Gottfried Green

I failed a bit on the placement of the house on the site. Ideally all of your big window walls should be south facing to receive the least amount of sun light. Of course you'd want minimal windows facing east and west as they get direct sun in the morning and late afternoon. But we have the water and sunsets we wanted off our deck and so the sliders basically fall prey to the direct heat from the setting sun. As an attempt to counter this there is a 12ft roof which protects the silders up to a point then the sun gets its straight shot. All is not lost however. Because of the shade from both trees and the part of the house that sits out from the rest, the two big sliders that are the main living space in the house do not receive any of this sun (at least right now during the winter months). It is basically the 2 bedrooms that are effected. The Glide House Sunshade idea could be one option. From the Michele Kaufman website, "On warm days, keep the sunshades drawn and create a cross-breeze by opening the sliding glass doors and opposite clerestory windows (above the storage bars). This will cool the space while letting natural light in. On cooler days, open the exterior sunshades and keep the sliding doors and windows closed. This will allow the sun to heat the space while you enjoy the beautiful views!"

Labels: design

This is where it all started for us- The Florida House in Sarasota. This was my tenth post on Gottfried Green back in June of 2006 when I first read about the learning center online. We were still in Brooklyn and only just closed on the property. I remember that first on my list when we arrived was to visit The Florida House. It was 12 years old but still was packed with a lot of innovation. We tracked down the architect Osborn Sharp Assoc in Sarasota and they created this beautiful design that was passive solar and had a grey water system. My Green Buildings was bidding our project- who at the time were the only green builders doing more custom and remodel vs. a few builders who were doing model green homes (which after visiting a few I found it hard to see what was green about them). Everything would come full circle. Osborn Sharp and My Green Buildings met through the bidding of our project and now they are the dream, green team in Sarasota working together to restore The Florida House at its new location. With all the greenwash out there, I can honestly say that they are the real deal in green in FL. They really care about the design as the fundamental aspect of what makes a building green. Design is also half the fun of this whole transition into a new way of designing and building with all the common sense to back it up.

Labels: cost, design, Sarasota

The NYTimes wrote about a couple who suffered through some hardships building a small, second home in Hood River Oregon but not because of the reasons you'd think. I'm sure it didn't hurt to have backgrounds in architecture, sustainable design and to be building in Oregon (more progressive in this sort of thing?). They did run into similar problems that we found here in FL which surprised me. The county, the bank and the appraiser all had problems because their design wasn't big enough and Tudor style like the others near by and didn't have a 2 car garage. Our bank had a problem with no pool, no concrete driveway, only one bathroom and wanting to wait to add a cooling system. I have to admit I gave in a little more and sacrificed some of what I wanted (without the AC they wouldn't give us the loan and unfortunately for me they were the easiest bank I found to work with us on anything and have a decent interest rate). Without the architecture/green design experience it proved impossible to find all the knowledge and experience to build green in the way that I had hoped and so I am stuck with trying to keep as much of the project for later as I could. It's not saying what the building envelop is but some of their green ideas are in the article, "A KEY concept for the house was “to literally have no footprint,” Ms. Donohue said. The roof is engineered to sustain plants and soil to absorb rainwater. Planters with native grasses, which are embedded in the cedar deck and walkway, also help absorb rainwater while screen-covered inserts in the concrete storage units allow floodwater to flow in and out. “There’s the idea that nature is running through the building,” Mr. McKean said. Other features include tigerwood flooring certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, a vegetable wax finish, a water-conserving toilet, an on-demand water heater and in the bathroom a solar tube — a type of skylight that intensifies natural light — to use in place of a regular electrical fixture."

Labels: cost, design, prefab

From the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center, "The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center has received Platinum LEED ® Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Following a rigorous assessment, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program awarded the Legacy Center 61 points of 69 possible points, more than any other building yet rated in the world." Elements like Photovoltaics, Earth Tubes, Radiant Floor, Wood Heat make up the renewable energy systems. Also, here are some low tech solutions for energy savings from the site:

Low tech solutions yield about half of our energy savings:

Of the energy used by conventional buildings, half typically goes to heating, cooling, and lighting.

Bringing in daylight reduces interior lighting needs.

Higher than standard levels of insulation in the walls and ceiling keep the building cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than typical insulation would.

Promoting cross ventilation—and providing windows that open and close—allows air to flow freely and allows us to turn off the mechanical ventilation equipment.

