Earlier this year, the World Record Academy awarded a home in Dillingham, Alaska with the record for the Tightest Residential Building.

In a video that documents the blower door test, the home’s owners and residents, Dr. Tom Marsik and Kristin Donalson, who designed and built the extremely insulated building, explain their motivation to push the limits of green building methods. The blower door test, which used a special attachment to get the most accurate reading, pressurized the building and then measured the flow that was needed to maintain the difference in pressure from the outside.

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If you live or work in the United States, you have just a few days left to file your federal and local tax returns. Are you getting everything you deserve for trying to help the environment and keep your utility bills down? There are tax credits and financial incentives that could make a big difference in your return, maybe even result in getting a refund.

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This is the last installment in our series called Energy-Efficient Windows 101 made possible by Marvin Windows and Doors.  Last time I discussed how Marvin windows contribute towards LEED certification, and today want to wrap it up with this showcase of an award-winning home in Leicester, North Carolina.  Designed by Eric Gartner of New York-based SPG Architects, the energy-efficient home has a custom configuration of Marvin windows providing expansive southern and western views.

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SAGE Electrochromics, which was recently acquired to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain of Paris, is demonstrating its newly developed advanced dynamic glass that it calls “SageGlass” at the 2013 BAU, the “World’s Leading Trade Fair for Architecture, Materials, Systems” in Munich. Read more »

Built from from white pine heartwood timber that is sustainably grown in northern Ontario and Quebec (certified by the Forest Stewardship Council), this stunning log home comes to us from True North Log Homes.

While reminiscent of the rustic, breezy log home of the distant past, these structures are tech-savvy and utilize computerized machinery and careful preparation of timber to save labor time on-site. Read more »