Tag: single family
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Net-Zero Solar-Powered Start.Home Could Transform Green Home Building
Since ground broke on the Start.Home, the students who are designing and building the Stanford University entry in the 2013 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon have been learning their way around the construction site from five Carpenters Union instructors. CU is a Platinum-level project sponsor, joining other companies like DIRECTV, Intel, General Electric, Applied…
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A Room with a View: Lakeside Vermont Home Minimizes Overall Energy Load and Maximizes Solar Gain
Built with recycled and salvaged materials from a dilapidated and deconstructed cottage that was already present on the 0.35 acre lot, the west side of this 2,000 square foot home faces Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont. Sweeping views of the lake are broken only by a granite fireplace. Following the original footprint of the cottage,…
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Green Building Links Indigenous Americans to Past with Key to Future
In a recent article on Indian Country Today Media Network, journalist Nate Seltenrich covered the sustainable building initiatives of several Native American tribes who were the country’s “original green builders.” Through efforts to improve upon substandard housing and economic hardships, indigenous populations are returning to traditional methods of home construction while incorporating modern technologies. Contemporary…
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Earthship Farmstead Receives Passive House Certification
Kaplan Thompson Architects were challenged by their clients to build a farmstead home in the mountains of Virginia that could not only meet standards for Passivhaus and LEED, but include a roof on which sheep could graze. The solution: Earthship Farmstead is a house that is nestled in the east-facing hillside with a floorplan that…
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Try Before You Buy: Tiny Cabins by Hobbitat at Ecotourism-Friendly Blue Moon Rising
Recently featured on Tiny House Talk, tiny home builder, Hobbitat, was started just over a year ago by Maryland custom home builder and historic restoration specialist, Bill Thomas. Since 1995, Bill and his wife, Sue, had been designing and building homes as Blue Sky Ventures and, in 2011, they began constructing little buildings with reclaimed…