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First Student-Built ‘Green’ Home Follows NAHB Model
The NAHB Research Center has partnered with the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center (LCCTC) in Pennsylvania to develop one of the first homes rated under the new NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines as a field evaluation project for the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing.
The project aims to successfully combine the PATH goal of accelerating knowledge of advanced technologies to improve home performance with the school’s goals of creating a technologically advanced workforce, new markets and resources in the local economy; and meeting academic science standards.
Each year, students enrolled in the school’s building and construction program build a home as an applied learning project, and complete 90% of the trade work. Sustainable advanced building products and processes are being added to the curriculum this year.
Construction of the green home was kicked off in early October with a groundbreaking ceremony at the school’s Mount Joy campus.
The Research Center began the first phase of the project in March, working with LCCTC staff and members of the local home building industry to develop the home’s green and energy-efficient design. Submitted by a local builder, the base home design that was selected for the project already had some energy-efficient features, such as sealed ductwork and Energy Star® appliances.
Working groups examined each of the home’s systems for ways to make them greener and ramp up the efficiency. During the process, each section of the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines was considered; including lot design, preparation and development, resource efficiency, energy efficiency, water efficiency, indoor air quality, operation, management and home owner education and environmental impact.
While the home’s basic design and layout were not altered, several green and performance-enhancing modifications were added such as rainwater harvesting, optimum value engineering, xeriscaping, whole-house ventilation, recycled metal roofing, a home-run PEX plumbing system, fiber cement siding, geothermal heat pump, passive solar, low-flow faucets and fixtures and stormwater management using low-impact development techniques.
When evaluating technologies for the home, working groups also considered factors such as green benefits, first and lifecycle costs and ease of installation to ensure that the processes could be easily adopted by other builders.
The finished design for the home scores a Gold rating under NAHB’s model guidelines, with a rating of 400.
As construction of the home progresses, Research Center experts will provide ongoing technical support and training on advanced products and practices for faculty and students.
Local builders, trade contractors, suppliers and architects will also be invited to participate in training sessions, with the goal of generating local advocates of sustainable building. The home, the first of four in the project, is scheduled for completion in 2007 and will be open for tours during the Building Industry Association of Lancaster County's Parade of Homes in the spring.
The Lancaster County Green Building Community Education Project is being supported through grants from the National Housing Endowment, the BIA of Lancaster County, the Lancaster County Building Industry Foundation and the Lancaster County Commissioners' Office.
For more information, e-mail Kimberly Warren at the Research Center, or call her at 800-638-8556.
 Attend the Green Building Conference in St. Louis
Mark your calendar for March 25-27 for NAHB's National Green Building Conference in St. Louis.
In addition to education sessions, the conference will feature a property tour of green built homes in the area, the green building awards dinner and a new designation course on green building for builders and remodelers.
For more information, visit, www.nahb.org/greenbuilding.
Entry Period Underway for Green Building Awards
Entries are now being sought for NAHB’s National Green Building Awards, which recognize individuals, companies and organizations for helping to move green into the mainstream of the housing industry through their designs and construction practices.
The annual awards will be presented during ceremonies at the association’s National Green Building Conference, which will be held in St. Louis on March 25 to 27.
The awards honor achievements in seven categories:
- Advocate of the Year
- Green Building Program of the Year
- Outstanding Green Marketing Program
- Green Project of the Year — Single-Family
- Green Project of the Year — Multifamily
- Green Project of the Year — Land Development
- Green Project of the Year — Remodeling
Members are invited to submit a completed application package by Dec. 29, 2006.
For project awards, construction must have been started by June 2005 and substantially completed by December 2006.
To enter by mail, send a hard copy and a disk of the completed application. For an application form and instructions on how to send logos, project photos and other artwork, click here.
For more information, e-mail Emily English at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8366.
Get Green Building Intelligence Today at BuilderBooks.com
“Residential Green Building SmartMarket Report,” available through BuilderBooks.com, addresses the growing trends and opportunities in green home building.
The report provides the results of market research conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction and NAHB about green building in home construction.
To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.
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