Paul "Paolo" Scardina

With such boring conformity in most building design, it was a relief to connect with Paul Scardina, “Paolo” of the Paolo Design Group.  An award-winning designer, Paolo is blessed with the ability to help us think out of the “box” within which we live both literally and figuratively. A little research into his designs and anyone is amazed at all the sustainability features one’s forgotten to consider in a new project. Hidden among all Paolo’s genius, however, is a particularly valuable skill.  He is one of those rare individuals who sees an old box of tiles stored in the basement and visualizes the kitchen pictured on the right or as part of the fireplace pictured on the left.

In fact, Paolo’s visualization ability is so highly developed that he recognizes salvaged and reclaimed materials (SRM) not only as potentially superior building products, but for the unique qualities they bring to the design in his residential and commercial building projects. Perhaps it is because Paolo values the underlying concepts of reclamation and salvage more than most, that he is able to create such beautiful work.

Natural stone tiles in kitchen

Of course, using salvaged and reclaimed materials can earn USGBC LEED credits. However, even in LEED-style design charrettes, their use is given about the same amount of focus as indoor air quality. In other words, not so much. Maybe this attitude is understandable if not sustainable.  Americans became infatuated with ‘new and improved’ long before Madison Avenue entered the picture and we were trained to accept planned obsolescence. In fact, finding or recognizing the usefulness of post-consumer building materials can be challenging and time-consuming even for the experienced.

Fireplace of salvaged/reclaimed granite, wood and tiles

There’s no shame in this, incidentally, but reclamation thinking does require a special brand of motivation, intense creativity and developed visualization skills. And, of course, lots and lots of practice. It is the equivalent of taking up a foreign language or a new art form. One has to become accustomed to the new grammar or materials and techniques. Or you can save yourself both guilt and expense and contact Paolo Design Group. (Just saying.)

It is not just homeowners who miss the salvage/reclamation train. Apartment owners can be just as oblivious to the opportunity to re-use and reclaim materials, particularly during a standard renovation.  If you depend on staff for this sort of thing, even your best property manager might not know how to evaluate (or value) these materials, particularly if there has been no investment in salvage and reclamation training.

For instance, broken 100-year-old oak floor boards may not seem valuable until  a matching unit has water damage on half the floor below. A skilled carpenter can re-work a board into the perfect size in minutes. Salvaging that wood is undoubtedly cheaper than new materials and the time charged for a trip to the lumber store and/or delivery.

Reclaimed glass tile

Every property manager recognizes real thrift can make a big difference in net operating expenses.  Salvage and reclamation are the epitomy of just this kind of thinking. Before a board or brick is removed or discarded, have a good discussion with your handyman or contractor.  If you make it clear that salvagable materials are to be separated from construction waste before the job starts, it is a very simple maneuver. It also makes sense to follow up in writing on any verbal request by outlining your intent is  ’deconstruction’ rather than demolition.

After following construction projects  over 18 years, I could not count the number of contractors who built beautiful homes with the help of extra materials, salvaged fixtures and reclaimed wood and other materials they legally (and ethically) removed from a construction site’s waste dumpster.

My own experience in this sort of economy was as a child. My father reclaimed enough 250-year-old bricks from our 17th century home’s kitchen hearth to build two complete fireplaces on either end. When he sold the remaining  ’antiqued’ bricks to a historic renovator, his profit paid the labor cost for the entire project. Granted, I was 12 and my efforts chipping off century-old grout were rewarded mostly with  praise, but I am pretty sure he had a few paid helpers.

That was decades ago, of course, when the market value of salvaged materials could be spotty and certainly not as highly regarded as it is by today’s greenies.  As an unrelated aside, there is an entire industry devoted to supplying these “period” items to the film and television industries, so if you know it has value but don’t know what to do with it, try Hollywood.

Reclaimed millwork rosettes

Apartment owners are not the only hold-outs on reclamation and salvage projects, however. Condominium and single-family owners can also be leery of an unexpected final result.  Through the experienced guidance of a green designer, architect or builder, these salvaged and reclaimed materials can substantially improve the architectural appeal of a residence and give it a valued original feature and design. Beyond the financial benefit to the owner, there is a substantial savings on materials, energy, distribution costs and the resources that would be required in the production of new materials. And of course when you reuse materials, they are removed from the waste cycle.

When it comes to salvaged and reclaimed materials, Paolo doesn’t see barriers. He is all about possibilities.  In fact, a residential gut rehab he recently designed of this 1957 daylight basement home in Portland, Oregon earned the USGBC’s LEED for Homes Platinum Certification. When the award became official in May of 2009, it  was the first project of its kind in Oregon – and one of only a few in the entire  United States. The project also earned two awards this year when the Home Builder’s Association (HBA) of Metropolitan Portland held their annual Excellence Award Ceremony on May 22, 2010. They called out designer Paolo’s name twice for his design excellence.  He was the top winner in the design category and won these two awards:

• Excellence 2009 Award for the category of a Residential Bath Design
• Excellence 2009 Award for the category of a Residential Whole House Design

The features Paolo designed brought this 2,744 square foot mid-century home into the present, but also utilized the best and newest green building practices from the ground up. Among the many highlights of this project, it is impossible not to be impressed with Paolo’s use of reclaimed and salvaged materials. An amazing 99% of the remodel waste generated during the gut rehab was recycled, reclaimed or reused. I don’t believe there is another designer who could compete with this sort of commitment and the results.

Same footprint, new landscaping

The landscaping was designed through a collaborative relationship between the homeowner and DeSantis Landscapes.  Together, they brought new life to the exterior using drought resistant and native plantings and incorporating a rainwater harvest chain to enhance the entry. Upon entering the home, large open spaces greet the visitor. A beautiful fireplace wall made from reclaimed tiles is a magnificent focal point and the refurbished wood floors and natural light are warm and welcoming.  The design of the home brings the outside in and the inside out through plentiful use of natural light and ventilation and an expanded deck off the dining area. This ‘great room’  takes advantage of the backyard view of a newly created bioswale rain garden and the riparian enhancement of Ash Creek.

It is now difficult to imagine that the home was a choppy, ranch style 3 bedroom, 2 bath with a daylight basement. Paolo solved most of the functional obsolescence by simply relocating the staircase from the house center to the Southern daylight side. This removed the dingy feeling from the lower level as the staircase provided a passive solar heat well, distributed natural light throughout both levels and expanded the views to the outside. The home has been transformed into a five bedroom, 3 bath dwelling, all within the same footprint. The newer features of a main-level master suite and reclaimed and reconditioned storage areas allowed space for a laundry/mechanical room that houses the energy efficient heating, cooling, ventilation and hot water systems.

So how energy efficient is the design? The home rehab reduced energy consumption by as much as 75%.  For those of you obsessed with details, here are some of the home’s features and sustainably beautiful amenities:

• Photovoltaic solar panels, geothermal heating & cooling,
• Hardwood & cork floors,
• All sustainable, recycled and reused materials
• Water and energy efficient
• Water efficient irrigation
• A semi-permeable paver driveway
• Original oak refinished floors
• Energy Star appliances and quartz countertops
• Ground source heat pump and heat recovery ventilator
• Non-toxic and FSC certified materials

When it comes to sustainable retrofitting, green building and utterly beautiful design, Paul “Paolo” Scardina  is an inspiration. To experience the Paolo vision or discuss a design for your residential or commercial project, contact him at 503-222-1757 or visit www.PaoloDesignGroup.com.

Other Articles of Interest:

• Dreading Summer? Install a Solar Attic Fan.
• Endangered Species: California Wine & Dark Roofs
• The Latest Greatest Ductless Heat Pump