Kevin Verdi, managing director of investments for National Real Estate Advisors, said his firm looks at sustainability holistically throughout its projects. Among them are the Bloc, a mixed-use project in Los Angeles that features wellness rooms, a roofless urban oasis that offers yoga classes, fashion shows and Tesla car shows; East Market, a Philadelphia-based project of 500 multifamily units on top of retail, which uses micro-turbines to heat water, bike hubs and dining options that improve the overall environment of the city; One Congress in Boston, another mixed-use project in-the-works which will reuse half of the garage and open up sight lines; Journal Squared in Jersey City, a transit-oriented project that features a two-pipe HVAC system versus inefficient Ptac units for a better living environment; and a proposed Philadelphia Navy Yard project that combines a data center, an indoor vertical greenhouse (which produces more crops per year than standard farming) and a natural-gas power plant. Walraven pronounced the advancements as “cheaper and better for residents.”

Drew Torbin, CEO and founder of Black Bear Energy, explained customers' “new relationship with electricity,” which is customer driven versus utility driven. The relationship includes solar energy, lighting and fuel cells and asks apartment owners, “How do you want to extract value from a project?” via energy usage. “Different values can be created from a project,” Torbin explained, giving as an example a case study with LBA Realty and STEM in which energy savings for a project were estimated to be $91,552 per year.

Walraven asked the panelists to give an example of what didn't work for them, something that they may have tried or with which they'd had complications. Schotsky spoke of a project in which the battery tech was not there—his firm was too early—and doing solar on new construction, which has no baseline data with which to compare savings.

Verdi gave two examples: a Boston project that was set up perfectly for a co-generation plan, but the utility company (a political animal) stepped in and didn't want the competition, so his firm couldn't move forward within the timeframe of the project; and not being able to harness all possible power yet from all-glass buildings. “Technology is moving quickly, but technology around solar energy is not moving quickly.”

Torbin spoke of lack of communication as a problem, especially when an element is at odds with what can be approved by the client.

In looking ahead, Verdi said the industry will continue to move in the direction of organic food, health and wellness in real estate, as well as more intriguing common amenities. “People don't' want to spend a tone of time in a 550-square-foot apartment unit, so you need to provide more amenities. If they're going to pay an extraordinary amount for a very small unit, you need to provide” the wow factor, he said. “What do we need to be competitive? We are very forward thinking about what we need to provide—things like urban gardens on rooftops and dog parks (although dealing with dog waste is a constant issue).”

Schotsky says two to three years down the road, a new category of building technology will be coming in around BIM, including low-cost senses and WiFi-ing a building from top to bottom. “Something new will happen with IoT companies that will work for everything; it will provide more information to run your buildings better.” He also spoke of inexpensive sensors like a leak detector that can be wrapped around a pipe, allowing building owners and management to be proactive rather than reactive about leaks.

Verdi said his firm is trying to dramatically reduce parking requirement in all its properties. “Parking is outdated, and zoning requirements need to be reduced. The less [parking] we can build, the better off we are. Building parking is not a value-add proposition.”

SAN DIEGO—From new sustainability features to rooftop urban gardens and more efficient use of space, the next wave of innovations for apartments will make living there cheaper and better for residents, said speakers at yesterday's NMHC's Annual Meeting here. The panel session “What's the Next Generation of Innovation for Multifamily” revealed a continuation of the trend toward green practices and systems, amenities based on collaboration and better ways to build and maintain apartments.

The session preceded the concluding presentation, “A Conversation with Mitt Romney,” between the former Massachusetts governor and Sue Ansel, president and CEO of Gables Residential. GlobeSt.com attended the event, but was prohibited by NMHC from reporting on it, along with Wednesday's conversation with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

In the innovation panel session, moderator Brenna Walraven, CEO of Corporate Sustainability Strategies Inc., said issues such as renewable energies, natural light and access to organic foods have formed the basis of current innovations in apartments. She asked the panelists which types of innovations they have been dealing with in their respective companies.

