This is the next generation of the popular Glidehouse, a home design originally created by Michelle Kaufmann that was later acquired by Blu Homes. Blu tweaked the design to fit the company’s custom fold-up system of construction, and this is the first, new Glidehouse to be delivered.
I like visiting new green homes like this one, the Sungazing House in Park City, Utah. I wrote about the home one year ago today and used some informal photos to create a short video embedded above. Since my initial tour, the net-zero, LEED Platinum project has been featured all over the world in such places as Green Builder Magazine and EcoHome Magazine.
On average, about 18% of home energy consumption is for water heating, the second largest consumer behind space heating. The primary technology used to do this is the tank-type water heater (both gas- and electric-powered), but solar water heating can be a cost-effective way to generate hot water.
Solar hot water systems vary, and one system we’ve mentioned previously is a passive-pump system by Virginia-based Sunnovations. This video explains it.
The prefab industry has changed a lot in the last few years. Case in point, ZETA Communities, a producer of net-zero energy multifamily housing came on to the scene in the beginning of 2008. In something like 3-4 years, they’ve built up a lean manufacturing facility with 91,000 square feet in Sacramento that’s just incredible.
This is a prototype apartment unit built using what is likely the only fabrication system on the market that can be scaled to construct mid-rise buildings. The system is called Sustainable Living Innovations, or SLI, and it was developed during the downturn of the last few years under the leadership of CollinsWoerman and three other firms, McKinstry, Lydig Construction, and DCI Engineers.
Project Profiles
