Covington Continuing Care Retirement Community
Situation:
As the baby boom generation ages and people are living longer, there is a growing need to provide living facilities to retirement- age seniors and those requiring additional care. California is home to the largest number of persons aged 65 or older, with the greatest number of seniors residing in temperate climates such as Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange Counties. Based on the expectation of the elder population nearly doubling between 2000 and 2020, there has been a growing need for building additional retirement communities.
The Covington, a nonprofit progressive retirement community, was planned for development in Aliso Viejo, Orange County, Calif. The facility is a continuing care retirement community (CRCC), one of about 75 in the state that offer three levels of care: independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing care. The tiered system allows residents the ability to advance to higher levels of care if their needs change without completely changing their environment.
The Los Angeles office of The Steinberg Group, an architecture firm affiliated with the California Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (CAHSA) with a focus on sustainability and social consciousness, was hired to design the facility and specify materials.
"A lot of what we do is about sustainability and indoor air quality," said David Mitani, AIA, principal and design architect for The Steinberg Group. "We have considerable experience working with the senior community and are familiar with their potential sensitivities."
According to the American Lung Association, most Americans spend an average of 90 percent of their time indoors. Seniors, especially those with limited mobility, spend even more time indoors, often in environments more polluted than outdoor air. Seniors may also have compromised immune systems and greater sensitivity to pollutants and toxins.
Solution:
Plans for The Covington called for using sustainable building products containing few or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
"We used low-VOC paint and carpets – anything that would contribute to overall indoor air quality," said Mitani.
Burbank, Calif.-based Viking Insulation was the insulation subcontractor chosen for the project. "We've been a Johns Manville customer for 30 years, and we knew their formaldehyde-free fiber glass line of insulation would be perfect for this job," said Casey Kranz, president of Viking Insulation.
Instead of using formaldehyde as a binder for the fiber glass, the manufacturer uses a nontoxic acrylic binder. The result is an insulation product that reduces concerns about indoor air quality, while also offering the acoustical and thermal benefits residents and building professionals expect from Johns Manville. Additionally, because the insulation does not contain formaldehyde-based binders, Johns Manville uses pollution prevention to reduce hazardous formaldehyde emissions during manufacturing by more than 100 tons each year.
Results:
Viking Insulation installed about 1 million square feet of JM Formaldehyde-free™ fiber glass FSK and unfaced insulation in The Covington's cottages, residential living, assisted living, skilled nursing facilities and common areas.
"JM has always been a good product for us and has allowed us to offer the added value of formaldehyde-free," said Kranz.
Added Mitani, "When given a choice to specify materials, especially for a project in which indoor air quality is important, I don't think it makes sense to choose a product containing formaldehyde."
