Daniel J. “Dan” Paquette – the chairman of the Rhode Island Builders Association’s Green Building Committee, the vice president of planning and development at DPS Development Co. LLC, and the founder and president of Green-Works LLC and DJP Consulting – has been recognized for his historic preservation work in Newport, where he was active in the restoration of the 18th-century Trinity Church and Brick Market Building. He was one of the first people in the state to earn the Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Home Builders’ new “green” professional certification. (READ MORE) Paquette took a few minutes this week to speak with Providence Business News about the state of green building in Rhode Island.
PBN: How and why did you get involved with green building?
Your Business Has Gone Global. Has Your Insurance?
A decade ago, “doing business internationally” was mostly a large-company concern. Today, a manufacturer in…
Learn More
PAQUETTE: Though it was not called “green” at the time, during the mid-1970s into the early 1980s I was involved as a young designer, builder and developer with many cutting edge energy-efficient and sustainable-building projects in Southeastern New England.
We did the first underground house, many super-insulated structures and virtually every variation of passive and active solar building. That knowledge base has been used in all of the design, building and development activities that I have been involved with since. I am currently involved in large, environmentally sensitive real estate development projects internationally. This background and building knowledge has been used extensively in all of these projects.
PBN: What green projects are you working on now?
PAQUETTE: As director of development for DPS Development Company, I have recently conceived of and am finalizing the planning and architectural designs for a 56-lot “Green” neighborhood at our Greenbrier Project in West Virginia. As a consultant I have been working with New England Institute of Technology on their campus-wide and curriculum-wide green initiative. I am consulting on a green home project in Smithfield. I am also consulting with a large custom homebuilder on launching a green building initiative in New England.
PBN: Have you seen third-party certifications change since you’ve started working in the field? And do you think those certifications will continue to evolve, in Rhode Island and elsewhere?
PAQUETTE: The concept of truly defining what a green residential building is, and having it certified by an independent third party, is relatively new. Both the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes program and the National Association of Homebuilders’ Model Green Home Building Guidelines and Standards were officially launched in the first quarter of 2008.
The [U.S.] Department of Energy’s Energy Star program for residential construction has been in existence for many years, but deals solely with the energy-efficiency rating of the building.
The other two programs provide a scoring system – Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum – that involves a comprehensive analysis of all of the building components and environmental impacts.
I believe the two major programs in place will be permanent in Rhode Island and that the NAHB certification process will become the dominant player in the residential market because of its cost and ease of implementation. LEED programs have a strong foothold in the commercial and industrial markets and are currently being used on several large projects in Rhode Island.
PBN: As far as construction costs, how does green building compare with similar-sized projects?
PAQUETTE: Each of the two programs that I mentioned above has various levels of approval that allow structures to be certified as a “Green” building. At the lower levels of certification – Bronze or Silver – the additional construction costs could be between 1 percent and 3 percent.
As a client looks to achieve a higher level of approval those additional costs will rise. I judged a green affordable-housing competition, sponsored by Mayor [David N.] Cicilline and the City of Providence, recently. (READ MORE) And the incremental costs to have these homes certified as green represented between 2 percent and 4 percent of additional construction costs. These additional costs would have been offset by the energy savings, durability and low maintenance designed into these structures.
At a recent presentation by Rhode Island College, at a USGBC meeting, a new dormitory that was constructed and certified LEED had less than a 2-percent cost impact.
PBN: Are Rhode Island builders picking up green building on par with national green-building trends? How fast is it growing locally – do you expect to see more green projects being started this year than in past years?
PAQUETTE: There are pockets of green building throughout the country that have a long history of green residential and commercial building – namely the Pacific Northwest, parts of Colorado, Northern California and New Mexico.
Rhode Island, along with many eastern seaboard states, is now coming aggressively toward the awareness and need for green building.
The Rhode Island Builders Association recently hosted a seminar on green building standards that I did a presentation for. (READ MORE) There were over 75 participants – builders, remodelers, developers and suppliers. A year ago, we would not have seen that number.
The USGBC is having very positive turnout for their organizational meetings, as they attempt to become a local chapter.
I know of several green development projects that are on the drawing boards or about ready to get under way. I am also aware of several architects and builders in the planning process for green homes and commercial structures in Rhode Island.
DPS Development Co. LLC, based in New York City, focuses on the development of private luxury communities in locations with historical or environmental significance. Its properties – in resort destinations around the world – feature outdoor activities for all ages. For more information, visit www.DPSdevelopment.com.
The Rhode Island Builders Association, with more than 1,400 member companies across the state, is one of the nation’s largest local trade associations serving the residential construction industry. For home improvement tips and other information, go to www.RIbuilders.org.
