2008 Monterey Bay Idea House
Green features include stormwater retention
The
Sunset
Monterey Bay Idea House is the twentieth in a line of exceptional custom homes
presented by Sunset
magazine to showcase product innovation, architectural, landscaping, and
decorating ideas. Since 1998, Sunset
Idea Houses have brought visitors a multitude of ecofriendly features in
response to the need for energy efficiency, advanced product function, and
environmental sustainability.
Located
in the exclusive residential community of Monterra in the California foothills
overlooking the ocean, the 2008 house was purposely designed to meet Monterey
County green building specifications and Sunset’s
expectations for its Idea Houses.
“The
county encourages green construction by expediting permits and offering other
incentives,” explains Tom Messenger of Messenger Construction Management Inc.,
who served as project manager. “The Sunset
Monterey Bay Idea House needed to be at least 70% green through the use of
environmentally innovative features such as the ability to reclaim water, which
fit perfectly with Triton.”
Triton
Stormwater Solutions was selected as the water solution provider for its system,
which “has the highest storage volume of any of the chamber systems combined
with the highest traffic-load rating,” explains Bill Wilson, an environmental
consultant with Carlile Macy, who assisted on the project. “Triton enables you
to put a large amount of storage in a smaller area with less cover, and that
makes it really competitive economically.”
California,
and especially the Monterey Peninsula, has always had issues with a lack of
water, and there have been recent concerns that volunteer water rationing might
become mandatory. In addition, California regulation states that the footprint
of a building dictates the number of bathrooms allowed in a house based on water
availability. Harvesting rainwater offers homeowners the ability to have an
unlimited number of bathrooms.
Composed
of three connected “farm buildings” and courtyards enclosed with native stone
walls, the house presented tight site access and made it difficult to store
water in that limited footprint. The need for more water in less space was the
driving issue when selecting a stormwater solution.
The
allotted space for water collection also needed to be put under the motor court.
“Whenever you have a structural component with a traffic area over it, the
product needs to be rated very high,” explains Messenger. “In California, a
residential area has to be rated for a fire truck, so the design has to be very
structurally strong.”
 |
When the chambers are covered and the soil compacted, the system can support
residential traffic. |
 |
Geofabric liner helps protect the chambers during the backfill process. |
In
addition, the system is designed for service and maintenance with the use of
bottom pieces and sumps along with chambers and end pieces for easy access. Made
of soy resin, the Triton products provide greater Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) credits than any other chamber or crate box-type
systems that are available on the market today.
A
Triton detention system was installed that allowed for the harvesting of rain
and stormwater to be reused as a gray water source for toilet flushing, car
washing, and irrigation purposes. The 49-foot-long by 34-foot-wide excavation
contains 65 chambers that hold 20,000 gallons—enough to water the entire
half-acre landscape area for one year.
First,
the hole was dug and then a base layer of rock was installed and compacted
according to the soil engineer’s requirements. Next, the bottom and walls of the
trench were lined with a class 2 nonwoven geofabric. Once this was done, a
custom-made liner was installed, followed by another layer of class 2 nonwoven
geofabric to help provide protection from rocks puncturing the liner during the
backfill process.
The
chambers, manifold, and standpipe connection were then installed, and the
backfill process of the embedment stone began. Once this backfill process
achieved a consistent cover of 6 inches of stone above the chamber crowns, the
geofabric was folded over the embedment stone and the finish grade fill was
installed. Two dump truck loads of fill stone were dumped onto the chamber bed
and leveled with a backhoe, maintaining 8 inches of cover between the wheels and
the top of the embedment stone. The finished stone was then compacted per the
specification and was ready to accept up to H and HS30 traffic
loading.
The
Triton chambers weigh only 32 pounds apiece, enabling workers to carry two or
three at a time. The chambers were placed in just under 40 minutes. The total
installation, including digging the excavation site, placing the chambers, and
covering with soil, took two days, although much of that time was needed to
ensure the stability of the soil, while following stringent California
requirements as a result of the large number of earthquakes in that
region.
A
testament to the strength of the Triton system is that wheeled vehicles weighing
over 31,000 pounds were able to drive over the chambers and dump their loads of
stone with a cover of just 8 inches, unlike the 24-inch cover required by some
other systems.
“We have never installed a system like
this,” says Messenger. “The design was fascinating. Most systems are made out of
concrete or are a big underground water tank. The Triton chambers and the way
they work with a liner and manifold system—I was amazed at the simplicity of it,
but at the same time how efficient it is. I’ve worked with all kinds of cistern
systems, but I’ve never seen a system quite like this. It’s a great
product.”
Wilson
agrees, saying “It’s a one-of-a-kind thing out there right now, very unique and
very versatile.”
Advertisement
They
both agree that the customer service that Triton provides is top-notch. “Triton
has been outstanding in their support for me on the whole range of things that I
have presented them with,” says Wilson. Messenger stresses that Triton was very
professional and always got the product there on time, even shipping some items
overnight. “They performed above and beyond
expectation.”
The
Sunset
Monterey Bay Idea House will be open to the public early fall and featured in
Sunset
magazine’s October issue.