Overhangs allow the sun in during the winter yet block the hot sun during the summer.

A “thermal flux zone” reduces heat flow between the main office and the outdoors.

Altogether, savvy design reduces the work load on the mechanical systems, and the smallest, most-efficient equipment was selected to do the job.

Labels: building envelopes, design, Energy, materials

Click to enlarge.

It is day 3 of the site clearing. Everything that needed to go has gone and the site is being leveled with a swale running along one side of the house closest to the neighbor. The house corners have been pegged (not yet officially) and it seems massive but then when we picture the room walls within it doesn't feel that big at all. It is basically two pods. The main part of the house is the rectangle which is 1600 sf. The square pod is 400 sf. It is marked as storage but we will finish it later into a guest suite/3rd bedroom. I'll have freedom and more knowledge to try to incorporate some of the features of the prefabs and green homes I admire. I'd like to try to keep the square pod off the grid even though it will be connected to the main space through a shared doorway. Haven't quite thought that one through yet. Basically it would have its own water and power sources set up. I want to be able to try some of these systems on a small scale.

Labels: design, Energy, floorplan, siteplan

For the LEAFHouse, "Apricus water heating tubes provide all the hot water for the house, including the hot water for the radiant floor.

The tubes absorb the sun’s radiant heat in an insulating layer of air-evacuated glass. A vacuum is an excellent insulator, allowing LEAFHouse to make hot water even when it's cold outside.

While the outside of the tubes are cool, the inside the tubes can exceed 300º F. There is a pipe connecting the tubes to various appliances that require hot water throughout the house. The tubes eliminate the need for an electric or gas water heater.

Labels: design, Energy, water

I am going to end up disecting the Leaf House because it has most of the cutting edge technology in place and working together with the design. They provided the green wall sponsor ELT Living Wall Systems. This is a Canadian company but the website offers all sorts of information about how, why and what to do with some great example photos. At the Link is a list of all the sponsors that helped with the Leaf House.

Labels: design, landscaping, materials, Nature, water

I was hoping in the future to have a green wall vs. the green roofs.. University of MD won 2nd place in the 2007 Solar Decathalon. If I could have their LEAFHouse- shipped here and put on our lot I'd be happy to move in. They explain everything they've used and done on their website so I'll have a reference for all the details. They use their exterior green wall for rainwater mitigation. "In typical housing developments, water from rooftops and paving is allowed to run offsite; storm sewers must be constructed to carry the water to the nearest body of water, carrying with it all the contaminants it picks up along the way. The LEAFHouse includes a rainwater management system that minimizes run-off and the associated environmental impacts.

Rainwater collection at LEAFHouse is a multi-layered system. At the roof level, downspouts collect rainwater that, at the post-competition site of LEAFHouse, will be directed to a cistern from which the water will be used for garden irrigation. The Green Wall will likewise act as its own downspout, directing water from the roof down to a rain garden. Finally, our decks are equipped to catch the rainwater that passes through them and direct it to a cistern for on-site non-potable uses (irrigation, car-washing, etc.)."

Labels: building envelopes, design, interiors, materials, water

In thinking about how to do the best we can with what we have in terms of budget, knowledge, materials and subs who could work with those materials. I am going to throw all of that out of the window and look at what makes up the mkLotus^TM. We won't be able to do all of it now but maybe we could do some of it later: (The mkLotus^TM list is below with my comments for each in quotes)

- Green "living" roof
"The slope of our roof lends itself to the possibility of a few solar panels someday and also solar water heating. However, I have heard of green "living" walls although I don't know how practical they would be. There is the side of our house that will receive the most sunlight daily and with very limited windows. If it is possible I'd like to experiment with green walls on that side at some point in the future."

- 100% solar generator power
"future goal"

- Rain and groundwater catchment system
"We won't have irrigation needs because everything is going to be native. However, we will have a vegetable garden and so we can install rain barrels to catch water from the roof to use for this purpose. I am not sure if we'll ever have a cistern but we'll start with the obvious options first."

- Gray water system: collected water from sinks and shower is recirculated to toilets
"Should be able to integrate these options as I mentioned here in a past post."

- Exterior siding: low-maintenance, long-lasting integral color cement board and FSC certified wood
"For us this would mean Hardiboard and we simply can't afford it, we'll be doing stucco in gray."

