Green Building, as it
has become known, has many faces.
Green building is
about efficiency and being environmentally- friendly, and it applies
to both design and construction. Minimizing waste and making value
decisions (payback on investment) are also factors. The following
are some areas for consideration:
SITE
CONSIDERATIONS
An efficient use of the building site; preserving it's features when
possible, giving consideration to
movement of soils, trees and building orientation on the site.
BUILDING
CONSIDERATIONS
Using the southern exposure for solar gain. Minimizing heat loss at
the northern exposure. Positioning entrances away from (or protected
from) the direction of incoming bad weather. Insulation,
high-performance glass, moisture barriers and air-infiltration
products are commonplace ways of achieving more energy-efficiency as
well. Maintenance- free building materials are green products.
High-tech equipment for heating, cooling and water conservation are
more expensive "green solutions".
These are just some
of the more popular features of "green building". You can easily be
more "green" should you desire to.
I founded my firm in
1981 in the midst of a deep recession and an energy crisis. I have
been focused on efficient construction and energy-efficiency from
day one and continue to do so today. All of the projects featured in
the "Projects" section of this site contain elements of green
building.
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