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Conference Puts Green Homes on Tour in St. Louis This Month
A tour of seven green homes in the St. Louis area will be a highlight of the ninth annual NAHB National Green Building Conference on March 25-27. Advance registration closes this Friday, March 9.
 The homes in the March 25 tour, which will be led by members of the St. Louis HBA, are both new and remodeled and in various sages of construction. All have been rated or will be rated in accordance with the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines.
On the day’s itinerary:
- Sage Homebuilders is presenting the Near-Zero Energy Home with the support of conference exhibitor Owens-Corning. The home’s cottage-style façade helps demonstrate that green homes do not have to look like “a rocket ship,” said Rick Hunter, Sage’s managing partner. The home is constructed of insulated concrete foam (ICF) panels on the foundation and first floor and clad in cultured stone and fiber cement cedar shake siding.
- Vertegy Consultants and Roberts Builders will be providing a glimpse of the first home in a 28-home green development and a display of remodeled homes in various stages of construction.
- Three homes in various stages of construction will be ready for touring in the Vision Community, an infill development in nearby Kirkwood, Mo., from builder Matt Belcher and sponsor Green Builder Media. The homes showcase various green building methods and products.
- A home in the midst of a remodel using structural insulated panels (SIPs) is being presented by the home owners, Tyler and Julie Morgan, who represent Ecos Materials, a conference sponsor and distributor of Entercept, Inc. SIPs.
- The Earthways Home, a Victorian-era home rebuilt as a green demonstration house, will be on tour courtesy of the Missouri Botanical Gardens.
Attendance at this premier event for the green home building industry has increased steadily every year, and conference organizers predict record crowds later this month as interest in sustainable building techniques continues to grow among home builders, home buyers, regulators and elected officials.
The conference is geared to a wide audience, ranging from the novice to the experienced green practitioner, said Belcher, who is also chair of the annual event and president of the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri, the conference host.
The HBA launched one of the very first green building programs based on the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines when they were introduced in January 2005.
Monday morning's keynote speaker is William McDonough, the Charlottesville, Va. architect and originator of the "Cradle to Cradle" philosophy of sustainable design. He was named a "Hero of the Planet" by Time magazine for his vision of socially and economically intelligent architecture.
Two educational programs will also debut at this year's conference: an advanced track for "Houses That Work" from the Energy and Environmental Building Association, a recognized leader in green education; and a green remodeling track, with seminars on deconstruction techniques and evaluating existing structures.
A pre-conference "Green Building for Building Professionals” course now has a waiting list. This two-day course from the NAHB University of Housing provides designation credit toward the Certified Graduate Builder and Certified Graduate Remodelor™ programs and continuing education for additional certification programs.
The conference’s largest exhibit hall yet with more than 70 vendors and service providers will be open Monday and Tuesday, March 26-27, with breakfast and lunch provided.
In addition, a Saturday afternoon tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery will provide networking opportunities and a chance for attendees to get to know each other before the serious work of the conference begins, said Belcher.
To download the conference brochure and register, click here.
For more information, e-mail Calli Schmidt at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8132.
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