Plus, each unit is quieter, since sounds don't travel from apartment to apartment via the ducts, and the sealant helps deter insects and rodents. The money that Benedict saved by nixing chimneys and roof fans was plowed into materials like thermal windows and cellulose insulation. But the biggest expense was the cost of completely sealing each unit. Labor is where greenbacks threaten to do in Benedict's green vision. To guarantee the units would be adequately sealed, Benedict decided to change the typical working arrangement for low-income projects.
Home construction leaves a lot of leeway for contractors, such as the specs for boilers.
There is hardly any feedback between them. With Gifford, Benedict was already working much more closely with a mechanical engineer than most architects do, and she thought it only made sense that the two of them would work closely with the construction crew as well. She was on top of the job from start to finish, and that raised our costs a lot. But Frezza maintains he will raise his bid in the future. These are 'lost cost' projects and the savings need to come from somewhere.