Daniel Paquette walks along the Cumberland house’s front deck, which is made from recycled composite materials.

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The Providence Journal / John Freidah

The developer converting a historic bank building into a hotel in downtown Providence installs thermostats in every room to detect the presence of people and raise and lower the heat in response.

A builder constructing houses in Cumberland forgoes traditional 2-by-4 framing and uses locally built panels that are so well insulated they are expected to lower heating costs by 50 percent.

The architect supervising construction of a new library at the University of Rhode Island Bay Campus has incorporated floor-to-ceiling windows that let the sun provide indoor light, and also happen to provide spectacular views of Narragansett Bay.

Despite the recession and the lending crisis that are causing a building slump throughout the region, a growing number of new buildings are being built to green standards that were practically unheard of 10 years ago.

Last week, more than 28,000 people from 50 states and 85 countries attended the conference in Boston of the U.S. Green Building Council. The council supports the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building standards, some of the nation’s highest. It was a 25-percent increase in attendance over last year’s conference.

Building professionals in Rhode Island are moving ahead to quickly establish a state chapter of the USGBC. They plan to attract 75 to 100 new members by the end of the year and have certified 132 building professionals in Rhode Island who have met LEED standards.

The owners of 37 buildings in the state have applied for LEED certification and 3 have met the standards so far, according to Andrew Barkley, chair of the group’s public relations committee. The three that have been certified are a new residence hall at Rhode Island College, the Butterfield Dining Hall at the University of Rhode Island and an office building on Gordon Avenue in Providence.

LEED is not the only standard. The National Association of Home Builders came out with its own standards for residential construction last year. Some builders build green but don’t bother with the paperwork required to achieve official certification. And others pick and choose components for their projects without following any particular standard beyond the state building code.

South County Post & Beam completed a LEED house in Narragansett this year that featured everything from photovoltaic cells on the roof to a geothermal well in the front yard. But other buildings are using more subtle ways to save energy, make better use of resources and be more sustainable.

In downtown Providence, across from the Arcade, developer James J. Karam’s First Bristol Corp. has been converting a 10-story former bank building into a mid-priced Hampton Inn & Suites.

He is not trying to comply with any national certification program, but he’s also not afraid to use innovations to make his project more efficient and sustainable.

“We very much believe in the green process — number one for social reasons. But also for a second reason,” says Karam. “It pays.”

Formerly the Old Colony Bank, and then St. Francis Chapel, the 88-year-old building is scheduled to open in January with 38 suites, 32 king-size rooms and 40 standard rooms, as well as meeting rooms that include the former bank’s ornate boardroom.

Karam said he invested $20 million in the building (minus about $5 million for historic and energy tax credits) and started by gutting it from side to side. He heavily insulated the roof and installed heat pumps that generate heat from outside air as cold as 35 degrees. A sophisticated ventilation system moves air from a warm side of the building to the colder side.

Each room has a thermostat that lowers the room temperature after it senses the room is vacant in the winter, and allows it to rise in the summer.

The thermostats cost $235 each, but National Grid provides a $100 rebate, says Karam. And each unit probably saves about $40 a year in energy costs. That provides a quick payback.

In some areas, computerized sensors will turn lights on and off, depending on activity.

Behind the scenes, Karam said the hotel has incorporated variable speed electric motors for ventilation. They provide a big savings over older motors that were either off or fully on.

The hotel laundry will use an ozone cleaning system to reduce the use of water and cleansers.

Karam says he is aware that the recession is causing people to spend less on travel. But his hotels in Newport had a good year, and three hotel projects that were potential competitors of his Hampton Inn in Providence have been put on hold.

In Cumberland, builder Joseph J. Samra III is building a seven-house subdivision he touts as the first “green” neighborhood in Rhode Island.

The first house looks like a typical, big, executive-style homes, but there are green features from cellar to roof.

The walls are made from structurally insulated panels that will halve energy use. The outside is sheathed in a fiber cement siding and trim that appears practically indestructible. Decks are made of recycled wood.

Savings are also generated with Energy Star appliances, water-saving bathroom and kitchen fixtures and a tankless hot-water heater. The houses are more healthful because rugs and paints were chosen that don’t emit toxins.

The house is so tight, a special ventilation system had to be installed to refresh indoor air.

Samra hopes to earn a Gold certification from the National Association of Home Builders, whose ratings system he found easier to follow and less costly than LEED.

And he thinks his approach will make his houses more marketable. “In this down market, people are looking for a green house that will be more energy efficient and healthier for their families.”

Samra says he avoided photovoltaics, solar panels and other alternative-energy devices because he wanted to keep things simple and understandable and affordable. He calls his approach “green for the mainstream.”

He estimates the green features on his houses raise the costs by 2 to 3 percent. He believes the extra costs will be recouped quickly in energy savings.

Right now he is building only under contract; it’s not a time for spec building.

On a hillside in Narragansett overlooking Narragansett Bay, contractors are nearing completion of the Pell Library and Ocean Exploration Center. Like the much larger biotechnology building nearly finished on the Kingston campus, both are being built to green standards thanks to a executive order by Governor Carcieri covering all new state buildings.

Architect Diane Ozelius of Burt Hill, says the green features in the $14-million building are subtle but significant, with a goal of reducing short- and long-term costs and making the building an amenable and healthy place to work.

The building is landscaped with grasses that won’t need watering or mowing. After the contents of the old Pell library are moved, the old library will be demolished and the quadrangle in front will be expanded and landscaped as an outdoor meeting area.

Many of the building materials, such as the metal pipes, are recycled. Carpets are made of recycled materials and can be recycled when they wear out.

Roof runoff is channeled back into the ground, rather than toward the Bay, and the roof is covered with a light-colored membrane to reflect heat in the summer.

The URI and Sea Grant libraries will occupy the top floor, so the space is easy to supervise. All book shelves will be at right angles to the shoreline, so as to not obstruct views.

The lobby on the second floor will serve as an entrance to the Graduate School of Oceanography, with a 26-foot wall of glass facing the Bay. Dean’s offices will be on the water side.

Bob Ballard’s archaeology and exploration offices and studios will be on the second and ground floors. A remote-control center for deep-sea explorations will look something like mission control at NASA.

Tall ceilings and windows allow daylight to fill workspaces. Even interior offices have large openings in their walls so occupants can enjoy the views and light.

The builders plan to apply for LEED certification, Ozelius said. But building codes are rapidly being upgraded to require similar measures. The building’s successes, she said, are the result of collaborations among the designers, architects and engineers who work on it.

The bad economy has slowed other projects. James Buffum has slowed down the green renovation of his Weekapaug Inn, in Westerly, until he can raise capital by selling some adjoining cottages.

He said he decided some time ago that his clientele come to his inn for rest and rejuvenation and they would find it “kind of neat” to stay at a place that’s self-sufficient and sustainable.

His contractor has already gutted the building and recycled all the wood and metal. He installed geothermal wells that will provide water that will help heat and cool the building and made plans for low-flow shower heads and other energy-saving devices.

When he started the project three years ago, he said few people really understood the USGBC certification process. A lot has changed since then. “Now you can say LEED and not have to go through a long explanation,” Buffum said.

For more information about the new Rhode Island Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, go to www.usgbcri.org.

plord@projo.com