greenplusblog

Excited About SIPS

I am enthused by the recent article in Eco Home on Structurally Insulated Panels. I have become increasingly convinced that SIPS may be one of the best solutions for framing green homes, especially in New England. Many companies produce them right in the New England, making them a local if not regionally sensible choice. Often local lumber yards will manufacture SIPS on site, as was the case at La Valley Building Supply when we were building a home for a client in Killington, Vermont. While the engineering of this product was conservative and the creative options limited, this proved a great local solution for this small home. While the Eco Home article goes in to more detail, we were attracted to the controlled manufacturing environment, speed of manufacturing and delivery, fast and easy installation, R-value, and tight seal.

The shortcoming of most of the walls panels on the market continue to be in the ingredients. Petroleum products and chemicals in the foam insulation and binders in the skin plague the manufactured assembly as they do the pre-assembled materials. While they may still be a better alternative to many construction standards, a greener option seems possible.

Drawing from my experience, I have a potential solution to propose. Significant research and development has occurred in agricultural boards. In some of my previous work we collaborated with a company developing Oriented Structural Straw Boards. These composite panels were matching the structural characteristics of plywood for decking and sheathing applications. Hopefully this product will appear more readily on the market in the near future. This material could be combined with a greener foam insulation like the product offered by Green Cocoon. Their soy bean based spray foam insulation is a great green product, produced by a company based in Salisbury, Massachusetts. They offer a number of insulating solutions described on their website.

The collaboration of a couple of companies like these could result in symbiotic relationship that could help both companies expand their presence and strength in the construction market. The potential performance of the final SIPS product would make it a great green building solution.

A Good Green Materials Guide

I have added Green Building Products: The GreenSpec Guide to Residential Building Materials, written by Alex Wilson and Mark Piepkorn, to my library of sustainable design resources. This book caught my eye for a number of reasons:

1.    Residential focus

2.    Insight into the GreenSpec method outlined in introduction

3.    Organization of a lot of product information in a single volume under 400 pages

4.    reasonable price under $40

Sarah Susanka probably overstates it a bit in the forward when she describes the difficulty of identifying green products and companies, and says, “This book is the guide.” The book however, is a guide and good start.

The authors do a nice job of mapping out the GreenSpec criteria used for evaluating green products. The material is organized according to building systems, as expected in a spec, so navigating through the pages to a desired subject area is easy. They have also done a nice job of providing an introduction to each chapter that offers general insight into the issues and principles critical to the topic. Ultimately, they have done a nice job offering uniting general overviews with specific product information.

How will I use this guide? It seems like a great first source in scoping out a product or assembly type. The short chapter lessons pointing to critical points provide a nice review or reminder of the issues, sometimes bringing new information to the discussion. The product descriptions offer a nice overview and help direct the search for the ideal choice. This book will be the first step of my product search and inform the effort as it expands to other resources. I expect it make me a more informed evaluator and consumer of green building materials.

A Good Green Construction Resource

As I prepare to undertake research on green alternatives to standard construction techniques, I have been gathering resources to help guide the effort. I am excited by the arrival of a book I recently ordered: Green From the Ground Up, by David Johnston and Scott Gibson. It looks like a great, basics of green construction reference. It takes a very straight forward approach to green principles and related construction techniques. The relationships between the challenges of a particular building system, environmental/physics principles, and the proposed solutions tell a logical story. While most of the information is familiar, the house is holistically approached and the recommendations are backed by the authors’ experience in the construction industry. Common sense guides the work, informative pictures and details are plentiful, and most of the recommendations could be taken directly to the building site. The book offers a solid starting point for investigating the Green+House Project.

The Green+House Project: Starting Point

The Green+House Project begins with the standard house section shown. This particular house section comes from a small house designed on a lake in New England.  There is nothing inherently green in the line-work shown, although the home design began with the eco-conscious soul of the architect (me). The greenness of the building assembly is at this point up to the discretion of the designer. So this is where the project begins.  My study will begin by zooming into the foundation condition and work my way up the exterior wall of the building. This section will remain as a reminder of the big picture and holistic goal of the project.

 
 

Some classic resources for standard construction I will reference include:

· Architectural Graphic Standards by Ramsey and Sleeper and the AIA

 

· Fundamentals of Building Construction; Materials and Methods by Edward Allen

 

· Building Construction Illustrated by Francis D.K. Ching

 

· Graphic Guide to Construction by Rob Thallon

 

Green foundation research begins now!

THE GREEN+HOUSE PROJECT

The Green+House Project chronicles the process of greening the standard American home. Various green design and construction resources are available and countless claims to green homes have been made. This project will scour the scattered resources, challenge claims and conventions, and ultimately present the conclusions in a detailed description of a home from the ground to the roof. The process and conclusions will be transparent and available to all via the web. Please join the discussion and the greater mission to achieve Green Design For All!

