Comments on: GREEN BUILDING 101: Location & Community

By: markg

markg — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:19:50 +0000

raising the floor in the “hot and humid climates?”…hello, …damp, mold, mildew, fungus, rot, odor…and all manner of creepy crawlies. all helped by improved air circulation! …also elevates the windows and doors for more of the natural breezes, if any, and gets more of the structure off the damp ground (higher rainfalls/ general dampness)???

By: andrew

andrew — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:57:09 +0000

“There is a reason that houses in hot humid climates are traditionally raised on platforms”…. what is the reason?

By: Azzurra

Azzurra — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 03:37:34 +0000

Buon luogo, congratulazioni, il mio amico!

By: E.J. Bisch

E.J. Bisch — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 14:43:08 +0000

I enjoyed the story and comments concerning “Location and Community” but, would like to add a few more items to the checklist.
*Look up, try not to locate under high voltage power lines
*try not to locate near rail facilities
*try not to locate near hazardous material storage sites or landfills
*try not to locate near industrial sites
These areas and industries can possibily be bad for your health or well being.
Pax,ej

By: Stephen

Stephen — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 20:51:33 +0000

It’s great to see green building becoming such a hot topic of conversation. The LEED system is a great start but it’s only five years old and there are a lot of ways it could be substantially improved. Tailoring LEED for different types of development- homes, neighborhoods, existing buildings, etc.- has certainly been one positive step in the right direction. My blog tracks green projects as they’re announced and also tries to provide a constructive critique of the various LEED rating systems. It also contains links to some important green building resources. Please check it out if you get the chance- thanks!

By: Deb Lord

Deb Lord — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 17:27:56 +0000

I have purchased and am restoring an 80 year old home in the center of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico where the cost and polution (grade #6 diesel oil powered plant) of electricity is outrageous. Can you help me develop a solar and water plan for this home that won’t cost a fortune? Why is solar development still so expensive? and why hasn’t it become the primary source for power in countries that have year round sun power free for the harnessing of it? What would help this government care about it’s environment more and promote solar efficiency? I’m thrilled to get any ideas at all, I am a new ‘greenie” with a biosand water filter project here in Mexico. Thanks.

By: Fifi Henderson

Fifi Henderson — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 12:21:02 +0000

Please add me to your newsletter list!

By: Inhabitat » Blog Archive » GREEN BUILDING 101: Sustainable Sites

Inhabitat » Blog Archive » GREEN BUILDING 101: Sustainable Sites — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 04:52:15 +0000

[...] Welcome back to Green Building 101! Last week we covered how to select an environmentally responsible location for your new abode; this week we’ll begin discussing ways you can improve upon any home site. The SUSTAINABLE SITES section of USGBC’s LEED-H Program outlines various “green” opportunities for reducing the negative impact your home has on the environment. The great thing about these principles is that most can be implemented anytime, regardless of whether you’re still in the design process, or if you’ve been in your home for a lifetime. [...]

By: Kurt Thompson, KDT Const.,Inc.

Kurt Thompson, KDT Const.,Inc. — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 13:53:45 +0000

I am a custom builder in St.George, Utah of Southwest Style Homes. I have been building my homes with ICF’s and metal framing for the past six years. About a year and a half ago I bought a Spray rig and rceived the training to instal Polyurethane Foam Insulation and flat roof coatinigs. I have enjoyed the great R values and effective
R values that this product provides. Since I am in an area of the country where the sun is a real issue I plan for maximum sun control and passive solar gain. Positioning of the home on the lot is crucial for solar and visual benefits. I also take great care in protecting the naurlal vegitation on the lot and only disturbe the area of the building footprint. I enjoy what I do and appreciate your site for further info on how I can provide better value to my cliennts. Thank you.

By: Alison McDougall-Weil

Alison McDougall-Weil — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 21:54:12 +0000

Nice to see an active personal interest in this topic. However, one issue which has not come up at all is the disucssion about the city itself as a cultural/social/psychic/physical environment, and one which requires careful thought. It is sensible to use infill land; but what of the time when there isn’t any and they come to found New New York? or New London? the models for city building make massive presumptions about economic needs as a measure of human needs and community comes from public transport – the basic assumptions are always centred on what histrorians will note as ‘context’ and economists call ‘reality’.

Economic life is a big part of defining how we live, of course – but it is not the full story of realtiy. Even architecture has to have economics – hard cash money – to be built, green crediantials or not.

I’d like to encourage everyone to think about economics and the city, and I hope you’ll end up at philosophy & humanity and the city, and perhaps re-think what ‘eco’ means. If it’s a new approach to life, great. If it’s nitpicking over whether 15% is ‘enough’ energy for a building to supply of its total needs to count as green, forget it. Splitting hairs on a bald guy.

Peace, love, and modern philosphy (e.g. in its original sense – the application of ethics to practical knowledge)

Alison

By: James

James — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 15:18:26 +0000

Seeking out lots or buildings formerly used for industrial purposes seems like a potential human health issue. Bringing dormant industrial areas back to life requires circumspection; Maybe a note of caution is required.
People are often not even informed of the Pre-Renovation Ruling regarding lead; and more often, the presence of potentialy harmful industrial toxins.

Peace,
James

By: Sydney

Sydney — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 17:07:23 +0000

Kaitlin -

There is a strong, thriving Green Building community here in NYC. A lot of press goes to the big skyscrapers lately, but there are a number of smaller, sustainable projects that have gone up or are in the works. A great way to be exposed to these projects is to attend one of the Green building tours put on by Green Home NYC – an absolutely fantastic resource. Their website is: http://www.greenhomenyc.org

They also have an “ask the expert” section, where, if you’re really interested in buying a brownstone and “greening” it, they may be able to point you towards a few architects who specialize in that. As an example of a beautiful and successful green reno/convert, take a look at the Ice House in Brooklyn. There was a large article in the NY Times a few years ago. Here’s the website for an article in Metropolis Magazine:
http://www.metropolismag.com/html/sustainable/case/brooklynicehouse.html

Also, by virtue of the density and access to Mass Transit, I would wager that the majority of the homes in the 5 boroughs would much of the criteria laid out in the LEED ND rating standard. There is a statistic that people who live in NYC use significantly less energy and have significantly less CO2 emissions than anyone living elsewhere in the country.

By: Eric J

Eric J — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 14:22:18 +0000

My aplogizes, it’s the third photo from the bottom not the second.

Eric J

By: Eric J

Eric J — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 14:20:16 +0000

Nice work on breaking down the LEED categories into terms that are more relative to the masses!

I work 2 blocks up the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, CO from where the second to last photo was taken. Our office is the nation’s first LEED-CI Gold project and believe me it makes a big difference.

I spent my first 26 years in the suburbian wasteland where the auto was king and with no or little other options for transport and little or no regard for sustainability. I’ve now spent the past 11 in a forward thinking community where bike paths are the first to receive attention during a snow storm. Its refreshing to see so many waking to the need to design smarter more vibrant communities based on people instead of cars.

I look forward to your future sections!

Eric J
LEED™ Accredited Professional

By: matt r

matt r — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 12:38:03 +0000

absolutely terrific article. as a full-time ‘leed guy,’ and lifelong treehugger, it’s really hard to take leed and make it a living thing. as they say over at treehugger.com, it’s ‘design by excel spreadsheet.’ i love that phrase.

anyway, thanks, and looking forward to more.