The LEED Platinum for homes rating is quite rare. In fact, the recently completed Italian BioCasa 82 is the first home in Europe to receive this high rating. BioCasa82 was designed by the Italian firm Rosario Picciotto Architects and constructed by Welldom, a company that specializes in green building. It is located in Montebelluna, a town near Venice, Italy.
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The Artisans Group, an architecture firm based in Washington State recently designed a passive family home in the Northwest region of the country. To build this passive house, the architects used a number of systems, as opposed to technologies, which resulted in an energy efficient, sustainable and energy star rated home.
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Hefferlin + Kronenberg Architects have completed a project in Chattanooga, Tennessee called the Fairmont Avenue Townhomes. The townhouses were designed to provide sustainable, low-income homes for the Chattanooga housing authority. The project was funded by HUD following a nationwide competition between housing authorities. The Fairmont Avenue Townhomes project was also designed to comply with Enterprise Green Communities Criteria and is applying for LEED Platinum for Homes certification.
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The builder KB Home just unveiled their newest project, the ZeroHouse 2.0, which is located in Los Angeles County, CA. The home is also called “Double ZeroHouse” since it is both water and energy efficient. This home is the first built by this contractor to have both net-zero energy status, and zero freshwater irrigation. According to KB Home estimates, the ZeroHouse 2.0 is capable of conserving 150,000-gallons of water per year, which is a 70% reduction compared to a typical home. ZeroHouse 2.0 is also capable of producing all the energy it needs.
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Brookfield Residential’s Midtown Residence Eight in Denver, is the first Colorado home to receive the Passive House Institute U.S. (PHIUS) certification. It is also the first house made by a US production builder to receive this certification. The home was designed by KGA Studio Architects.
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The Make It Right foundation, which was co-founded by actor Brad Pitt and architect William McDonough to help those displaced by Hurricane Katrina, has recently partnered with BNIM Architects to provide affordable housing to the less-fortunate residents of Kansas City, Missouri. Late last year they unveiled their latest project, the transformation of the Bancroft Elementary School in Kansas City into a LEED Platinum, affordable housing development, which includes a number of eco friendly and sustainable features.
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