Table of Contents Spring 2008

NEW + NOTABLE

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  New and Notable

  The latest green building products, including a hybrid water heater, eco-friendly wood, Energy Star-rated range hoods, an ultra-low-flow toilet, weather barriers, and much more.

   

CASE STUDIES

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  South of Market: LEED-certified Folsom + Dore Apartments in San Francisco Combine Affordable Housing with Sustainable Features

  If you’ve bought into the belief that building green, and especially to LEED standards, is only affordable at the upper end of the housing price spectrum, take a good look at Folsom + Dore Apartments in San Francisco. The 98-unit rental project on a half-acre brownfield site offers reasonable, long-term lease rates to a mix of low-income residents—including former homeless and disabled folks living far below the city’s stratospheric average income level—with a shining example of how sustainability extends far beyond a building’s shell and component parts.

   
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  Good Neighbors: K2Urbancorp Offers LEED-Certified Homes in Tallahassee, FL

  Mass-media showcases of green building would lead some to believe that sustainability is achieved only in ultra-modern, ultra-high-end, glass-and-steel homes and high rises. But as certification programs continue to proliferate, more and more communities are popping up in traditional styles and sizes that prove that going green doesn’t have to mean stepping outside buyers’ comfort zones.

   

REVIEWS

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  VOC-free Paints and Natural Paints Provide Eco-Friendly Options With Comparable Performance

  Natural and VOC-free paints are gaining ground as Earth-friendly options that deliver comparable performance to conventional coatings.

   
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  Geothermal Heating and Cooling Systems Are a Viable Alternative to Traditional HVAC

  Geothermal heating and cooling systems are earning their reputations as a viable alternative to traditional HVAC.

   
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  Dishwashers Combine Energy Efficiency, Water Conservation, and Premium Cleaning

  With a range of options for Energy Star–rated appliances, recycled content, and low-VOC finishes, the kitchen is one of the easiest places to go green. And you can bet it’s the most noticeable. One place to start is with one of the most visible energy hogs in the room: Cycle by cycle, the dishwasher motors away to heat, spray, and drain the water necessary to remove those baked-on, caked-on, stuck-on foods.

   

EDITORS' NOTE

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  Make Every Day Earth Day by Taking Your Green Knowledge and Practice to the Next Level

  It’s been 38 years since the first Earth Day, and while there’s no doubt it served as a wake-up call, most of us hit the snooze button when we heard the first alarm and are now finally waking up. This includes most of the housing industry.

   

ECOUPDATE

• Home-Size Debate Builds

  City planners and politicians in Boulder, Colo., are debating whether size and sustainability can live together under the same roof, and if they have their way, homeowners may soon face a limit on just how big their homes can be.

   

• Light Fantastic

  LED (light-emitting diode) lamps are starting to come on strong as a comparably efficient, long-lasting alternative to the current green leader, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), but without the mercury and subsequent disposal issues. And while some inherent challenges with color, heat, and consumer awareness have kept LEDs from reaching the residential mainstream, the benefits are promising and are driving intense R&D.

   
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  Coming Soon: Modec Zero-Emissions Work Truck

  Don’t let the futuristic exterior fool you: The Modec electric work truck offers the performance pros need in a commercial hauler—just not the same atmosphere-clogging pollution.

   

• Green R&D: Smart City

  Regional utility company Xcel Energy chose Boulder, Colo., as its first Smart Grid City. This makes the town a test bed for an innovative energy management pilot program that will help Xcel increase its electrical distribution efficiencies and provide customers unprecedented home-energy management options and real-time data that’ll help them reduce their costs.

   
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  Beazer Homes Commits to Green

  eSMART Homes program becomes standard nationwide.

   
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  McElroy Custom Homes Builds Houses with Tight Envelopes, Healthy Indoor Air

  Most builders know by now that as homes have gotten tighter, indoor air quality has declined. Brian McElroy is proving you can have it both ways.

   

BUILDING SCIENCE

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  Improve Indoor Air Quality With Whole-House Ventilation

  Whole-house ventilation isn’t just a good idea, it should be a standard feature in your homes. Here’s how it works.