General

Green home construction is the new age style of construction using concepts that are as old as the hills. Changing living styles in tune to the surrounding landscape is the thrust of green home construction. Artificiallly heated and cooled homes suffer the aftermath of unhealthy fumes and emissions and people are increasingly turning to natural elements like wind and solar energy as healthier options of heating and cooling.

Steel and glass that form the façade of many modern constructions have gone green because recycled steel from salvage yards and building demolition sites and glass from old glass bottles are used. Particle board made from recycled material is used for partition screens and furniture. Eco flooring made of linoleum that is made of recycled material with a jute backing or rubber flooring made with car tires are the underlying material used in green construction.

Stucco and straw bale walls are an excellent warm and eco friendly option to the conventional concrete walls. Green home construction involves using non toxic paint making the interiors of the home healthy. Please also see Green home construction is not a cheap method of construction but it gives residents long term benefits of good health, energy bill savings and low maintenance costs.

The new in thing is building green I just want to share my thought on this topic a little bit. This is not a new concept. But there is serious new interest in the topic today that there wasn’t before. What’s changed is the financial equation on the idea of building green. The real big change is the cost of heating your house. This, along with the price of auto fuel has people in a different mind set.

I believe this to be a great step forward in the environmental movement. Without a business case, it’s much harder to get people to adopt environmentally friendly policies. I’m very much interested to watch how the financial changes impact this entire discussion. In some ways, I’m predicting that we return to the 70’s where building green and saving energy was in the mainstream discussion and media. Feeds

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The Green movement has seen a considerable evolution since the early 70s. In those halcyon days of the Peace Movement, Vietnam War and the winding down of counter culture, building ‘Green’ was in its infancy. Many concept homes were designed in those early years which looked more like cave dwellings or ant hills and one really wondered whether people were actually serious about living in such homes.

Environment, ecology and living with the nature were very much a concept then, but was the domain of few people. What has changed from the 70s to the present day is that building Green homes has very much become an enterprise being seriously attempted by reputed builders and encouraged by various governments. So what started out as a popular cultural idea in the 70s, has now gained the stamp of international approval.

In the 70s there was no real professional effort at building Green homes. Designs mimicked natural designs of indigenous people without really trying to incorporate the wishes and aspirations of modern day living. There was no concerted effort at scientifically arriving at Green home designs. Modern day avatars of Green home designs follow a rigid certification code in many counties in the world. In the US, The Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) is an initiative that sets standards for Green Home designs. Countries the world over, from the West to the East have incorporated the LEED standard and in some cases their own standards. In the 70s, Green home designs tended to concentrate on ’stand alone’ projects. Today, designers approach Green home designs as full-fledged eco systems. All aspects of the environment, architecture and every avenue for using indigenous methods and recycled materials is explored in a holistic manner.

An important role in the evolution of Green home design has been brought by Science. In the 70s powerful computers were not available. Computer Aided Designs (CAD) with wind flow computations and solar capture calculations make designing Green homes far more efficient than the 70s. Even ‘greening’ of construction materials has received an impetus thanks to advances in science. Construction companies now regularly use recycled products, which are closer to nature thanks to advances of science. For example, cement an important ingredient in any construction today can be mixed with Fly ash, a waste product, which is just as efficient as original cement. As our environmental challenges increase and more and more countries recognize that it is our responsibility to conserve our resources, building Green homes has become an internationally recognized initiative. Thus Green home designs have traveled from a ‘niche’ specialization in the 70s to the mainstream of the construction business today.

Building a Green house is challenging and may well burn a hole in your pocket. A green house typically costs 0.5 % to 6.5% higher than a standard dwelling. Practically speaking, it might does not make sense investing more in a green house. However, the vital point which most people miss is a critical analysis of the future prospects of Green buildings. Governments across the world are progressively becoming more and more sensitive to environmental issues. The Green Movement is slowly but surely transforming from informal pressure groups into positive governmental action by inclusion of legislations in many parts of the world. In the United States, many states have commenced offering tax benefits for those who build green.

