BUILDING GREEN

The goal is sustainable, energy efficient, quality shelter that makes bottom line sense. Each of these houses claims to meet those criteria. And each is a LOT of house. Dreams - the first step forward.

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Big green wave; As Austin knows and the nation is discovering, building thoughtfully can help both environment and homeowners
Carrie Alexander, April 12, 2008 (Austin American-Statesman)

WHO
Speakers at events: Austin architect Peter Pfeiffer and architect/author William McDonough; National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)

WHAT
The Austin Green Living & Home Products Expo and the 2008 International Builders' Show are showcases for the newest and the best in green building.

WHEN
- Through 2007: ~100,000 U.S. homes certified green by the NAHB.
- The 2008 International Builders' Show was in February and included a designated "Green Day."
- The Austin Green Living & Home Products Expo: April 11 through 20.

WHERE
- The 2008 International Builders' Show: Orlando, Fla.
- The Austin Green Living & Home Products Expo: Austin Convention Center

Tradewinds Show Home 2008 (click to enlarge)

WHY
- Two green initiatives announced at the Orlando Builders' Show: (1) the Certified Green Professional designation, assuring green practices, and (2) a new, expanded National Green Building Standard w/guidelines for single- and multifamily housing, residential remodeling and lot and site development.
- Three certified-green showcase homes from the Orlando area illustrate the balance of style and sustainability, integrating energy efficiency, storm resistance and eco-friendly products and landscaping.
- New American Home 2008: plantation-style, in homage to historical Mississippi/Louisiana homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina; trendy outdoor living rooms and high-tech gizmos; built to cut energy for heating 55%, for cooling 64% and for heating water 57% w/high-performance mechanical systems, airtight insulation strategies, solar water heating, first-floor exterior walls made with blocks of (energy-efficient and fire/termite resistant ) autoclaved aerated concrete. ($4.8 million)
- Tradewinds Show Home 2008: Greco-Rome architectural concepts w/ Caribbean casual and a ship's quarters’ efficiency, stylish and environmentally conscious, U-shaped, with four corner pavilions around a central courtyard with a pool and spa; eschews formal spaces for in specialty rooms and gathering areas that connect visually to the outdoors; a wine room, home theater, study/workspace w/view; cooling lake breezes through operable clerestory windows w/ large wood shutters, pushing warm up into high ceilings and out through the 2nd-story tower. ($5,244,000)

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- Green Builder Vision House 2008: "glamorously green" w/ building science principles + eco-friendly products; storm resistance from durable structural insulated panels w/foam core sandwiched between sheets of oriented strand board, hipped roof to take hurricane-force winds and rain, nonvented attic to prevent water intrusion and extra layers of weather-resistant barriers on the roof and walls; energy efficiency from clerestory windows, overhangs and strategically placed windows for maximum daylight and minimum heat gain. Water-saving measures from low-flow plumbing fixtures, aerobic wastewater treatment system and cisterns (saving 300,000+ gallons of water/year). Florida landscaping from shoreline vegetation eradication, site-appropriate plantings to invite birds, butterflies and alligators.

QUOTES
- Brian Catalde, president, National Association of Home Builders: "We know green is the future of building…With the Certified Green Professional designation, we're helping our qualified members demonstrate to their clients that the future is here."
- Roberto Carrion, Homeowner, Green Builder Vision House 2008: "I wanted to build a home that ... can stand the beatings that the Florida climate will bring upon it, including extreme heat, hurricane-force winds and hurricane-force rain…"