- Sheathing and floor + ceiling framing: FSC Certified Wood
"Because of cost- TBD."

- SIPS wall assembly (Structural Insulated Panels)
"This one we couldn't navigate through or afford up front. It would have been a company called E-Wall.

- High performance, energy efficient spray-in open cell foam insulation
"I desperately want to use soy-based spray foam but once again the cost is a killer."

- On-demand water heater
"We'll be going tankless."

- Energy Efficient HVAC System
"We'll have this one covered as well."

- Double pane, Low-E, wood windows and glass doors with aluminum cladding
"We'll have impact windows with a gray tint to reflect the sunlight, Low-E pushed the windows out of our budget. However, we tried our best at passive, solar design."

Labels: building envelopes, cost, design, materials, prefab, water

Before we actually left Brooklyn to move to FL, we had heard of Michele Kaufman and loved an earlier design, The Glidehouse. I had a post entitled, "Prefab We Can't Have". It's the odd thing here in FL because prefab isn't really going to stand up to strong winds and the other factors that play into a sub-tropical climate. If it were up to us, we would already be living in the Glidehouse but that model was not available to or recommended for FL. That was when we investigated the Rocio Romero LVL model which was designed to withstand 150 mph winds. The problem was it was still a stick frame house of basically particle board and stud sections. Basically we would have paid a few thousand dollars to have sections of lumber shipped from Perryville, MO. These would then have to be treated for termites and mold and then filled with insulation. By the time we would have custom designed the elevated level we needed for FEMA and fortified the prefab structure, the seemingly safe, sound prefab was going to end up being around $250 sf. It was at that point that we left the idea of prefab behind and just designed our own house. Kaufman's new design featured at the West Coast Green Conference is, however, very inspiring.

Labels: design, prefab

Not only stating her case but the video also highlights something we got into back in the early days with our first architects. You can use Google Sketch Up to place your home in its actual site and see how it fits in. My old architects were able to pick a time of year and a time of day to see how the sunlight ran across the house to better plan the passive solar design. I haven't yet been able to figure that one out and it may only be available on the paid version. Visit Google Sketch Up.

Labels: cost, design, prefab, siteplan, software, water

Our contractor said our house looked like a refrigerator box. I can see where he is coming from. I mentioned that we had considered the container house (here's one someone built in Canada) so this wasn't a far stretch. We placed high operable windows along the bathrooms and kitchen because we are hoping the breeze coming through the glass doors openings along the waterfront will help circulate the hot air through the house and up out of those windows.

Labels: design, floorplan, interiors

The BHG software I've been playing with offers furnishing options to place in the rooms. You can control the measurement exactly of your furniture and make sure everything fits. I've done a few rooms specifically but we don't have a lot of stuff and if we do we'll donate it. One of the things we want to accomplish overall, is to clean house and live with less. I know the bedrooms seems tight but they do open up to the outdoor space as well. We had a revelation that we never spend anytime in our bedrooms except to sleep and change our clothes. So we devoted more sq footage to the areas where we spend most of our time.

Labels: design, floorplan, interiors

The NY Times, offers some info on how to reduce insurance premiums.

"FLORIDA

Vacation homeowners qualify for discounts if they add hurricane protections to their homes, said Teri Johnston, the president of Fair Insurance Rates in Monroe, a consumer advocacy group based in the Florida Keys.

Hurricane shutters and improvements that help strengthen roofs are on the checklist of “hurricane mitigation additions,” or improvements that can shore up a home and trim insurance costs. By taking those measures, Ms. Johnston said, “you can lower premiums by 45 percent” off the highest rates."

They also provide a website, The Institute for Business and Home Safety www.ibhs.org which offers some guidance as to how you can protect your home from all sorts of natural disasters in general. Since our house will be built to the updated building codes and we'll have impact glass a lot of this is already covered for us. We'll be raised and reinforced although nothing is ever hurricane proof of course.

Important to point out about the roof is that it will slope. It will be 8ft high along the kitchen and bathroom side and it will be 10ft where it ends on the other side at the end of the lanai. This should further help the indoor/outdoor feeling as one large space.

