Wednesday, June 27, 2007Volume 01; Issue 10 www.lamorindaweekly.com

Moraga Barn: On its Way to PlatinumBy Sophie Bracinni

Just like his father and grandfather be-fore him, Chris Avant could have be-

come a National Park Ranger. Instead,Chris became a builder who incorporateshis love of nature and beautiful crafts-manship into the structures he builds.Today, as the owner of Canyon Construc-tion, he and his team are putting the fin-ishing touches to their new officebuilding, the Moraga Barn. In doing so,they are bringing the historic landmark toa new level of construction sustainability.

Every third grader in Moraga willtell you that the Barn never harbored anycattle. The building standing at the cor-ner of Viader and Country Club Drivestarted its life as a hotel in 1914. In 1915it became “Moraga Mercantile,” whereone could buy hay, groceries or collecttheir mail. A bar was added in the 1930’sbut a State law prohibiting the use of theterm “bar” forced the owners to add theinfamous “n.” The Barn stayed in opera-tion as a bar until it closed in 1997 andthe building started to decay. WhenAvant went looking to buy an office forCanyon Construction, he contacted theowner, John Pentara, who agreed to sell itto him. In February of last year the re-model started, with the objective of con-serving the original look of the propertywhile creating a state of the art, sustain-able building.

The optimum in green building isachieved by Platinum LEED certifica-tion. LEED is a rating system developedby the US Green Building Council toevaluate a building’s level of sustainabil-ity. There are 5 levels of performancewith the majority of recipients being sim-

ply LEED certified or Bronze, hundredsbeing silver or gold certified, and onlyabout 30 reaching platinum. To begranted Platinum, all aspects of the con-struction are evaluated, from its location,the materials used, its energy efficiency,water usage and so on. Canyon is inno-vative in all these areas. The roof ismade of solar tiles. The 1 square footslates manufactured by Atlantis Energyincorporate photovoltaic circuits. The re-sult is both an efficient and beautifulroof. Three 5000 gallon cement tanks areburied in the courtyard and collect therain water that will irrigate the property.Buried around the tanks are three layersof geothermic piping that supports a radi-ant heat and cooling system for the build-ing. Walls and roofs are insulated to R30level (twice today’s norm) while a carbondioxide sensor allows fresh air to enterwhen needed. Natural ventilation andlighting has been optimized throughoutthe building. Bruckner Windows fromAustria offer the best possible insulationand UV protection while maximizingnatural lighting. All windows can beopened, including the top cupola, toallow natural night cooling. All lights areLED or fluorescent and programmed toturn on and off depending on movementand darkness.

It was hard for Canyon Construc-tion to conserve a lot of the original ma-terials since modern codes are moredemanding. Otherwise, all the materialused for construction was either salvagedor locally and sustainably produced. Forexample, the ground floor is made of sal-vaged Sierra white granite from SanFrancisco’s Union Square. All the fin-ishes and furniture required the same cre-ativity and focus. For Jeremy Fisher, ayoung project manager at Canyon, thishas been an incredible learning experi-ence, interacting with people from allover the world and collaborating withfirms like Rumsey Engineering, an Oak-land group that already had LEED plat-inum experience. Chris Avant concurs,“Having a building LEED certified canbe done at normal cost, but achievingplatinum certification costs about 30%more. The learning, experience and ex-posure gained from this project are wellworth it.”

Stay tuned for the inauguration,scheduled for late fall.

Jim Kirkworl Superintendet Canyon Construction

Wednesday, June 27, 2007Volume 01; Issue 10 www.lamorindaweekly.com

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Wednesday, June 27, 2007Volume 01; Issue 10 www.lamorindaweekly.com

PENDING IN 12 DAYS! Only 6 years old.2198sf. Model perfect, Great location, greatschools. Kitchen has granite counter tops,maple cabinets. Master bath with tub/sep.shower. 4 BD, 2.5 BA plus office area.

535 Gabriel Ct.Walnut Creek

Offered at $899,900

Over 3 ACRES among lush, majestic oak trees andMonterey pines on a private road. Panoramic viewsof Mt. Diablo. A Spanish “hacienda” with two cus-tom, view homes. Horse property potential andmore. Call Frith Wiggins for more information.

Offered at $3,000,000

Moraga Investment Opportunity. Great pricefor a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condominium. Groundfloor location with covered parking, swimmingpool, storage locker and comfortable deck. CallJim Colhoun for more information.

1973 Ascot Drive #BMoraga

Offered at $377,500

Mediterranean style craftsman home in thedesirable Glenview District. Over 2,500sf,3bd, 3ba, gorgeous hardwood floors, plushuge downstairs living area, 2car tandemgarage, Open Sun July 1st, 1-4pm.

1701 E. 38th StreetOakland (Glenview District)

Offered at $839,500

Lovely updated 3 bedroom 2 bath homeon .25 acres of land. Granite kitchen, dualpane windows, fireplace and large masterbedroom. See v-tourwww.prurealty.com/jamescollins.

1228 Conejo WayWalnut Creek

Offered at $749,000

Almost 2,500sf, 4bd, 2.5 baths in a FAN-TASTIC NEIGHBORHOOD. Dramatic entrywith curved staircase, oversized mastersuite with tub and shower, beautifullylandscaped front and rear yards.

31 Burnham CourtPleasant Hill

Offered at $865,000

Pending

1480 Shulgin RoadLafayette – Coming Soon