LivingHomes LEEDS The Way
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design awards LA-based architects, Ray Kappe and David Hertz, of LivingHomes, 91 of 108 possible points for their pre-fab, residential prototype. The LivingHomes 2500-square-foot model home is a Zero Energy, Zero Water, Zero Waste, Zero Carbon, Zero Emissions residence, whose green building features exceptional, state of the art construction, such as:* An integrated stormwater management system which includes sub-surface irrigation and a 3500-gallon cistern and grey water recycling system
* A whole-house cooling/ventilation fan
* A 175 CFM fan in the garage tied into the garage door
automatically exhausts carbon monoxide from the garage
* Low-e Solarban60 glazing on the doors and windows and Polygal
polycarbonate glazing that has greater thermal properties than regular
glass
* Low-Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) paints and stains from AFM Safecoat
* Forest Stewardship Certified (FSC) wood for the millwork, ceiling, siding, and framing
* 100% post-consumer recycled paper based countertops
* Recycled glass and recycled porcelain tiles
* Water-efficient fixtures
* Solar-powered photovoltaics & a special, 864-square-foot roof
* An energy-efficient spa by Jacuzzi
* An indoor garden that serves to filter and produce clean indoor air.
This particular model's home foundation took almost 7 months (because it's situated on a sloped site, with three different levels of foundation and underground parking). Normal foundations should take three months max. The actual pre-fab construction of this steel-framed home was accomplished in 8 hours. Fit-out can take another 3 months or so, depending of course on what that entails. According to Daniel Cunningham of LivingHomes, "Pricing is less expensive than a similarly-designed custom site-built home". So it seems there's a glimmer of hope for more green in residential construction. For details on this inspiring work, or other LivingHomes, visit LivingHomes.us. Green Home Sweet Home. /m
posted by Galli Galli Sim Sim @ 10:09 AM
4 Comments:
The 3d pic looks much cooler than the finished product, but WOW ... zero energy 2500 sqf home, very impressive.
Wow. Impressive.
GGSS, did you see the "eco-efficient" home the Brazilians I wrote about? I was quite pleased to find the Brazilians this far along in eco-designing homes. The prototype (1) conserves energy & water; (2) collects rainwater and reuses it; (3) treats wastewater through root zones and then reuses it as part of the heating system, warming it and running it along the baseboards; (3) optimizes local climate conditions (solar radiation, air temperatures, relative humidity, wind), using wind in the summer months, blocking wind in winter months, direction and inclination of roofs to maximize solar water heating and photovoltaics usage; (4) uses local construction materials with lowest environmental impact. I'm going to make a point of visiting it in Santa Catarina when I'm in Brazil next time.
Best Regards,
Keith
Hey Anita,
It's one of the most efficient, eco-friendly residential projects in the U.S. that I've come across. Thanks for commenting. /m
Keith,
The Casa Eficiente project in Brazil is another great example of the direction that we should be heading. Thanks for spreading the green news. You have a great blog. /m
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