CasaSugar

Coveted Crib: Cottage Rehab

CasaSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:57:01 -0700

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Coveted Crib: An Austin Green Home

CasaSugar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:54:00 -0700

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In the News: Rammed Earth Construction Gets Updated

CasaSugar — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:58:36 -0800

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Casa Verde: Ronald McDonald House Goes Green

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:00:20 -0700

While I may have some criticisms of LEED, the USGBC green building program, there's no question that the program is an important step in the right direction. Hopefully, thanks to green building guidelines and programs, green building will someday soon become a standard part of any construction project, and not an afterthought.

Austin, TX, has the oldest regional green building program in the country, with its Energy Star program established in 1985, and the green building program evolving from it six years later. Now, the city's Ronald McDonald House, which provides housing for families whose children are suffering from serious illnesses has been recognized for its new, healthy, and green building.

Austin is now home to the first green Ronald McDonald House in the world. It's also is the first building in Austin and only the third in the state of Texas to attain the highest level of green building recognition awarded by LEED - the Platinum certification.

To find out the green features of this house, read more.

Toxin-free building materials were used throughout construction and finishes.
Rehabilitation of a brownfield site means that no undeveloped land was used for this project.
The sod roof systems replaces greenery used in construction, while also controlling heat island effect. Rooftop gardens also are a place for guests to sit, visit, and relax.
Native landscaping reduces needs for water.
A 10.5 KW photovoltaic solar panel system will produce enough electricity for 15 of the 30 rooms.
Use of daylighting minimizes electricity for lighting while providing natural sunlight for guests.
Natural ventilation improves air quality, helping children with compromised immune systems.
Construction of air handling system minimizes shared air in guestrooms, also improving air quality.

If you're interested in finding out more about Austin's Ronald McDonald House, read all about it here.

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Casa Verde: Designing For Climate Change

CasaSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:30:14 -0700

Architect Vincent Callebaut has designed a city that floats on the ocean and can house 50,000 people. Why? Given the projections for rising ocean levels due to melting ice caps, a lot of land, especially coastlines, will be under water in the 21st century. As Callebaut explains,

According to the less alarming forecasts of the GIEC (intergovernmental group on the evolution of the climate), the ocean level should rise from 20 to 90 cm during the 21st century with a status quo by 50 cm (versus 10 cm in the 20th century). The international scientific scene assesses that a temperature elevation of 1°C will lead to a water rising of 1 meter. This increase of 1 m would bring ground losses emerged of approximately 0.05 percent in Uruguay, 1 percent in Egypt, 6 percent in the Netherlands, 17.5 percent in Bangladesh, and up to 80 percent approximately in the atoll Majuro in Oceania (Marshall and Kiribati islands and step by step the Maldives islands).

To combat this loss of livable terrain, Callebaut proposes building his rather brilliant floating cities, called Lilypads. Each Lilypad can support up to 50,000 residents, and relies on a type of design called biomimicry, which uses shapes found in nature (such as the nautilus) and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. In this case, the Lilypad design is inspired by the shape of the water lily. It is half terrestrial and half aquatic, and includes features such as lagoons that purify rainwater. The city relies on renewal technologies such as solar and wind power, and is designed to float on gulf coasts. Even cooler? The city's tiatium dioxide "skin" is designed to process CO₂ in the atmosphere, thus helping to reduce climate change.

While this city is still in the very hypothetical stage, I find it reassuring that there are architects diligently working on ways to deal with these possible issues. It's especially heartening when such a beautiful design is presented.

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This Just In: Leonardo DiCaprio To Buy Eco-Friendly Condo

CasaSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:00:26 -0700

According to New York magazine, actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio is in the process of buying a unit at Riverhouse, an eco-friendly high rise in New York City. Although the price for Leo's unit is unknown, these units usually sell for between $800,000 to $4 million, depending on the size.

