Hamel Green Construction
Hamel Green Construction is an enterprise which joins Hamel Builders, Inc. and Baltimore Green Construction. As one of the first comprehensive green building services providers, Baltimore Green Construction led the sustainable construction industry in the Baltimore Washington Metropolitan Area, both in volume and in level of expertise. Hamel Green Construction is now able to offer a range of services to our clients, including green technique consulting and review, training of field personnel, quality control during construction, performance testing, and administration of compliance documentation.
At Hamel Green Construction, we have the expertise to deliver high performing buildings based on proven sustainable design and cost effective construction strategies. In addition to general contracting, Hamel Green Construction provides design-build services, sustainable construction consulting, energy modeling and auditing, life cycle cost analysis, Manual J and Manual D calculations, blower door testing, blower directed air sealing, Passive House consulting, and performance based contracting with building techniques which far exceed current industry standards.
During construction, we focus on providing airtight, well-insulated buildings, with efficient and appropriately sized mechanical systems, water conserving fixtures and strategies, and environmentally friendly finish materials. As expectations continue to rise, we continue to be on the leading edge of the technologies, costs, incentives, and rating systems to ensure that our clients achieve or exceed green building standards.
Our sustainable consulting services and general contracting capabilities are available for a wide array of nationally and locally recognized programs and rating systems, including but not limited to:
- Enterprise Green Communities
- LEED for New Construction
- LEED for Homes
- LEED for Existing Buildings, Operations + Maintenance
- Earthcraft
- Passive House
- Net Zero
- HUD Green Retrofit Program
- Baltimore City Green Building Standards
- Montgomery County Green Building Standards
- Arlington County Green Building Standards
- Living Building Standards
Hamel Green Construction is proud to work with Baltimore Gas & Electric’s (BGE’s) Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program and the Maryland Energy Administration’s (MEA) Maryland Home Performance Program in the Mid-Atlantic region to deliver whole-house energy savings to improve comfort and help protect the environment.
To date, Hamel has completed four projects for Owners seeking LEED certification. Hamel prefers to be an active team player in the process of creating a sustainable project. This includes participating in green design charrettes, and giving direct cost and constructability feedback during the design process.
- Miller’s Court, an adaptive reuse renovation project featuring both residential and commercial use in Baltimore, MD, offers affordable rental apartments for Baltimore City teachers and office space to nonprofit agencies doing business with the city school system.
- Mayfair Mansions Community Center, located in Washington, D.C., is a newly built community center serving the surrounding 400 residential apartment complex, also renovated by Hamel Builders, Inc.
- CASA de Maryland Multi-Cultural Center, is a historic renovation project dedicated to serving the diverse neighborhood of Langley Park, MD.
- The Light House Homeless Prevention Resource Center, the first LEED certified center of this nature in Annapolis, Maryland. Installation of a ground source geothermal heating and cooling system is a part of our scope of work for both projects also seeking LEED certification.
In August 2008, Hamel completed the Levis Hill House Apartment project located in Loudoun County, Virginia, which was built in compliance with the technical guidelines of the EarthCraft House program, a green building program for the Southeastern region of the United States. In addition to being certified under the EarthCraft House program, this project was also designated as the first green apartment project in Loudoun County and received recognition from the National Council of Affordable and Rural Housing, as well as a Regional Energy Star Award for Excellence in Energy-Efficient Affordable Housing granted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Galen Terrace, a project Hamel Builders completed in June, 2007, was once a Section 8 apartment project located in Southeast Washington, D.C. consisting of 83 apartment units. This renovation project, whose tenant association owns 15% of the building and receives 15% of net revenues from rents, was the first green building in the region completed with the help of Enterprise Community Partners which provided loans and grants to help construct this environmentally friendly affordable-housing project.
Takoma Village Cohousing, a new construction project located in Northwest Washington, D.C., included the installation of a ground source geothermal heating and cooling system. This project was completed in January, 2001 in compliance with the Energy Star Homes Program of 2001. This project received the Vision 2002 Award for its innovation and energy savings and was chosen as one of the first eleven projects nationally to earn status as a Demonstration Site by the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing, a program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Principal Architect on the project, Don Tucker of EDG Architects, presented his “Residential Case Study: Takoma Village Cohousing” at the first annual Maryland Green Building Conference in September, 2002. The Department of Energy included this project in its DOE High Performance Buildings Database, which includes case studies on a national website highlighting green and efficient building measures incorporated in projects. Sandra Leibowitz utilized this project in her presentation entitled, “The Costs of Building Green: Takoma Village, A Residential Case Study” at the Virginia AIA’s Build Virginia Conference in Richmond, Virginia in November, 2000.
Key factors in the success of a sustainable project include an integrated and experienced design team, as well as a thorough understanding of building science. Hamel Green Construction provides not only design consultation services, but also new construction, major rehabilitation, and retrofit services.
Our approach to sustainable construction is to analyze each building using an energy model. In the case of existing buildings, both an energy audit and an energy model are required. With an energy model, we are able to apply the whole building approach, taking into account the project’s climate zone, orientation, envelope, mechanical system, lighting density, exterior shading devices, landscaping, and water use.
In early project design, our focus is first directed at increasing the integrity of the building envelope. Air leakage and thermal bridging can be reduced through the use of advanced framing details and insulating techniques; mechanical systems are then reduced based on decreased demand for space heating and cooling in airtight buildings.
Water use is an important focus in sustainable construction as well, and can be achieved through use of efficient fixtures and appliances. More progressive water use strategies include composting toilets, waterless urinals, and graywater reuse systems.
Hamel aims to divert 75% of all waste generated during construction from landfills on all its projects. We have achieved diversion rates of over 90% on several projects since enacting this policy. Furthermore, we purchase regional materials, as well as materials consisting of recycled content, if cost-effective and available.