The Motivation:

This project is born out of the frustration of unrealized and under realized projects that begin with green intent and eventually lose their soul to the pressures of budget, time, creative hubris, and lack of commitment from designers and clients. This project is fueled by the myth (hopefully) that green is expensive and the reality that only about 30% of homes built involve an architect. (The actual number is arguable, but my strong sentiment is that architects should be involved with more homes. This could be argued to be the problem of architects or home owners/builders. This is a discussion for another platform.) It is hoped that by examining industry standards in the assembly and materials of a home, a cost effective green alternative can emerge. The step by step analysis will be a transparent process that reveals the frustrations and successes of realizing a relatively simple goal: to detail a cost effective, environmentally responsible building section. In doing so green resources will be evaluated, materials and methods will be analyzed and categorized, and comparisons of the industry standard to the green alternatives will provide the measuring stick. Ultimately, the applicability of the results will determine the success.

The Problem:

Designing, specifying, and building a green home is a well intentioned aspiration that often loses momentum and focus as taking responsibility for each step of the process can be slow and exhausting of time and money/fee. Undertaking the research to specify green materials and systems continues to be a daunting task. Information is vast, difficult to wade through, and even more challenging to quantify. Evaluating cost, value, and R.O.I. further complicates the effort. Numerous reputable certifications, guidelines, and rating systems exist and compete for relevancy. If a green home is the goal, one must also wade through all the information not relevant to the building type.

The Challenge:

The Green+House Project will undertake the challenge of working through the specification of a green home, the blog providing a transparent account of the effort. The house will be located in New England and serve an average family of four. The conclusions shall be organized in easily navigated graphics and spreadsheets that may serve as a resource for similar projects. Making the process and results transparent will be an important aspect of the study, blog, and final product.

The Strategy:

1.    The house will be broken down into parts beginning from the ground up.

2.    Standard, time tested details and building strategies will be the starting point. Green options will be compared to the industry standards and to each other. 

3.    Green product and materials will compete on performance.

4.    Green products and materials will compete on cost.

5.    The blog will host an anecdotal account of the process, while the website will host a graphic and organized account of the process/conclusions, building information onto the building model.

6.    Each recommended product’s information will be input into a standard document that will evolve and grow with the project.

7.    Research and proposed solutions will be submitted to peer scrutiny for additional input/due diligence.

8.    A maximum 10 year R.O.I. will be observed in evaluating big ticket items and systems.

The Goal:

The Green+House Project hopes to be a transparent learning experience that offers value both through the process and in the conclusions. By locating the project in New England, a wide gamut of climatic issues will be engaged. A graphic representation of the final product will allow a user to roll over or click areas to access increasing levels of detail. Spreadsheets will offer clearly organized categories with final choices and other viable options. The graphics and spreadsheets will aim for easy digestibility by professionals and consumers alike. A successful final product would offer a holistic strategy for a green home and a template for expanding the research.

green+blog manifesto

Why GREEN design?

“GREEN” has admittedly become a bit hackneyed. But, it has wormed its way into the public (sub)conscience. It has become relevant. It is understood to mean something. The fact that it has remained ambiguous however, means that it is still being defined. Helping to mold that definition is an important opportunity, if not responsibility. So, rather than seeking a clever or original alternate term, or designed word, it is more productive/proactive to enter the dialog and participate in the effort/debate. In striving to do so honestly and with the best intentions, the potential of doing good is greatest.  It can be thought of as TAKING BACK GREEN.

The role of GREEN?

GREEN is at the heart of design solutions. GREEN is omnipresent. When one accepts the responsibility of making a mark upon the land, the solution begins with the land. The final product must be worthy of the act of ecological disruption.  This must be the guiding force and minimal standard by which the effort is measured.

A GREEN Community?

The designers seeking a GREEN future must see themselves as members/conspirators in a greater, league of like-minded thinkers. Our successes should be shared. Our intellectual property should be opened to the professional/public good. We must celebrate in contributing to the movement, rather than out smarting it. Become a leader by example and the strength of publicly shared wisdom, not by protecting intellectual property like a jealous child. Competitive advantage will grow with the visible quality and quantity of research and experience.  This will advance the GREEN movement. This will grow a GREEN community. GREEN designers relate to, and serve, the greater good. Unite and be a part of it.

A GREEN blog?

This blog is my first step in contributing to and connecting with the GREEN design community. I hope to encourage a forum for sharing knowledge and advancing thinking. In addition to sharing my thoughts, research, and observations, I hope to bring interviews with leading and emerging practitioners and thinkers to the discussion. I hope this blog can become a resource for connecting with professionals, products, materials, and ideas.