The green house building phenomena is gaining credibility including a premium in the real estate market. As oil inches to $150 per barrel and is slated to go up to $200 per barrel, operating costs worldwide will go up exponentially. Companies operating Naptha fired electricity plants will hike up their rates to unbearable limits. The air conditioning bills which till now seemed within limits would cross far over to the danger mark. The knock on effect on every segment of the construction business will only increase the costs. Under these circumstances, an early investment in building a green house would stand in good stead. The reasons are very clear for all to witness. According to a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study, building a green house right from the design stage can save as much as 40 percent of a building’s utility bills for heating, cooling, and ventilation. Such a prediction will make building green houses an attractive proposition in the future. A simple extrapolation would conclude that such green features would enhance the salability and price of the real estate. Future scarcity of land for housing is making the builders include green features in their ongoing projects. Thus common swimming pools, common rainwater harvesting plants, and common gardens, all green features are becoming a norm.

A day will dawn when customers and homebuyers will insist on buying a house with all green features incorporated. They may do so as government environmental laws may in near future start penalizing those who do not have Green houses. We already see the effect of Euro IV standard on the automobile industry. The same analogy may well become a reality 20 years from now for building houses. Therefore, building a Green House is a safe and a wise proposition.

Resource protection is the theme of green home building. Green home building is building sustainable buildings in harmony with nature. Greenhouse gases and other building emissions are absent in green home building and the structure can withstand the most violent of natural calamities. Using natural material and exposing the home to natural elements is the basic function of green home building. Careful planning for an energy efficient and healthy home is the root of green home building.

Light, airy homes using low energy users like fluorescent lamps and solar panels prevent wastage of energy. There is no reliance on artificial temperature alteration devices like air conditioners and central heating. Plumbing in green home building is water efficient and recycles waste water for non potable use. The focus on proper insulation and ventilation keeps temperatures of the interiors comfortable. Naturally available material like adobe, cob, soil cement and rammed earth are used for construction of walls.

Rainwater harvesting is another water efficient method adopted in green home building. Fossil fuel use for household purposes is minimized by harnessing wind and solar power in green home building. Green home building is not an expensive passing fad but a responsible style that looks to a sustainable building future.

Themes: Green home design

Green Home building from an ecological fad has become a necessity. The National Association of Homebuilders headquartered in Washington D.C. has formulated detailed guidelines for green home building. Articles The Green Home building awareness promoted by the NAHB is important because it is the trade organization that regulates and sets standards and building codes for the home builder profession. There are six important points under the NAHB guidelines that contractors are expected to follow in green home building.

The lot preparation and design should minimally impact vegetation and soil. The resources used in green home buildings should be easy maintenance and wasted material from the construction should be managed by recycling. All mechanical systems, light fittings and appliances used in a green home buildings should be energy efficient and use renewable energy. Sites. Water conservation in green home buildings is achieved by using low output fittings and recycling non potable water for outdoor use. Proper insulation and ventilation makes the homeowner save on medical and energy bills. All members of the NAHB are encouraged to educate homeowners on the benefits of green home building for a healthier lifestyle and a happier future.
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There was a time when green home construction was only a concern of the professional environmentalist. With the ever increasing costs of fuel and other forms of energy the wisdom of using green construction for buildings has dawned on the general public. Factory made green construction material to be assembled on site is a growing industry today because of the demand for green housing.

Architects can make sure that all components of a house conform to green norms in a controlled atmosphere of a factory and ensure that there material waste is minimal. Most factory green home construction components are for modestly sized homes with modestly sized rooms in keeping with the green home construction philosophy of easy maintenance. Green home construction makes gadgets unnecessary and green housing components come with properly controlled insulation to eliminate the need for artificial heating and cooling equipment. see also..

The components are not the only requirements of green home construction. A green lifestyle where the owner uses lesser water and lesser energy will aid green living within a green home construction. Making a location choice in an area which is green with plenty of trees around and close to public transport stops will help augment the green atmosphere of a green construction. Thus green construction is the wise way to be healthy and wealthy in the long run. http://greenhomes.theblogboy.com/