Green building is becoming an international phenomenon and many home plans now come standard with energy efficient building envelope features that were once an added cost. As building codes change to improve efficiency, designers push the envelope of what it means to have a green home. We take a look at homes that expand the boundaries of green buildings with these extraordinary eco-friendly homes.
US builders breathed a collective sigh of relief this month as they hailed the end of the housing slump. While some areas are experiencing a slow increase in new builds, others are seeing a sharper improvement with November 2012 seeing as many new single-family homes and apartments being built as July 2008; an increase of 3.6% from the previous month. This increase in activity has caused a labor shortage that innovative builders are overcoming by using tablet computers to streamline their builds.
Shipping containers are ubiquitous and well-travelled. They are shipped from port to port and can contain anything from potato chips to luxury cars. Containers need to be made of tough stuff in order to sustain their utilitarian lives of international travel, stacking, storms at sea and loading and transport stresses. It’s this very strength that has made them the perfect candidates for some very surprising uses.
Architects and designers often struggle with glass. They understand the benefits of allowing natural light into a building such as improved happiness, reduced absenteeism, increased productivity and lower employee turnover, not to mention the aesthetic appeal that large windows bring. However, these large glass spaces leach heat in winter and allow the summer sun to toast unwary occupants. With smart windows, designers don’t have to choose between form and function; they can have them both.
‘Warm air rises and cold air rushes in to take its place’ was a mantra I learned as early as elementary school. And it’s true that left to its own devices, hot air does rise. But it can also sink, move horizontally or even do a perpendicular shimmy. This warm air mambo is caused when differences in indoor and outdoor air pressure affect air in surprising ways. This phenomenon, known as the stack effect, is being used to great effect in green construction to naturally ventilate green buildings.
The construction methods of old, where every artisan conducted their work in isolation, are a thing of the past. The linear approach to building prevents participants from sharing common design goals and objectives.
As the functionality of buildings become more integrated and harmonious in order to be more efficient, so construction has evolved to follow suit. Integrated design is a process where all the participants in a build will plan, design and work together from conception to completion.