Riverhouse is truly an eco-friendly high rise (and I wouldn't expect anything less in a home purchase from the eco-friendly actor). The 264-unit building was built with only nonpollutant materials and uses solar-powered energy. Its eco features include programmable thermostats, which reduce energy use, around-the-clock filtered air, and a $1 million graywater and black-water treatment facility in the building's basement. The building is attempting to achieve LEED Platinum status, the highest rating through the US Green Building Council, and also features locally quarried bluestone, recovered barn wood. low- or no-VOC adhesives, paints and carpeting, and recycled, salvaged, and biodegradable materials.

The building also includes a children's playroom, an organic bakery, an indoor 50 foot-long lap pool, and an indoor children's Light House. Leo's rep confirmed the condo purchase, saying, “Riverhouse is a prime example of how green technology is both accessible and achievable for new residential developments - it is a groundbreaking building.”

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Source and Source

Coveted Crib: Nautilus House

CasaSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:45:00 -0800

Yesterday I asked if you would live in the Nautilus house. A surprising number of you said yes (if only for a weekend's stay)! BellaDish had commented that she wanted some kitchen photos, and while I couldn't come up with any of those, I did find some cool interior shots of the home as well as a drawing of the floor plan.

The house is owned by a young family who wanted to shrug off the boredom of their prior, conventional residence and build a home that was more nature oriented. The house is built close to a mountain range, and provides great views of the peaks from the west, although it is surrounded by buildings in all other directions (and I have to wonder what the neighbors think of this crib). According to World Architecture News, "The metaphor was to feel like an internal inhabitant of a snail, like a mollusk moving from one chamber to another, like a symbiotic dweller of a huge fossil maternal cloister."

What do you think? Do you love it more or less now that you've had a peek inside?

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Casa Verde: Ikea's in the Housebuilding Biz

CasaSugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:00:11 -0800

Thanks to a heads-up from Tdamji, I was reminded of the smartly affordable housebuilding business, BoKlok. BoKlok (pronounced "book-look"), means ’live smart." Based on the idea that everyone should be able to afford quality and attractive homes that are roomy, safe, and have access to green space, the homes have an open layout, lots of light, high ceilings, and a modern look. And yes - these homes are made by Ikea.

To find out more about these homes, and to see a gallery of photos, just read more.
Ikea has teamed up with construction firm Skanska to construct these modern, flat-pack homes. The homes, which are available for sale in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and England, all come with the same package and features, including Ikea kitchens, solar panels, and energy-efficient heating. Available in either terrace-style buildings or flats, the two- to three-bedroom homes use natural materials and make smart use of space. Aimed at first-time homebuyers and young families, the homes offer an alternative to the crowded, over-expensive housing market. While the final product is yes, a little generic and overwhelmingly Ikea-like, I do like the company's commitment to green building and affordable homes. What do you think of these homes?

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HGTV's Green Home Giveaway: Enter Now!

CasaSugar — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:00:49 -0800

We reported this Fall about the HGTV Dream Home, a green home that HGTV is giving away. This beauty is located in the Florida Keys, and the prize package includes the 2008 HGTV Dream Home, designer home furnishings, and a GMC Yukon Hybrid. The prize package is worth more that $2.2 million. You can enter the giveaway contest every day up until Feb. 19.

To find out how to enter the contest, and to see a gallery of the home, just read more

Go to the HGTV site to enter.

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A Handsome Recycled Home

CasaSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:00:28 -0800

I love stories like this. Family moves into huge, inaccessible home. Family can't deal. Family moves to smaller, more central home that is within walking and biking distance to stores and schools.

The Lessner family built a 5,000-square-foot house, and then within nine months sold it and moved into a small, Cape Cod–style house. The house needed major renovation, and they went with an architect who could provide a green design while keeping the house's traditional look. The 13-month renovation began with a six-week deconstruction. The family used many of the original features and donated anything they couldn't use to Habitat for Humanity.

For green details and a gallery of photos, just read more
Green upgrades included energy-efficient tankless water heaters, additional insulation, a dehumidifier (that cuts down on use of air-conditioning), Energy Star appliances, photovoltaic solar panels for the roof, and nontoxic paints and surfaces. Many of the house's materials were salvaged, including tiles in the kitchen, hardwood floors, and windows.

