green design

Eco Design, Green Marketing and sustainability.

jeannine — Wed, 21 May 2008 05:43:10 -0400

It may be that we are not the first generation, or even civilisation on earth to carry this responsability on our shoulders, or perhaps we are, but it seems that we all have to save the planet.

With this in mind, establishing equalibrium between personal economic security and an ecological conscience is a pertinant issue for a growing number of people.

It is enough of a challenge reaching your eco conscious niche clients without having to exclude potential clients because the fee you will charge them and later use to build your sustainable homestead infact involves slave labour and pollutes the atmosphere.

That 's why whenever a client comes along that also shares your vision for a perfect world, it's great to be able to approach it with the natural enthusiasm that ensues, and a relief to let that creative imagination wander guilt free!

It can feel, that rather than having chosen a niche, you have been squeezed into one, but i think there is hope, because the need for a strong bond between design and eco friendly sustainability is increasing, and this particular marketing nich has become an asset, not just for the individual, but for the greater good!

Jeannine Lewis

http://www.outtheredesign.com

Will $100,000 Build A Good Green Home?

jchait — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:33:42 -0400

Postgreen and ZeroEnergy Design are going to be constructing an urban infill home for just 100K. The main goal of the house building project is that the home ends up using only 53% of the energy that's normally used by a standard new home, while still keeping costs at a smaller level. Another goal of the project is to achieve a LEED Platinum rating. The home is being built in Philadelphia where costs to build any home are considerably more than 100K.

The 100k house is going to be a great case study in proving that a well-made green home can be built for about the same as a traditionally built home - or possibly even cheaper than a typical home.

According to the press release, Chad Ludeman, President of Postgreen, notes, "In order to accomplish the lofty energy goals for the home on our budget, more time and care must be taken during the planning and design phase of every aspect of the home from insulation to HVAC equipment... ZeroEnergy Design is the perfect company to ensure that we will get the most bang for our buck in terms of energy efficiency on the 100K House and we are excited to have them be part of the project."

Aspects being concentrated on first include the best passive ways to save energy, because passive allows more bang for less money. Then the team looked at actual active energy systems, to analyze their efficiency, and lastly renewable energy systems were discussed. So far solar thermal is the top contender.

You can follow along with the entire process at 100k house, and so far it's an awesome read. Budgets, design ideas, and materials are all being posted about. I love this whole case study. When we built our home it was under 100K but in an area easy to build fairly inexpensively. This project will show that green can be built anywhere for less than some think. It should be fun to follow along.

[image via flickr: New renderings of the 100K House with new stucco & Hardie siding]

Smart Green Home Design Option - Earth Floors

jchait — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Earth floors, sometimes called adobe floors, are pretty cool. I had some pals put one it and I've done the planning for my own, although, in the end we went with different flooring. If you're interested in a good looking, inexpensive, earth friendly (literally) floor than an earth floor could work for you.

Basics of earth floors:

Earth floors are made of a mix of about 20% clay with silt, 80% aggregate, and cement can be added to improve durability. This dirt mix is laid on crushed rocks and the surface is sealed with both a hardener and a surface cover like linseed oil. Some people even incorporate hot water tubes embedded in the floor to provide heating, and other design elements are worked in as well, such as tone and shade.

Benefits of earth floors:

Extremely low in cost - about one dollar per square foot is typical, and that includes labor. I actually know a family who pulled it off for less.

Looks very nice - which is of course a personal taste issue. I think they look great though. They also feel nice, a wee bit soft, but not too soft.

You're barely putting any strains on the environment when you install an earth floor. It doesn't create pollution, or a big energy loss, and the materials you don't use for the floor can simply be recycled into the earth. One major downside of construction of any sort is the waste it creates. Earth floors just don't create the same waste.

Not a lot of upkeep involved. Your floor can be swept, mopped, and spilled on with no issues.

Down-side of earth floors:

Really labor intensive. You build an earth floor layer by layer, slowly. This is actually why we didn't end up using this technique, on our own house. Had we been able to set aside more time, it would have been ok, but earth floors take a lot of work.

Not many professionals in home building know how to do them, so you're looking at finding a specialist contractor, doing it yourself, or hiring an outside business. Note that it's not impossible to do it yourself, it just take a while to install.

If you're not a professional, or expert on earth floors you could make some vital install mistakes. Nothing that's going to ruin your home, but you might miss a step that makes your floor truly durable. When incorrectly done, earth floors can be easily scratched or chipped.

