Green design is determined by how a structure is built, not a particular style or look. Whether your dream home is southern colonial or whimsical contemporary, it can be green. The focus is on five main factors: energy efficiency, water conservation, material selections, indoor air quality and site treatment.
Energy efficiency means ensuring a building performs well for its entire lifetime. We’ll show you options that can reduce utility bills. For example we can incorporate a solar system that can help power your home or heat your water and pool. We’ll look at advanced technology like geothermal air conditioning and ICF wall systems. While considering big ideas like these, we’ll also explore simple energy-efficiency decisions, such as building orientation and window overhangs.
Water conservation is the next critical factor. Not only is water a precious resource, it takes energy to purify the water that comes into a home. When you’re saving water with features like dual flush toilets and low flow faucets, you’re saving energy.
Material selections encompass recycled, rapidly renewable and locally made products. We constantly seek green choices that will work for our clients. We also separate the great ideas from the marketing hype, and we keep in mind that some traditional choices may be just as green as new products.
Indoor air quality leads to a healthy home. Our projects typically don’t have that “new car smell,” which would indicate that there are VOCs (volatile organic compounds) being released into the air. We may also recommend an air purification system and avoiding the use of carpet.
The building site is considered. If the project is on a LEED track, we’ll analyze the lot coverage numbers to determine the best use of the land. With non-LEED projects we encourage clients to leave as much permeable area as possible to reduce runoff. Native plantings, tree preservation and rainwater catchment are also on our checklist.
Call us at 713.432.7377 to find out how we can integrate green design into your project.
Green design is not a passing trend; it’s a responsibility we shoulder on behalf of our clients, the community and the planet. We fully expect that the homes we design today will be around 100 years from now, or longer. The green choices we make today will have an impact on the environmental footprint of that structure for years to come.
Energy efficiency is one of the most critical green issues. It’s widely recognized that the world needs to reverse its escalating output of greenhouse gases. Reducing the amount of coal-generated electricity that a home will need can help accomplish this. And, of course, this results in cost savings for the homeowner as well.
Material selections also play a large role. Transporting goods from overseas uses more energy than local goods. We consider using regional materials, items with recycled content, and rapidly renewable resources. These kinds of actions bolster the community’s economy and help support the market for green building.
We admit that green options can initially be more expensive, and can sometimes limit the palette of choices, so we are careful to present appropriate ideas. More and more environmentally friendly products are becoming available. We’ll have more ideas to offer with each successive project.
We know this is the future. Green choices will be the showcase features of tomorrow’s homes.