The building industry practice of driving cost out of new home construction to the detriment of long-term durability and energy efficiency is the worst way to build a house. VISION House® Seattle Cascades demonstrates a better way.

C.R. Herro is building a sustainable house. It isn’t just his dream house; it is the culmination of all he has ever learned about home building in the 10 years he has served the residential home building industry. Currently the vice president of innovation for Meritage Homes, he knows firsthand the tradeoffs that happen between cost and value, how to educate buyers on the importance of incorporating sustainability as a system, and how total value represents a better business model.

Green Builder Media’s COGNITION Smart Data reveals the power of the consumer when it comes to IAQ purchasing.

Once the purview of builders who constructed houses for wellness evangelists or buyers with severe health issues, IAQ-equipped homes are now sought after by everyday home buyers, says new COGNITION Smart Data research: 

Green building is driven by a unique value equation that entices consumers to specify or ask for particular green products in their houses, says brand-new COGNITION Smart Data research.

Research released in July from Green Builder Media’s COGNITION Smart Data reveals that the top three variables most often associated with green and sustainable building practices are indoor air quality (IAQ), building and design practices, and quality construction. This trilogy is followed closely by variables that drive down ongoing operating costs (such as renewable energy, durability, and low maintenance).

Green Builder® Media embarks on its next extraordinary demonstration project: a stunning dream house that doubles as a template for sustainable building that pros and homeowners across the nation can emulate.

Builders and architects design houses of all kinds in this country, but given a chance to create homes for themselves, what do you think they would build?

Winners of this year’s sustainable housing competition are stunning yet highly livable residences that take net-zero performance for granted. New categories this year recognize sustainable innovation, cities, and a “superhero.”

Green Builder Media’s Home of the Year and Sustainability Awards program, now in its 11th year, recognizes the industry’s most authentic, advanced, beautiful and sustainable projects--and the professionals who design and construct them.

“Homes like these represent a perfect fusion of art and science,” says Green Builder Editor-in-Chief Matt Power. “Their extremely high performance mostly happens behind the walls, giving the lucky owners time to simply live their lives in an environment with good indoor air quality, clean water, and more than a few smart home technologies.”

The stand-out winners boast sustainable features, innovative design, whole-home performance and integration with the natural environment.

“Energy efficiency and great design don't have to sleep in separate bedrooms, the way they did 20 years ago,” Powers adds. “These homes bring passion back into the home building business. The hard work of builders embraces the inspired concepts of great architects.”

"Don't believe those who say that homes aren't built the way they used to be, Powers adds. “Take any of these homes side by side with a home from 1970 and there's almost no comparison, either in building science or floorplan. These beautiful homes are simply better built: more resilient, more efficient, with a visual wow factor.”

“We have never been more excited about our annual awards program,” says Ron Jones Green Builder Media’s Founder and President. “After a decade of celebrating the ‘best of the best’ in green building projects it is only natural that we expand the recognition to include outstanding communities, exemplary municipal programs, great products, and special individuals in sustainability. This year’s honorees have all set new standards and we couldn’t be more proud to present them.”

The winners, who will be celebrated at an awards dinner February 17 at Mr Chow in Las Vegas, are listed below. 

Download Green Builder’s awards issue here for in-depth articles on all the winners.

For interviews, high-res photography or more information, contact: Cati O’Keefe cati.okeefe@greenbuildermedia.com 513.532.0185

A featured speaker at the 2019 Sustainability Symposium: The Desert Will Bloom February 18 in Las Vegas, Bill Walton’s motivational message encourages us all to live life to the fullest while being sustainable.

In the face of nature’s power forces, creating tough housing that can handle nature’s extremes makes sense. Green Builder Media has just launched a web site devoted to the art and science of building homes that can withstand virtually anything. 

Like All Guerrilla Fighters, the Beaver is Most Effective at Night

As a building professional you know all projects have their detractors, their stumbling blocks, their screeching halts ... their beavers.

Steven King's terrifying book about cell phones (Cell) used to seem far-fetched—but research shows cellphones are indeed deadly. Don't panic. An old-fashioned wired headset offers a quick, affordable defense.

WE'VE ALL BEEN THROUGH DEAD ZONES. Engrossed in a conversation on our cell phones, we bristle whenthe call drops. An annoyance to be sure, but it turns out these may not be dead zones after all, but rather the safest places for humans to be over the long run, according to recent reports on the dangers of wireless technologies. For example, the National Institute for Science, Law and Public Policy (NISLAPP) report, “Public Health SOS: The Shadow Side of the Wireless Revolution,” details the health consequences of microwave radiation exposure from cellphones, neighborhood antennas, wireless networks, wireless routers, portable phones, and other devices. In the late summer, another report, “Cell phones and Brain Tumors,” was released by a collaborative of EMF experts. 

At the 2014 Uponor Connections Convention, company leadership talked about green building trends and how they impact the industry as a whole. 

GREEN BUILDER EDITORS DROPPED INTO Uponor's two-day convention and were treated to a special session, just for journalists. This was not intended to push Uponor's products, but rather to illustrate the company's leadership in defining industry trends and taking a peak at issues that impact all builders today.

 

No matter what siding product one chooses for a home, Progressive Foam Halfback H2O Universal Siding Insulation works with any siding, to make it more beautiful, more durable and more energy efficient. The maker asserts that it can be installed beneath brick, wood, cultured stone, fiber cement or vinyl siding.

Jeff Wieland of Wieland Builders recently switched from housewrap to Enviro-Dri, a liquid weather-resistant barrier system. “The energy code is driving us,” says Wieland, whose Fairfield, Ohio-based company builds custom homes ranging from $150,000 to $3 million.