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Green Prefab Housing Ideas

December 16, 2011 By 5 Comments
Illustration of proposed Nashville, TN prefab housing project. (image: David Hunter)

My favorite thing to do is design houses. I’ve been a wannabe architect since I was 6. My partner and I will be combining households within the next year, and we are going to build a house, so I’ve been planning! Since we will be running a vegetable farm, I wondered how much time I would actually have to design and oversee the construction. Prefab housing came to mind, so I did some research. Prefab housing means less waste, less impact Prefab building is done in a factory, and sections are … [Read more...]

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Green Building In Latin America

December 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Brazilian

Like everywhere else in the world, people in Latin America are becoming aware of climate change and the importance of preserving the environment. They are beginning to understand that buildings are energy hogs and detrimental to their quality of life. Green building is coming to the surface as the solution. Architects and municipalities want to reduce energy use, water use, and waste while ensuring there is minimal environmental impact. Natural light and ventilation means less air conditioning … [Read more...]

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Green Building In Europe

December 7, 2011 By 1 Comment
Eiffel Tower and flowers

Europe is way ahead of the US in the green building arena. Their homes use 1/3 the energy that ours do. Aside from energy efficiency, they also take into consideration sustainable construction, low CO2 emissions, recyclable materials, indoor air quality and human comfort. It’s not just about energy. Since the 1900s, architects have been designing buildings to meet minimum energy requirements. New and young architects today understand environmental issues and create sustainable buildings. 20-20-20 … [Read more...]

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Green Building Comes of Age in South-East Asia

November 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
southeast Asia

As green building and energy efficiency are becoming better understood, architects in Southeast Asia are designing to beat the sub-tropical heat and humidity. Cooling is the most important consideration, and good shading and ventilation can cut costs and increase comfort. Renewables are gaining momentum. Solar is used frequently, as well as wind power, bio-fuels, fuel cells, hydro-power and geothermal power. Marketing green building is a challenge, because appropriate materials are hard to … [Read more...]

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Modern Housing and House Size: Do We Need This Much?

November 9, 2011 By 7 Comments
McMansion

In the 1950s, I grew up in a house with a formal living room and formal dining room, which were used only for entertaining and holidays. On a daily basis, we ate in the kitchen and watched tv in the ‘study’. There was an extra room (originally a bedroom that became a walk-through room), which was a sewing room and my dad’s office. The house was easily over 2500 square feet. There was a 2-car garage and a large screened-in porch. The one acre yard was beautifully landscaped and maintained. We … [Read more...]

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Five Visions of Sustainable Low-Impact Homes

November 4, 2011 By 3 Comments
photo: Redesign Day (http://www.redesign-day.com)

Eco-homes literally come in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. Some are fantastically conceived and high-concept. Others are modest, and  certainly could be considered practical during our current era of shifting values when it comes to consumption. In this special guest post, writer Alex Levin expands upon five home designs that have sought to minimize the impact of a carbon footprint. Some of them are kind of wacky.  With every "wacky" idea, comes the potential for the future. Do you see … [Read more...]

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5 Green Built College Campuses

October 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Green City Leaf Illustration

As the 21st Century rolls forward, understanding that sustainability is our main mission as a species, green building and leaders in the construction industry have educated themselves in what it will take to build a future. One area where this is most dramatically demonstrated is in the halls of higher education in general. It has been American institutions of learning that have played a major part in leading the nation toward smarter, and more inexpensive, ways to build large scale buildings, … [Read more...]

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5 Green Architects, Architectural Firms & Frank Lloyd Wright

October 12, 2011 By 4 Comments
Photo: Jeff Wolfram

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an architect. I played with Lego® more than dolls, and I drew and redrew house plans for fun. When I was about 12, I remember hearing the word ‘organic’ tied to Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. I wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but as I got older, I understood. I also realized my own life was organic – living with the planet. I’ve studied Wright’s houses, environments and furnishings, and I see how the whole is a work of art. I especially appreciate … [Read more...]

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Tiny House Round-up

October 7, 2011 By 4 Comments
Tiny house round up

Small houses appeal to me for many reasons – small utility bills, less housework and maintenance, cozy, no wasted space. I’m talking less than 1000 square feet. Now the Tiny House is getting popular, and it can have less than 100 square feet! That’s a bit cramped for me, unless I’d be living in a location where it was summer year round, and shelter was a place to get out of the elements. I do find Tiny Houses intriguing, though, so here is a handful to entertain and inspire you. 1. … [Read more...]

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Green Building: Advanced Framing

September 7, 2011 By 2 Comments
OVE Advanced Framing

As I started researching advanced framing, or OVE (Optimal Value Engineering), I found a lot of technical data and wasn’t sure how to present it. This opening paragraph of an article at www.buildingscience.com summed it up for me: The current industry standard wall – a 2x4 frame at 16-inch centers with double top plates, three stud corners, jack studs, cripples and double headers – is being replaced by a 2x6 frame at 24-inch centers with single top plates, two stud corners, no jack studs, … [Read more...]

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