ToolBase E-News volume 149
In This Issue:
DESIGN TEAM PROVIDES FINE TUNING FOR OMAHA PATH DEMONSTRATION HOME:
Experts in residential design, building systems, and construction convened at the Concept Home Design Charrette earlier this month to help move the PATH Concept Home design from a prototype to a one-of-a-kind demonstration home. During the charrette, participants from the PATH program, Brighton Construction, Building Media Inc., Encompass Architecture, Lance Brown Architecture, Newport Partners LLC, Steven Winter Associates, and Torti Gallas and Partners adapted the prototype design to fit a corner urban infill site in Omaha, Neb., where the Concept Home will be constructed later this year. The group also added design features, architectural elements, and building technologies that make sense for the site and the local market, and showcase flexibility and efficient building techniques. For more information, visit www.pathnet.org/concepthome.
OKLAHOMA BUILDER CREATES ZERO ENERGY HOME WITH AFFORDABLE PRICE TAG:
An Oklahoma-based home builder has constructed a house priced under $200,000 that costs nothing to power or heat in an average year. According to a recent article in Discovery News (Tracy Staedter, 05/31/06), Ideal Homes of Norman, Okla. partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America program to construct the 1,650 square-foot zero energy house, and worked with an architectural consulting firm to use computer simulations developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The home includes rooftop solar panels and a ground-source heat pump, but also incorporates several modifications that reduce its overall energy requirements, including long-lasting compact fluorescent lights, blown-in cellulose, vinyl-framed, low-emittance windows, sealed duct work, and heat-reflecting solar board under roof shingles. To learn more, read the article. For more information on these and other technologies related to zero energy homes, visit the Zero Energy Home pages or PATH Technology Inventory on ToolBase.org.
GLIDEHOUSE COMBINES SUSTAINABILITY, AFFORDABILITY:
According to an article in the Washington Times (Jen Waters, 05/24/06), the National Building Museum's recent exhibit "The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design" replicated the Glidehouse, a mass-produced affordable home design that follows the principles of sustainable design. The full-scale house in the exhibit featured broad strategies for building and renovating homes as well as tips for going green. It presented 58 green materials, including natural clay plaster, recycled fabric wallcovering, cork wallcovering, recycled aluminum tiles, plexwood, and recycled glass tile. Glidehouse designs offer dual-flush toilets that reduce water usage, low-flow shower heads, counters made from recycled paper, and toxin-free upholstery and paint, bamboo flooring and photovoltaics mounted on the roof. On average, the cost of the Glidehouse is $132 per square foot for a house on a level lot. To learn more, read the article.
PCBC® ANNOUNCES 2006 COOL PRODUCT WINNERS:
According to a recent press release (05/19/06), 20 products have been selected as winners of the Cool Product contest, sponsored by PCBC®, a premier annual building tradeshow and exhibition held in San Francisco. The contest, which is in its fourth year, identifies the PCBC exhibitors' products that make people say, "Wow! That's cool!" One of the winners is a building-integrated solar roofing membrane that is applied directly on a building surface, and heat welded to form a smooth, waterproof, fire-rated, UL approved roof. Other winners include radiant barriers, whole-house fans, a glass railing system, innovative climate control systems, and a 95 percent efficient modulating water heater. The winning products will be on display at PCBC 2006, which will be open to attendees June 21-23 at San Francisco's Moscone Center. To learn more about the show and the Cool Product competition and winners, visit www.pcbc.com.
CLEANING WITH THE FLIP OF A SWITCH:
According to a recent article in Popular Science (Ethan Todras-Whitehill, 06/05), nanotechnology could soon enable homeowners to clean bathrooms with the flip of a light switch. Currently, coatings that use titanium dioxide (TiO2), a semiconductor that breaks down organic molecules, are being used to keep buildings free of discoloring pollution. TiO2 uses ultraviolet light to turn grease and bacteria into carbon dioxide, hydrogen and other by-products that escape into the air. Researchers at the Institute for Nanoscale Technology in Sydney, Australia are currently working to perfect a TiO2 coating that will respond to the visible spectrum provided by light bulbs and, consequently, function inside homes and reduce the need for hours of housework. To learn more about the technology read the article.
ELECTRONIC HOME OF THE YEAR FEATURES INTERACTIVE GREETER:
Electronic House magazine recently announced the 2006 Electronic Home of the Year. The 4,500 square-foot Seattle-area house features Cleopatra, an electronic personality that greets residents by name as they enter the home and announces phone calls, voicemails, emails, and deliveries that have occurred in their absence. Cleopatra appears on numerous screens and wireless PC tablets throughout the house, announces visitors, and provides weather information. It also monitors room occupancy, and switches lights, music, and heating and ventilation systems on and off. Residents can interact with Cleopatra through microphones built into the home's ceilings. For more information about the home and the other Electronic House winners, visit the Electronic House website.