Labels: design, floorplan, insurance, weather

In this new direction of working with the contractor, a draftsman and have an architect sign off on everything for submittal to the Building Dept. I began worrying that I wouldn't have enough of a solid picture of how things would actually look based only on floor plan and elevations. I came across Better Homes and Gardens, Home Designer Pro. It allows a 3D view of your floor plan, you can add furniture, fixtures, landscaping etc. I am also trying to tap into some CAD functions to offer even more insights. So far everything looks like I want it to look but for the sale price plus the rebate, the software was worth the investment.

Labels: design, floorplan, landscaping, software

Although we feel that our first design wasn't that over the top at 2200 sq ft, it was just too custom to make sense in cost. With a prefab you can have more control over cost as what you see is what you get and also everything comes with the purchase price. I should be getting the standard set of plans in few days. We will only be making minor changes to the standard layout. The other issue is the required elevation of the building. These pictures are of the first LVL home built which was named Luminhaus by its owners. Rocio Romero is the architect that created the design. You get a lot at 1453 sq ft... It sounds small but the layout has 9ft ceilings throughout and we've come up with a perfect solution to add some extra space
as well. Hopefully this will be the one that works out and we'll finally have a place to call home.

Labels: cost, design, prefab

So we've been off task for a while but a lot has been going on behind the scenes. We were at a stand still while we kept the dream alive of affording our first design idea. The official numbers have come back and it is twice what we had wanted to spend. A bit discouraged I went back to Kit Homes Modern, a book by Ima Ebong that we received before we left Brooklyn. The problem at the time was that none of the prefabs mentioned in the book addressed the hurricane issue. After a new investigation of these options, we did indeed find a design that now offers a hurricane model that withstands up to 150mph winds... and we love the design. We've decided to start fresh with Rocio Romero LLC as the architect and the manufacturer of this prefab kit home.

Labels: design, prefab

One of the solutions could be to add a loft space to save on the elevated slab size. The house is also less sq. ft. overall. What we do like is the roof top garden which could really enhance our view out over Gottfried Creek. We don't like the layout as much and as the original house was only 2200 sq ft to begin with we really didn't want to go any smaller. What we really love about the first design was that it didn't sprawl too extensively but still felt very spacious in the layout.

Labels: design

The 3D online design world gets more and more interesting and more and more cohesive. Our house design was put into Google's SketchUp which allows us to move around and through the design. We can also watch the sun rise and set and see how the light plays through the house at anytime of the day or any time of the year. This a great tool to check the passive solar design with actual sunlight. For more details, I've been playing with Ikea kitchen planner to get ideas for how some specifics will look in our kitchen. Now Whirlpool has its appliances on Google's 3D warehouse almost ready made to slot into SketchUped, Ikea planned kitchens everywhere. Visit a new site to me, Ogleearth.com with all the details.

via archinect.com

Labels: appliances, design

The NY Times highlights a green home in Mount Hood, OR. I was actually surprised to learn that there aren't more LEED certified green homes in the country. There are hundreds of applications in the works, however. Some other things I learned were the added benefits of net-metered solar. "Some green-built homes do not tap the local utility grid at all. But many experts argue that being on the grid is actually a greener practice. Tapping into already-built power and water systems takes fewer resources than, say, maintaining new generators and batteries for solar energy systems." We are going to be sizing up our design to the LEED checklist and see where we stand so far.

Labels: design

Archinect posted a link to The Happy New House which according to the website is, "A “new millennium” single-family home -- remodeled from an existing mid-century dwelling -- highlighting bang-for-the-buck design forwardness + a sensitivity to family dynamics." The site is unique showing its cool virtual concept coupled with the work-in-progress photos of the nitty gritty.

Labels: blogs, design, prefab, websites

Inhabitat posts its top 10 in the LEED-H category of Innovative Design. To highlight one of relevance to us is Building Integrated Photovoltaic Technology (BIPV). "BIPVs can be used as façade, roofing materials like shingles, and can even be integrated into glass windows! Because they actually form the building’s envelope in addition to generating energy, they reduce material use and all of the environmental impacts associated with transporting and discarding excessive building material, in addition to the whole energy conservation thing." The Building Solar website offers this pitch. "Imagine the electricity-generating device has a long lifetime and low maintenance costs with no moving parts, noise, emissions, or fuel lines. Now imagine that this device is actually the walls, roof, and windows of your building-the same structure that keeps out the rain, heat, snow, and cold. It's not Science Fiction! It's Building Integrated Photovoltaics, and it is a very real part of building construction today."

