One of the most popular features of the National Green Building Conference & Expo, the Green Building & Technology Tour takes place on May 1, the first day of this year’s conference, and will include stops in Salt Lake City and the new mountain resort town of Park City at several new homes, a remodeled home and an award-winning sustainable development.

“There is simply no better way to improve your business than to walk through high-performance homes to learn what leading builders and remodelers are doing to build a great product,” said NAHB Immediate Past Chairman Bob Jones.

“This once-a-year tour offers conference attendees the opportunity to see what their colleagues in the industry are doing and to gain insights they can use to enhance their own building practices,” he said.

Attendees who take the tour can talk to the builders first-hand about the rationale behind the design and the green building standards they used and how they are beneficial to the owners.

The tour is conducted by bus and no individual driving is permitted due to parking limitations. 

Homes and developments on the tour include:

• Daybreak
  
  Daybreak, a master planned community in Salt Lake City, won Community of the Year honors in the 2010 Best in American Living Awards. The mixed-use community was developed by Kennecott Land of South Jordan, Utah.
  
  Daybreak has a planned build-out of 20,000 homes on more than 4,000 acres and represents a city within a city to accommodate significant growth in the rapidly developing Salt Lake City metropolitan area in a responsible, environmentally friendly manner.
  
  Each of the community’s five villages contains a variety of residential types — from urban loft style condominiums in Soda Row, to the Parkway Townhomes, to single-family and estate-style homes.
  
  The architecture varies from modern to traditional, with many homes featuring neoclassical and Victorian architectural styles, creating a pedestrian friendly and varied streetscape.
  
  Daybreak’s master plan is aimed at accommodating thousands of jobs in a number of commercial and service centers, ranging from neighborhood services to corporate campuses catering to regional and national employers.
  
  Daybreak is planned to eventually become a self-sustaining community, within which many of its residents can work, live and play and where those who do commute can do so by convenient and fast public transportation.
  
  
• Solaris at Daybreak
  
  The stop at Daybreak will include a tour of one of the solar-powered Solaris homes built by Garbett Homes of Salt Lake City with modern-style architectural designs from California-based KTGY Group, Inc.
  
  Aimed at the first-time home buyer, the Solaris home is Utah’s first truly affordable solar-powered single-family home.
  
  
• Empire Avenue House, Sustainable Historical Renovation
  
  Located in the heart of old town Park City, this miner’s house was renovated with the most efficient, high-end green products in mind. The home has kept its historical integrity while providing sustainable amenities such as geothermal heating and cooling, radiant flooring and high-efficiency lighting and appliance packages.
  
  Renovated by PCR, of Harrisville, Utah, the home has won awards from the Park City Historic and Preservation Society and Build Green Utah.
  
  
• LEED-H Gold Certified Home in South Jordan
  
  Combining traditional residential comfort with the value of high-performance, sustainable construction, this is among the first homes in Utah to achieve the LEED-H Gold standard set by the U.S. Green Building Council.
  
  Built by PCR, the home provides high performance and sustainability at an affordable cost — using an Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) foundation, advanced framing techniques, a well insulated envelope, sustainable interior finishes and xeriscape landscaping.
  
  
• Villa Verde
  
  Built by GreenTech Design/Build Company, Villa Verde features an open floor plan and custom design that takes advantage of a sloping lot and southern exposure to provide solar heating, natural light and inspirational views.
  
  Certified under the National Green Building Standard, the home is within walking distance of Park City’s world-class amenities — including skiing, hiking, mountain biking, tennis and swimming.
  
  Existing vegetation and slopes are maintained and enhanced with the careful placement of indigenous stone and plant landscaping, distinctive architecture and soothing water elements. Fine craftsmanship in every detail and beautiful decorating throughout complete the package.
  
  The 5,000-square-foot home has five bedrooms and five baths on three levels. Feng shui master Tom Skrenes designed the home so that it would meld green building efficiencies with Feng Shui energies.
  
  Green features in the home include: a sealed combustion heating unit, all Energy Star appliances; recycled building materials throughout; heat recovery ventilation; low-VOC paints and finishes to improve indoor air quality; low-maintenance finishes inside and out; low-flow plumbing fixture for showers, toilets and faucets; R15 insulation on all exterior walls; cold roof ventilation to limit ice dams; and recycled copper in the water features.