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Green and Arty Home: Nowhaus

CasaSugar — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:00:25 -0800

Nowhaus started its life as a 1950s rambler home in Minneapolis. However, through the ingenuity of LOCUS Architecture group, it was given a radical new look and green identity. The house's unique exterior appearance is largely due to the translucent polycarbonate sheathing that covers it, which was chosen for its passive solar heating qualities, translucency, and color characteristics. The house uses high-performance Loewen windows, Douglas fir from sustainably managed forests, passive solar heating, a vapor barrier, and salvaged materials.

To learn more about Nowhaus and to see a gallery of photos, just read more

Located in a family-oriented urban neighborhood, the home has easy access to lakes and parks, and residents can bicycle commute to downtown Minneapolis. It is minutes away from freeways and within walking distance to schools, shops, and restaurants.

Inside, the home is filled with unique features and details and serves as a showcase for local artists. Concrete countertops, a copper shower, and a steel catwalk are only a few of the eclectic interior details.

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Home Made: A Cheap and Green Handbuilt House, Part 2

CasaSugar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 12:05:57 -0700

Earlier today I told you about Ian's home, which he built using recycled, green, and local materials. I'd hinted that his house was very inexpensive to build, but what I hadn't mentioned was that the land itself was a steal as well! Read more to find out the statistics on this pretty-and pretty cheap-green home.

Cost of materials: about $15,000 and growing
Cost of land (10 acres): $18,000
Land features: The land was logged about 30 years ago. The trees are mostly aspen and balsam fir, but the emerging groundcover indicates that the peak successional forest will be a northern sugar maple/hemlock stand, if properly fostered. I selectively logged aspen for the building, which opened up light for other species. The property has an overgrown trout stream that flows through it, surrounded by large white cedar trees.
Salvaged materials: All insulated double-paned windows; roofing (purchased third-hand); insulated doors; sinks
Heating: Wood stove and radiant in-floor heating
Insulation: R-20 in walls; R-24 in roof
Power (this house has no electricity): LP gas and 12V solar panel to heat outdoor shower (you can see shower structure to the left at the back of the house). We are also building a sauna, which will be wood heated. All of the wood we use is selectively logged from the property.
Green features: Nearly everything in this house is green and energy-efficient. It uses local materials, energy-efficient windows, insulation, and doors, has a small footprint, is easy to heat, and uses a composting toilet.
Use of the house: cabin getaway and rental property
Things I would've done differently: Build high efficiency conventional with timber accents instead of with cordwood.
Things that work out really well: My plan and design. Even though the house is only 500 square feet, it has separate and distinct rooms that feel spacious, including a sleeping loft, sun room, foyer, dining/living room, and kitchen. Small spaces require immaculate organization and regular cleaning. Each room will be painted a unique color, ceilings will be white to maximize natural lighting, we will use LP lights, and a gas fridge. I recently built a concrete countertop (in kitchen photo).

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The Greenest Building in the World

CasaSugar — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:47:52 -0700

As if I didn't have enough reason to be proud of my home state of Wisconsin-it's also now home to the greenest building in the world.
The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center has received Platinum LEED Certification, the highest possible recognition for green buildings in the United States. Following a rigorous assessment, LEED awarded the Legacy Center 61 points, more than any other building yet rated in the world. The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center is the first “net zero energy” building in Wisconsin and the first carbon neutral building certified by LEED.

Aldo Leopold was a Wisconsin conservationist and writer (and also one of my longtime heroes) who defined conservation as a way of life in which land does well for its inhabitants, citizens do well by their land, and both end up better by reason of partnership. Aldo Leopold recognized that no matter how sophisticated we become, people will always depend on the land-“the land” being shorthand for the community that not only includes and values people but also plants, animals, soils, and waters.

Some of the center's green features include photovoltaic panels, earth tubes that naturally ventilate the building, a radiant floor system, locally sourced, sustainably harvested wood, natural daylighting, and wood heat.

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