Labels: design

Groovey Green mentions the lost importance of something as simple as shade from trees. Much of sustainable, green building design draws from the days when home builders had to consider their building environment as is. Shade from trees was a big helper to the need for cooling. The post offers a few specifics such as: "According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the proper placement of as few as three shade trees will save an average household $100-$250 in energy costs each year." Also: "Deciduous trees, those that lose their leaves in the fall should be planted on the south and west side of the home. (or north and west sides in the southern hemisphere). These trees will provide shade in the spring and summer when you need it most. By fall and winter when the sun is lower in the sky the leaves are gone and the sun can shine through. Be sure to shade all hard surfaces such as driveways, patios and sidewalks to minimize landscape heat load." It's the specifics of placement and types of trees etc. I need spelled out now and again. The post provides some straight forward info. There's also a related article at msnbc.

Labels: design, Nature

We've found our architect finally. We will be working with Terry Osborn of Osborn Sharp Associates, who designed The Florida House over 10 years ago. We are very excited to get started. The design emphasis will be on passive sustainability. Some of our inspirations are The Glide House, Edison's FL Winter House, and the Cracker style elements of which Terry used in The Florida House design. The philosophy is that historical homes worked better with nature. We are looking for an eclectic mix of old and new. The best thing about this for us is that we have so many more options than what was available over 10 years ago. Terry mentioned he was influenced by Buckminster Fuller and we thought that was a good sign.

Labels: design

greener Miami was nice enough to send along this think to The Florida Solar Cracker House. It looks like they did what we want to do although we don't know how far off the grid we can go. We also like much of the look of the house. Elizabeth Seiberling, the owner speaks about the house. "The house is not connected to the utility grid. We have a Clivus Multrum composting toilet and are not connected to a public sewer or septic tank. Although we used well water, we have built a 3000 gallon cistern which can be used to collect rainwater for all household water needs. Why did we do this? Primarily, we hoped to demonstrate that humans can live in a comfortable and pleasing home while attempting to minimize their negative impact on the earth. The design and building of the home was an exciting challenge that was in progress for over 10 years." Have a look at the Link.

Labels: cost, design, websites

The Southeast Building Coalition, SEBC, sponsor an annual building awards event covering 12 states. Sarasota's Vision Homes won for it's distinctive sustainable design. This is exactly what we don't want our house to look like. It looks like all the new homes being built in FL to us. However, Vision Homes used most of the latest green building innovation. Vision's Savannah III model, also known as the Home Builders Association of Sarasota County's "Tech House," won an Aurora and a Grand Aurora in the Demonstration Model Green Home category. Built in the Trillium subdivision off Sarasota's Proctor Road, the 2,684-square-foot house uses the latest technologies to reduce energy consumption, conserve resources and promote indoor air quality. Features include a study, theater room and hurricane safe room. The best thing is that the Tech House is a model home and we can visit for more ideas. See the full article at the Tribune or visit Vision Home's Tech House at the Link.

Labels: design

This is a shot from the Edison's main house to a bedroom on the left. Now this would be enclosed with screens but we love the idea of a separate room still viewed as part of the house based upon its sharing of the deck/porch/lanai/veranda. I didn't know these people but Edison is quoted as saying something like, "[when you are working you work and when you are playing you play- no point in confusing the two.]" He also liked that fact that while partially deaf it was OK because it kept out distractions from his work. He credits his success to having no clocks in his laboratory so he would nap and eat not based on schedule but based on when he physically felt he needed it.

Labels: design

So far, The Glidehouse by architect Michelle Kaufmann is the perfect prefab for us. The problem is they don't do FL and they DO blow down. We can certainly pick up on some of the design elements. The Glidehouse is different from many Prefabs because she uses green materials throughout. The prefab idea is still a good idea if we can find something in the FL area. We love the layout though so we are using it to help us plan how we'll be moving around in our new place once it's built. See more about The Glidehouse at the Link.

Labels: design, prefab

Brad Pitt seems to be very into a green future. In June I posted info about the PBS's e2, the Economics of Being Environmentally Conscious which he was involved. From a heads-up from of friend, the Today Show this morning spoke about a competition he is sponsoring to build green in New Orleans. At the Link, you can review the finalists, vote and see the interview. They are set to announce the winner in August. Also, visit the competition's other sponsor globalgreen.org. They offer info like, Ten Tips for Greening Your Home and an Eco Glossary.