September 2008
2008 Monterey Bay Idea House
Green features include stormwater retention
Construction on the Monterey Peninsula house
The
Sunset
Monterey Bay Idea House is the twentieth in a line of exceptional custom homes
presented by Sunset
magazine to showcase product innovation, architectural, landscaping, and
decorating ideas. Since 1998, Sunset
Idea Houses have brought visitors a multitude of ecofriendly features in
response to the need for energy efficiency, advanced product function, and
environmental sustainability.
Located
in the exclusive residential community of Monterra in the California foothills
overlooking the ocean, the 2008 house was purposely designed to meet Monterey
County green building specifications and Sunset’s
expectations for its Idea Houses.
“The
county encourages green construction by expediting permits and offering other
incentives,” explains Tom Messenger of Messenger Construction Management Inc.,
who served as project manager. “The Sunset
Monterey Bay Idea House needed to be at least 70% green through the use of
environmentally innovative features such as the ability to reclaim water, which
fit perfectly with Triton.”
Triton
Stormwater Solutions was selected as the water solution provider for its system,
which “has the highest storage volume of any of the chamber systems combined
with the highest traffic-load rating,” explains Bill Wilson, an environmental
consultant with Carlile Macy, who assisted on the project. “Triton enables you
to put a large amount of storage in a smaller area with less cover, and that
makes it really competitive economically.”
California,
and especially the Monterey Peninsula, has always had issues with a lack of
water, and there have been recent concerns that volunteer water rationing might
become mandatory. In addition, California regulation states that the footprint
of a building dictates the number of bathrooms allowed in a house based on water
availability. Harvesting rainwater offers homeowners the ability to have an
unlimited number of bathrooms.
Composed
of three connected “farm buildings” and courtyards enclosed with native stone
walls, the house presented tight site access and made it difficult to store
water in that limited footprint. The need for more water in less space was the
driving issue when selecting a stormwater solution.
The
allotted space for water collection also needed to be put under the motor court.
“Whenever you have a structural component with a traffic area over it, the
product needs to be rated very high,” explains Messenger. “In California, a
residential area has to be rated for a fire truck, so the design has to be very
structurally strong.”
|
When the chambers are covered and the soil compacted, the system can support
residential traffic. |
|
Geofabric liner helps protect the chambers during the backfill process. |
In
addition, the system is designed for service and maintenance with the use of
bottom pieces and sumps along with chambers and end pieces for easy access. Made
of soy resin, the Triton products provide greater Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) credits than any other chamber or crate box-type
systems that are available on the market today.
A
Triton detention system was installed that allowed for the harvesting of rain
and stormwater to be reused as a gray water source for toilet flushing, car
washing, and irrigation purposes. The 49-foot-long by 34-foot-wide excavation
contains 65 chambers that hold 20,000 gallons—enough to water the entire
half-acre landscape area for one year.
First,
the hole was dug and then a base layer of rock was installed and compacted
according to the soil engineer’s requirements. Next, the bottom and walls of the
trench were lined with a class 2 nonwoven geofabric. Once this was done, a
custom-made liner was installed, followed by another layer of class 2 nonwoven
geofabric to help provide protection from rocks puncturing the liner during the
backfill process.
The
chambers, manifold, and standpipe connection were then installed, and the
backfill process of the embedment stone began. Once this backfill process
achieved a consistent cover of 6 inches of stone above the chamber crowns, the
geofabric was folded over the embedment stone and the finish grade fill was
installed. Two dump truck loads of fill stone were dumped onto the chamber bed
and leveled with a backhoe, maintaining 8 inches of cover between the wheels and
the top of the embedment stone. The finished stone was then compacted per the
specification and was ready to accept up to H and HS30 traffic
loading.
The
Triton chambers weigh only 32 pounds apiece, enabling workers to carry two or
three at a time. The chambers were placed in just under 40 minutes. The total
installation, including digging the excavation site, placing the chambers, and
covering with soil, took two days, although much of that time was needed to
ensure the stability of the soil, while following stringent California
requirements as a result of the large number of earthquakes in that
region.
A
testament to the strength of the Triton system is that wheeled vehicles weighing
over 31,000 pounds were able to drive over the chambers and dump their loads of
stone with a cover of just 8 inches, unlike the 24-inch cover required by some
other systems.
“We have never installed a system like
this,” says Messenger. “The design was fascinating. Most systems are made out of
concrete or are a big underground water tank. The Triton chambers and the way
they work with a liner and manifold system—I was amazed at the simplicity of it,
but at the same time how efficient it is. I’ve worked with all kinds of cistern
systems, but I’ve never seen a system quite like this. It’s a great
product.”
Wilson
agrees, saying “It’s a one-of-a-kind thing out there right now, very unique and
very versatile.”
They
both agree that the customer service that Triton provides is top-notch. “Triton
has been outstanding in their support for me on the whole range of things that I
have presented them with,” says Wilson. Messenger stresses that Triton was very
professional and always got the product there on time, even shipping some items
overnight. “They performed above and beyond
expectation.”
The
Sunset
Monterey Bay Idea House will be open to the public early fall and featured in
Sunset
magazine’s October issue.