Natale Builders receives 2014 NAHB 'Project of the Year Award for Green Site Development'

35 homes in Rivera Greens community start with Superior Walls foundations

The National Association of Home Builders recently presented its prestigious "Project of the Year Award for Green Site Development - Single-family Detached" to Natale Builders for the company's construction of the ultra-efficient, environmentally friendly Rivera Greens subdivision. Located in Clarence, the 35 sustainable green homes in the community were all built to meet certification requirements for the National Green Building Standard.

"It's an honor to receive this NAHB Green Award for the first green development created in New York state," said Larry LaDuca, general manager of Natale Builders in Clarence. "We constructed each home in the Rivera Greens development from the ground up with green building practices and products.

"One of the products we rely on consistently in each house to launch the green initiative is the Xi precast concrete foundation from Superior Walls. These dry, energy-efficient wall panels help ward off heat loss and make the basement a more comfortable area for extended living and storage space in the home throughout the year."

Superior Walls Xi wall panels used by Natale Builders feature steel reinforced concrete and 2-1/2-inches of DOW Styrofoam insulation to create a barrier against sidewall water penetration. The panels are custom designed and constructed in the factory-controlled setting at Superior Walls of Upstate New York in Lima.

Rivera Greens received a four-star certification to the 2008 ICC 700 NGBS. In addition to the development being certified, every home built in the community is certified to the silver level of NGBS at a minimum. Several homes are rated gold and emerald levels.

"There was a 150-year-old barn on the property originally that we had deconstructed on site by local Amish workers," LaDuca said. "The wood was reused to make a gazebo and benches for our residents."

The development includes a natural pond and well water used for irrigation through a pump system powered by a 3.7 Skystream windmill. The windmill also powers the streetlights - which incorporate 100-year-old solid cast iron poles that were from the city's depot garage.

"We're very proud that 95 percent of the homes in this development use an alternative energy source such as geothermal or solar," LaDuca said. "Every home at Rivera Greens consists of near-energy-neutral homes and exceed ENERGY STAR 3.0 qualifications."

According to NAHB, The Green Project Awards category highlights those projects showcasing outstanding application of green technologies to a variety of project types. All projects are scored to the ICC 700 National Green Building Standard to establish the relative sustainability of each, and then judged on other merits such as green innovation and design.

For more details, visit http://www.nahb.org/news_details.aspx?newsID=16646&print=true.

For more information, visit www.natalebuilders.com, www.riveragreen.com,www.superiorwallsnypa.com and www.superiorwalls.com.