Labels: design

Although we aren't in this price range, a June NYTimes article (at the Link) highlights secondary home owners going green mostly out of guilt that they waste so much energy in their primary residence. Instead of retrofitting what they have, they are putting that money into building green from scratch. Although this house is 2 hours outside of Chicago, the article has a few comments from people in various locations stating their stand on what it means to be green. "Here in Manhattan, we have no control over the heating or the insulation or the windows in our apartment," said Mr. Messerschmidt, 46. "And I can't afford to buy a hybrid car. So we use organic cleaning products and eat organically, and in High Falls, we're trying to be as green as possible — do the best that we can with what we've got."

Labels: design

OK last reference to the Newsweek article but it's chock-full of the feeling that everyone is going green based on common sense. When Jeff Martin, a program manager for Microsoft, set out to build a sustainable house near Charlotte, N.C., he specified something that looked like a house, not "a yurt, or a spaceship, or something made out of recycled cans and tires in the middle of the desert." He turned to Steven Strong, a Massachusetts-based renewable-energy consultant who says he "fell in love" with solar energy when he realized that "you could put a thin sliver of silicon, with no moving parts and no waste, in the sun and generate electricity forever." Strong designed an unobtrusive solar-cell array on the roof of Martin's conventional stucco-and-stone house to provide free electricity, and a sun-powered heater that produces so much hot water Martin can use it to wash his driveway. "We never run out," Martin boasts, "even when my wife's family comes to visit over Christmas."

Labels: design, Energy

This to us is a little like a mini-McMansion but worth investigating. The owners have a nice before and after of both Ivan and Katrina at the Link and show the vacation house still standing- good sign. The house is in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Dac-Art are hollow blocks filled with concrete and are shipped to be built as a modular wall system. This photo shows hurricane proof shutters on the windows. We like this idea but are not sold on the look of this house and would need to learn more on how environmentally friendly this material could be.

Labels: building envelopes, design

Southwest Florida is not immune to the McMansion crisis plaguing these United States. This place is huge and sits right on Lemon Bay. It is a good marker, however, if you happen to visit by boat. Just hug to the right of this behemoth and you'll be heading up Gottfried Creek to our place.

Labels: design

If you guessed Ikea, then at least we know their key marketing technique has paid off- naming products names no one can pronounce (ok, so maybe only in the US). The BoKlok prefab house is actually named after the Swedish phrase for "smart living." As soon as we thought prefab, Mr. Gottfried thought Ikea. This is an example of prefab that wouldn't be very smart for us as soon as the wind came through. Also, I can't seem to find if these are offered in the US officially yet.

Labels: design, prefab

We had been ignoring prefab housing kits as an option because we assumed they would blow away even in tropical storm winds. While googling hurricane proof prefab houses, Mr. Gottfried came across the 12 container house designed by architect Adam Kalkin. This house also came up in the book "kit homes modern" by Ima Ebong we received recently as a gift. The NYTimes article at the Link explains the idea thoroughly with a great slide show as well. We are so excited to think about actually taking this road as it uses recycled materials and I assume could be implemented further with green systems. Who knew a container shed so much light?

Labels: design, prefab

I think the biggest challenge is where we are going to find an architect who can navigate all the green design aspects, stay within our budget and have an insight into the overall look of the house. I feel like I'd like to hire someone who is just fresh out of school because they may be more in touch with using green systems etc and not cost a premium as there would be a learning curve perhaps. At this point, we really don't know where to start. The NY Times seems to hit this nail right on the head.
"Indeed, the notion of sustainable design -- balancing architecture's emphasis on style and structure with the creation of buildings that protect the environment, human health and save resources -- presents a challenge."

Labels: design

Something we are going to do as soon as we reach FL is visit The Florida House. This is more along the lines of consumer friendly education. A place you can actually walk in and see for yourself how one house was put together green. This is a nice way for the lay person to get their head around some simple design concepts- The cupola above the great room area...provides light; promotes whole house ventilation; draws and ejects heat and humidity from areas that produce the most - the kitchen, the laundry room and the bathroom. We want to do something a bit different aesthetically overall but this cupola idea seems standard, useful and appealing. To gain hands on insight into some general and affordable green building ideas helps us to start to understand choices and technology at the same time.

Labels: design