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?
One example is under way right now. Follow along on this site as the personal home of C.R. Herro, VP Innovation from Meritage Homes, goes from the conceptual idea of recreating the feeling of his grandparents’ house, through the choices made for high performance and design, and culminating with a stunning sustainable net-zero masterpiece, ready for vibrant living in January, 2020.
This show home project brings together the greatest minds in the building industry to redefine what it means to build green homes in today’s marketplace. The home will serve as a simple, replicable application of innovative design, progressive building science, and thoughtful green building that professionals and homeowners can follow throughout the nation.
The 2,500-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom home features products that will enable the home to be net-zero, solar powered, high performance, resilient, healthy, and intelligent.
By deploying advanced building science and superior construction techniques, the home will exemplify resource efficiency and promote occupant well-being.
VISION House Seattle Cascades: The House the Experts Built, is located in Enumclaw, Wash. (the gateway to Mount Rainier National Park, 40 miles southeast of Seattle). The home will feature the most advanced products, systems, and technologies to achieve extraordinary performance results–all at an affordable price point.
The sleek aesthetic reflects the contemporary style of Pacific Northwest, with clean lines, mixed materials, and large windows. The home boasts stunning design details, open floor plan, and innovative materials.
The open kitchen will boast energy-efficient appliances from Whirlpool, high-efficiency windows from Western Window Systems, and an LED lighting package.
The builder-architect team used passive measures such as siting and design to boost the energy efficiency of the building. The deep overhangs shown here shield windows from the sun's rays at the hottest times of the year.
Herro and McGee discuss the building science, sustainable design, and green building features of the VISION House Seattle Cascades. The off-grid, net-positive, healthy home optimizes demand-side energy management and incorporates of the most advanced green building products, systems, and technologies available on the market today. Click Thumbnail to play.
CR Herro: Considered to be one of the most advanced thinkers in the building industry, Herro has a 25-year history of successful industry disruption and new business development for multi-billion dollar construction industries, running business development, green building, and M&A groups for Vulcan Materials, Lafarge/Holcium, and Meritage Homes. Herro is VP of Innovation for Meritage Homes, where he leads efficiency, automation, renewable energy, and advanced building science programs.
Ron Jones: Internationally renowned as one of the pioneers of the green building movement, Jones has been a national award-winning green builder for over 30 years. He enjoys a distinguished record of industry service and advocacy at local, state, national and international levels, participating in the development of numbers green building codes, programs, standards, and national policy. He is President of Green Builder Media, the leading media company in North America focused on green building and sustainable living.
Stace McGee: Stace McGee has been helping clients design their dream buildings for 20 years. McGee uses his expertise in building science to integrate systems, ensuring that buildings perform to their maximum potential. He is the Founder of Environmental Dynamics, a nationally acclaimed architecture firm that provides architectural and design service throughout the United States, Caribbean, and Asian markets. A passionate advocate for green building and USGBC faculty member and LEED Fellow, he regularly presents at national and international events.
