Commercial Architecture October 2017 - 40

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.

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-

COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE

OCTOBER 2017

commercialarchitecturemagazine.com

http://www.commercialarchitecturemagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Architecture October 2017