Louis Schotsky, VP, investments for Equity Residential, said walkability scores in each of EQR's properties are higher than average and that clean energy is featured in 71of its assets. Solar energy is a main focus on the West Coast, which can result in a reduction in net electrical costs of upwards of 80%. Solar thermal for pools allows communities to keep pools open longer because they can basically be heated for free. Other innovations include smart thermostats that are connected to the cloud, solar panels on roofs and battery storage in basements, all of which reduce demand charges at peak energy usage for the month. Systems that asses how to best use battery power in an apartment property every 15 minutes have also been implemented, along with co-generation—combined heat and electricity generation—which allows the boiler to run 90% less than previously. However, owners need at least 225 units in a property for this to work, he said. “There's only so much lighting and BMS you can do [to reduce costs], so generating your own electricity” is a huge step. Also, better LED lighting in garages contributes to a safer feeling, while reducing lighting costs.

Kevin Verdi, managing director of investments for National Real Estate Advisors, said his firm looks at sustainability holistically throughout its projects. Among them are the Bloc, a mixed-use project in Los Angeles that features wellness rooms, a roofless urban oasis that offers yoga classes, fashion shows and Tesla car shows; East Market, a Philadelphia-based project of 500 multifamily units on top of retail, which uses micro-turbines to heat water, bike hubs and dining options that improve the overall environment of the city; One Congress in Boston, another mixed-use project in-the-works which will reuse half of the garage and open up sight lines; Journal Squared in Jersey City, a transit-oriented project that features a two-pipe HVAC system versus inefficient Ptac units for a better living environment; and a proposed Philadelphia Navy Yard project that combines a data center, an indoor vertical greenhouse (which produces more crops per year than standard farming) and a natural-gas power plant. Walraven pronounced the advancements as “cheaper and better for residents.”

Drew Torbin, CEO and founder of Black Bear Energy, explained customers' “new relationship with electricity,” which is customer driven versus utility driven. The relationship includes solar energy, lighting and fuel cells and asks apartment owners, “How do you want to extract value from a project?” via energy usage. “Different values can be created from a project,” Torbin explained, giving as an example a case study with LBA Realty and STEM in which energy savings for a project were estimated to be $91,552 per year.

Walraven asked the panelists to give an example of what didn't work for them, something that they may have tried or with which they'd had complications. Schotsky spoke of a project in which the battery tech was not there—his firm was too early—and doing solar on new construction, which has no baseline data with which to compare savings.

Verdi gave two examples: a Boston project that was set up perfectly for a co-generation plan, but the utility company (a political animal) stepped in and didn't want the competition, so his firm couldn't move forward within the timeframe of the project; and not being able to harness all possible power yet from all-glass buildings. “Technology is moving quickly, but technology around solar energy is not moving quickly.”

Torbin spoke of lack of communication as a problem, especially when an element is at odds with what can be approved by the client.

In looking ahead, Verdi said the industry will continue to move in the direction of organic food, health and wellness in real estate, as well as more intriguing common amenities. “People don't' want to spend a tone of time in a 550-square-foot apartment unit, so you need to provide more amenities. If they're going to pay an extraordinary amount for a very small unit, you need to provide” the wow factor, he said. “What do we need to be competitive? We are very forward thinking about what we need to provide—things like urban gardens on rooftops and dog parks (although dealing with dog waste is a constant issue).”

Schotsky says two to three years down the road, a new category of building technology will be coming in around BIM, including low-cost senses and WiFi-ing a building from top to bottom. “Something new will happen with IoT companies that will work for everything; it will provide more information to run your buildings better.” He also spoke of inexpensive sensors like a leak detector that can be wrapped around a pipe, allowing building owners and management to be proactive rather than reactive about leaks.

Verdi said his firm is trying to dramatically reduce parking requirement in all its properties. “Parking is outdated, and zoning requirements need to be reduced. The less [parking] we can build, the better off we are. Building parking is not a value-add proposition.”