ToolBase E-News volume 146

In This Issue:

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY EXPLORES ICF TECHNOLOGY:

According to a recent press release (04/25/06), the South Hampton Roads (Va.) affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, the Insulating Concrete Form Association (ICFA) and the Virginia Ready Mixed Concrete Advisory Council (VRMCAC) have joined forces to build the non-profit's next house using insulating concrete forms (ICFs). ICF construction, which consists of hollow foam blocks stacked into the shape of the exterior walls and filled with reinforced concrete, can withstand hurricanes and tornados, deaden outside noise sources, and greatly reduce energy costs. An increasing number of Habitat affiliates and other low-income housing providers are finding that the energy efficiency and durability benefits of ICF construction translate well for affordable housing. To learn more, read the release.

EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTS ‘FUTURE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING’:

The HOME House Project: The Future of Affordable Housing, a traveling exhibition recently held at the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota, features award-winning architectural designs for affordable single-family homes from a competition organized by the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem, N.C. According to a press release, the exhibition showcases nearly 80 innovative design approaches that use sustainable materials, technologies and methods. A recent article in Pulse of the Twin Cities (Christopher Koza, 04/13/06), describes some of the exhibition’s featured designs. Some incorporate solar cell technology, while others use more unusual innovations, such as discarded shipping containers that function as stackable designer living spaces. Other projects incorporate web-based home customization, where homebuyers customize a prefabricated unit online down to the smallest detail. To get more information on the exhibition’s designs, visit its website, read the article, or visit SECCA’s website.

NATIONAL LABORATORY TO EXPLORE ‘COOL ROOF’ TECHNOLOGY:

According to a press release (04/12/06), the California Energy Commission recently awarded $1.253 million to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) for a three-year grant to develop, deploy, and validate "cool roof" technology. These roofs can reduce cooling costs, smog and heat islands, and can lower atmospheric carbon levels. Although cool roofs are traditionally white, recent advances in technology have made other cool roof colors possible. A previous Energy Commission research project involving LBNL, Oakridge National Laboratory, and eight industrial partners, produced dark-colored roofing materials—including tiles, coated tiles, shingles and metal panels—that decreased energy usage while maintaining traditional aesthetic appeal. To learn more about cool roofs and the goals of the project, read the release.

LINE BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AND GREEN BUILDING STARTING TO FADE:

Home building is at the brink of a new era in which the line between traditional and green building is starting to fade, said National Association of Home Builders NAHB) leaders at the recent Earth Day Green Building Teleconference. According to a recent article in Nation’s Building News (04/24/06), a survey conducted by NAHB and McGraw Hill Construction found that builders who are dedicated to green building issues increased by 20 percent in the last year. The number is expected to rise by another 30 percent in 2007 to 64 percent of builders who are either heavily or moderately involved in green building projects. The increase can be attributed to increased availability of energy-efficient materials and to builder and buyer education. Additionally, when the survey asked these builders why they were building green, 92 percent said, ‘because it’s the right thing to do.” Complete survey results will be available from McGraw Hill Construction in May. For more information, read the article or read excerpts from the teleconference.

RAIN CATCHMENT SYSTEM A FIRST FOR SAN FRANCISCO:

According to a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle (Susan Fornoff, 04/22/06), a 2,600-square-foot home that that is being touted by its builders as "the greenest house in San Francisco" features the city’s first approved rooftop rain catchment system. The system collects an average of 18,000 to 20,000 gallons of rainwater a year, cleans it, and stores it in tanks below the house to be used for toilets, washing clothes, and watering the garden. The house also features several other green building technologies, including: solar panels; kitchen cabinets made of Forestry Stewardship Council certified wood; carcinogen-free insulation made from natural denim and cotton fibers; fiber cement siding; decking made from reclaimed lumber and plastic; a concrete foundation and slab strengthened with fly ash; and hemp carpets that are colored with vegetable dyes. To learn more, read the article or visit the developer’s website for a virtual tour of the home.

ZERO ENERGY HOMES OPENING ACROSS THE COUNTRY:

Three new zero-energy home (ZEH) demonstration projects are serving as templates for construction practices that can significantly reduce monthly energy bills, and provide builders differentiate themselves in their markets.

Local builders, trade contractors, and designers recently took an inside tour of the Ultra-Efficient Home, the Mid-Atlantic region’s first near zero-energy production model, which combines state-of-the-art energy-efficient features with solar thermal and photovoltaic technologies and is expected to perform about 50 percent better than a standard code-compliant home of similar size. For additional information, including a description of the home’s energy-efficiency features, read the article or visit the ToolBase Zero Energy Homes Project website.

Results from four homes in the Borrego Springs Demonstration Home Project, located in an extreme desert climate in California, will be released to the green building industry next year. The homes, which have the same floor plan and photovoltaic solar system, but use three different types of innovative wall systems and three different cooling systems, are designed to reduce energy consumption by 90 percent. For more information, read a recent article about the homes in Nation’s Building News (04/24/06), or visit the Borrego Springs website.