As energy prices continue to rise, more and more housing consumers in the U.S. are looking for ways to save money on home energy costs. VOA’s Jeff Swicord reports on an environmentally friendly, green building movement in the United States.

From high-rise apartment buildings to single-family homes, so-called “green building” is the hottest trend in architectural design today. Simply put, green building takes into account the energy efficiency of the design and the environmental sustainability of the materials used.

Susan Piedmont-Palladino is an architect and curator at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. She explains the concept of green building. “Green building is thinking about where it comes from and where it goes. That goes for the material as well as the energy. How are you getting the energy, what systems are you using to heat your house and cool your house? And where are the waste products going to end up?”

The National Building Museum has assembled part of a green house designed by California architect Michele Kaufman as part of its exhibit on green building. Susan Palladino points out some of its green features. “The first one to notice is this generous overhang.” Read more…

Yalick Farms, being developed on 56 acres that once produced crops sold at a stand on the other side of Memorial Highway, is the first project of its kind in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Mostly residential, the “luxury condominium village,” as one partner described it, will include a clubhouse, an Olympic-size swimming pool, tennis courts and small shops.

Lead developer J. Naparlo said Yalick Farms would not be considered unusual in the Williamsburg, Va. area, where the Plymouth native now lives.

“There are projects like this down here,” he said recently; developments that include small shops with housing above or nearby.

Partner Perry Dunford, who also is the general contractor, said the first of a planned 112 townhouses will be ready for sale within weeks. A sales office will be set up in the clubhouse and initially they will be marketed directly by the developers.

Both Naparlo and Dunford tout the building quality and amenities at Yalick Farms. Read more…

Timaru’s new $9.5 million courthouse complex will incorporate parts of the original 110-year-old courthouse.

The concept plans now out for consultation involve the retention and refurbishment of the existing 1877 portions of the building combined with a modern contemporary addition.

Offices at the North Street entrance to the complex will eventually be removed, revealing the exterior of the original court building.

Minister for Courts Rick Barker said the new courthouse complex will address issues of security, while providing areas for the public and support services. It will incorporate the latest technology and has been designed to allow for future growth.

Mr Barker said the plans follow international principles of best practice design for courthouse buildings.
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Energy plays more of a role in building and design than ever before, and it has just as much to do with health and the environment as it does with operations and the bottom line. We have entered an era in which a building’s energy productivity looms ever larger as a factor in business and global competition.

The global industrial sector accounts for 27 percent of the total projected increase (57 percent) in the world’s liquid energy demand between 2004 and 2030, as IMT noted last week based on the recently released Energy Information Administration (EIA) “International Energy Outlook 2007” report. Only the transportation sector surpasses industry’s projected demand.
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To reduce building design industry’s impact on environment, key leaders in sector are collaborating to establish carbon-neutral buildings by 2030. AIA, ASHRAE, Architecture 2030, IESNA, and USGBC, supported by representatives of DOE, finalized agreement of understanding, establishing common starting point and goal of net zero energy buildings. Agreement allows building sector to design buildings that use less energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

To reduce the building design industry’s impact on the environment, key leaders in that sector are collaborating to establish carbon-neutral buildings by the year 2030. The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Architecture 2030, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), supported by representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), finalized an agreement of understanding this week, establishing a common starting point and a goal of net zero energy buildings. Read more…

From a Marie Antoinette-themed room with faux python-covered walls to a monochromatic treescape mural depicting a misty morning dawn-themed hallway, designers from New York City to Greenwich unveiled their latest styles yesterday for the first-ever designer showhouse to benefit Greenwich Hospital.

A 10,000-square-foot 1928 French-manor-style mansion at 200 Stanwich Road got a complete makeover by 17 designers, a photographer and a muralist. Each designer was free to paint the walls, create moldings, bring in new furniture and paintings, redesign the windows, and even decorate the terrace to feature their work and create a new look for the traditional house.

Some of the designers made dramatic changes to their spaces. Some of the rooms of the dwelling went from family rooms to chic living spaces. The owners of the home, Richard and Ginna Kelly, have relocated while the Greenwich Designer Showhouse is being held. Read more…

While the Blairs squabble with the neighbours over their expansion plans, it is possible to broaden the horizons of your home with the minimum of fuss. And, as Graham Norwood writes, there’s a tidy profit to be had

Don’t tell Tony and Cherie Blair about interior designer Elizabeth Hiney. Britain’s First Couple last week secured planning permission to build a roof terrace on their house in London’s Connaught Square. But it wasn’t without complications. Neighbours were unhappy at a potential loss of privacy, possible noise and smells from the Blairs’ outdoor dining, and whether the terrace would fit in with the skyline of adjoining properties. Meanwhile, Elizabeth has created a dramatic 385 square foot roof terrace at her Cheshire home, with the minimum of fuss and without planners - or neighbours - getting involved. Read more…

When you’re building a new home, you select a floor plan and then customize it. Why not customize your building materials, too? Especially if those materials can help prevent mold, help resist storm damage, prevent floor squeaks and dents, and reduce energy consumption. These top quality products can help build a beautiful home - inside and out - with greater durability and energy efficiency:
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Home decorating on a budget doesn’t always mean having to settle for second rate. Think don’t spend. If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and get busy, you can have a house to drool over by using these budget decorating ideas. ! You don’t have to be that handy, but a few power tools will help!

1. Shelving- buy a couple of sheets of smooth particle board. Measure the desired width and length of your shelves and mark. Chalk a line down each and then saw. You’ll want to have 5 shelves when you’re done. Paint the shelves your desired color. A glossy paint is easiest to clean. Buy 8 inexpensive terra cotta pots 8” in diameter or so. Big enough so they will support the weight of each shelf, but not so large they will fall off. Decorate the pots with paint as you like or leave plain. Place one shelf on the floor for the base then 2 pots then 2 shelves, etc. TaDa! Inexpensive home decorating ideas are at your fingertips. Read more…

It’s a good time to be in construction. The sector is booming, with some 250,000 housing units going up each year. The non-residential segment is just as strong, with as least a dozen new hotels, hospitals and universities in the works. If you think the builders are smiling, the makers of building systems and materials are even happier.
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