Who’s Next in Green Home Design?

Eco-box-who-is-next-finalist

Recently FreeGreen launched a contest for designers to create an affordable, contemporary, green home.  Seeking to redesign single-family living in less than 1,800 square feet, designers could opt to design a starter or empty nest home, or both.  After receiving +400 entries, the field has been chopped to 12 finalists with public voting now open through April 5, 2010.  The winner will receive $5,000 and other opportunities with FreeGreen.  Check out the top 12 (click the text link above the photo for more info), and tell us your favorite in the comments

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By |March 23rd, 2010|Modern architecture, News, Single Family|5 Comments
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A New Path for Green Building Codes

Igcc-by-the-book

Last week, the formation of the new International Green Construction Code was announced through the partnership of several organizations already deeply connected with green building efforts. The preliminary version of the model code is now available for public review and comment.

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By |March 18th, 2010|LEED, News|3 Comments
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Crazy Wood Triangle: FSC, SFI, and LEED

If you work with LEED, you’re familiar with FSC, and if you read good books and magazines, you’ve probably seen both SFI and FSC.  FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) both certify and provide labels for wood and paper products.  Consumers look to these for comfort with regard to environmental impact and sustainable harvesting of wood, but after you read Monte Paulsen’s five-part series on the topic for The Tyee, you may not be so sure about what’s going on.

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By |March 18th, 2010|LEED, Materials, News|3 Comments
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Survey: Saving Energy is Top Priority

4th-green-building-survey

The Fourth Annual Green Building Survey, published by Allen Matkins, CTG, and Green Building Insider, was just released.  It’s quick and to the point with some interesting perspective on the attitude of design and construction professionals.  That is, green construction and design remains a top priority, while LEED certification may not necessarily carry the same weight.  The survey was conducted in February 2010 and received over 1,600 responses. 

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By |March 11th, 2010|LEED, News|3 Comments
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President Obama Explains Proposed HOMESTAR Retrofit Program

Official-president-homestar

Yesterday, President Obama toured a training facility at Savannah Technical College and took the opportunity to outline more detail on the proposed HOMESTAR Energy Efficiency Retrofit Program.  The program has been called "Cash for Caulkers" due to similarities with Cash for Clunkers, but we're going to stick with the HOMESTAR terminology.  Here's some additional detail. 

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By |March 3rd, 2010|Energy Efficiency, News|4 Comments
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Update: Duany Flat Pack Haiti Cabins

Lecabanon-haiti

A few weeks ago, we mentioned the strong flat pack prefabs designed by Andrés Duany for Haiti.  That effort is moving forward, and we've been able to catch a photo of a built prototype (see above).  InnoVida Holdings, LLC, manufacturer of the lightweight fiber composite panels used to build the prototype, today announced plans to build a factory near Port-au-Prince and donate 1,000 of these houses to Haiti.  It's a massive endeavor that could lead to the production of 10,000 homes per year and 250 direct jobs in the country. 

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By |February 24th, 2010|Affordable, News|17 Comments
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