The best way to learn about creating earth floors is to attend a building of one, or a workshop on installation, it's way better to learn hands on.

For instance, near where I live there was a Three-Layer Earthen Floor Workshop that just happened, and in New Mexico it was easy to find a workshop too. The avaibility of something like this is going to depend on where you live. Check with local community centers, building supply shops or your chamber to find out more.

If you just want more info, most books on adobe, straw bale, or cob homes have a earth floor component. Take a look at the following resources:

The Harder They Come: Unstabilized Floor Using Road Base

The Sourcebook for Green and Sustainable Building

How To Pour A Rammed Earthen Floor/Adobe Floor

Want Your House to Be Certified Green?

ellen — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The USGBC is sponsoring a 60-minute long webinar (2nd in a series of 3 webinars) featuring case studies of LEED for Homes projects on Wednesday, March 13 at 2 pm Eastern Time.

If you are familiar with the more established LEED programs (New Construction, Retail, Commercial Interiors etc...) LEED for Homes is a much simpler rating system. It is designed to be used for single family homes and multi-family homes up to 6 stories and is administered by a certified Provider. LfH requires 3rd-party verifications forcertification - which, to my mind, is the most critical aspect becauseyou know you get what you paid for. The paperwork required on the partof the applicant is also much simpler than for other LEED programs.

I'm the LEED for Homes Advocate for the NYC Chapter of the USGBC (US Green Building Council). We just completed a 3 meeting series to delve into how we can increase the amount of green building in NYC. More on this later.

Visit the Homes Web Seminar site for more info.

I'll be logged in.

Green Design Gets Groovy

kbutler — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

As I was checking out the latest issue of Popular Mechanics in my dentists’ office (not at all because the latest issue of People was taken up by a surly-looking woman with a swollen jaw) I came across an interesting entry. In their latest issue, Pop Mech (cuz that’s how it looks in my head) provides a list of the top smart green home designs out there. And let me tell you, there’s some cool stuff. As the article lays out green design: “The principles are simple: Use materials wisely, conserve water and energy, save money in the long term, and create surroundings that are safe and healthy.” From soybean sealings to rescued wood floors to green beer (and no, I’m talking a St. Patrick’s Day tradition), this is a list essential to anyone building a green building or doing a green remodel. Apparently while drunk, but that’s beside the point. Here are some of the goodies laid out for us:

Amazon Environmental accepts all types of water-based paints for reprocessing. Half are recycled into high-quality paints, and the rest are turned into specialty additives for cement. Cool!

Smith and Fog’s Bamboo Ply-Wood is “an emissions-free alternative to pressed-wood products containing glues with toxic formaldehyde.” That and they don’t cut down trees to use it. The trees will thank you for it – especially after a night of green beer.

Helio Volts’ solar cells are so thin they will eventually making it cost-effective for even windows and exterior cladding to become power sources. It’s easy renewable energy.

New Belgium Brewing in Colorado has devised a system from hops in to beer out for designed for greater green efficiency. Not sure how this fits into green design, but it sure sounds awesomely tasty.

Props to Popular Mechanics for compiling this must-have list for the green designer. Unless you don’t want “a house that can sell energy to the grid, a countertop made from glass that would otherwise go to a landfill, and a cable that wires sunlight through solid walls.” Clearly they mean, unless you are nuts!

Diary of a Green House

ellen — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:00:00 -0500

For the next few months we’re going to design a small guest house in Indianapolis and blog the entire process. Even though I’ve spent my entire career designing spaces in the 5 boroughs, I’d like to use this opportunity to highlight the decision-making and trade-offs inherent in the design of a green home. The Owners, transplanted Brooklynites with a toddler and a new baby due to arrive any minute, bought a single family home in Indianapolis and want to add a separate office / guest house out back. They want it to live lightly on the land and be as “off the grid” as possible. We will be collaborating with a local Architect/Engineer to ensure that we comply with all local codes and statutes. A survey of the property is shown below. It shows the footprint of the existing house and an existing “shed” in the backyard which will most likely be the location of the new little house. Stay tuned.

Ellen Honigstock is an architect in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn who specializes in sustainable architecture and interior design. She is also the LEED for Homes Advocate for the NYC chapter of the USGBC (US Green Building Council)

Note to our readers: Ellen is reporting on the progress of this project and a variety of eco-architectrual issues at RiverWired and on her own blog. Check it out.