Florida's Seabourn Cove Hoping to Become Largest Gold NGBS-Certified Multifamily Project

Boynton Beach, FL - Today Home Innovation Research Labs President & CEO Michael Luzier presented a gold-level green certification to the builder of Boynton Beach’s Seabourn Cove, a gated community of 456 high-end rental homes. The certification was for the community’s first building certified to the National Green Building Standard ICC 700-2008 (NGBS), but builder FM Contract Services, LLC, hopes this is just the first of many. The company will seek gold NGBS certification for all residential buildings in the community. If all goes as planned, Seabourn Cove will be by far the largest gold-level multifamily community certified by Home Innovation Research Labs.

The ceremony where the NGBS certification was presented was also Seabourn Cove’s ribbon cutting. Luzier and builder and community executives were also joined by Boynton Beach Mayor Woodrow Hay and members of the city commission.

FM Contract Services is confident in its ability to achieve gold certification for all Seabourn Cove residences based on the strategic mix of sustainable design, materials, and construction techniques used throughout the community. This combination will not only garner national certification and praise, but should also result in a healthier, more cost-effective home in a more sustainable environment for its residents. Some of the benefits the community touts include:

• Slashed Energy Bills: An estimated 30-40 percent reduction in individual, residential energy bills.
   
• Lower Water Bills: An estimated 25 percent reduction in individual, residential water bills.
   
• Car Charging Stations: 110/220-volt, dedicated wiring for high-speed electric-vehicle charging stations in each garage of the community’s 300 townhomes. Two central charging stations will serve the remaining 156 residences without garages.
   
• Significantly Reduced Stormwater Runoff: A sophisticated stormwater retention system winds beneath more than a half-mile of the community’s streets. The system collects and filters stormwater on site before returning it to the fresh water supply beneath the property, eliminating runoff into the nearby Intracoastal Waterway.
   
• Eco-Art Walk: More than a quarter-mile-long eco-art promenade along the community’s western boundary will link to the city’s planned Blueway/ Greenway pedestrian trail.

This 23-acre green community was created by FM Contract Services’ developers Charles Funk, Jeff Meehan, and Rick Lococo in cooperation with the City of Boynton Beach as part of its drive to become the epicenter of sustainable living in Florida. For more details, call Seabourn Cove’s leasing office toll-free at (855) 812-2683 or (561) 752-0009. Or visit SeabournCove.com.

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ABOUT: Home Innovation Research Labs, located in Upper Marlboro, Md., is a full-service research, testing, and consulting firm determined to improve the quality, durability, affordability, and environmental performance of single- and multifamily homes and home building products – in short, we aim to perfect the home. Founded in 1964 as a subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), our team has been integral in solving many of our client’s most difficult product and technology issues, and helping to introduce some of the most groundbreaking innovations in construction. Through an interdisciplinary research approach – including market research, building science analysis, laboratory testing, and standards development – we help to find a home for innovation in the construction industry.

NOTE TO EDITORS ON STYLE USAGE: To identify this company and its work correctly, first reference should be "Home Innovation Research Labs." In subsequent mentions, “Home Innovation” should be used; we are not identified by an acronym. Prior to February 12, 2013, the company was known as the NAHB Research Center.