourselves into green building and green projects,” Criswell said.

Follow the leader

Jim Lutz is the former U of M architecture professor who oversaw the design process of the TERRA home. He now lives and works in Minnesota, although he has been following the final months of construction via streaming webcam. He said he can’t wait to fly back to Memphis for the ribbon cutting.

“It’s been a long time in the making, and it’s very exciting to see the project come to fruition,” Lutz said.

More than anything, Lutz has been overjoyed with how word of the TERRA house has spread, helping others learn more about sustainable building. He constantly hears from people who read an article about the home and drove through Uptown to check it out. He knows that is one of the best ways to share the benefits of green building – and he hopes the home compels others to follow suit.

“That was one of its original purposes, to sort of inspire people to think about building sustainably, and I think it’s been pretty successful in doing that,” Lutz said. “Once we have the ribbon cutting and more people find out about it and have the chance to go through it, I expect that to pick up even more.”