As this season of giving draws to a close, I ’d like to share some basics learned last Fall at the Pacific Energy Center (PG&E) . Terrific sustainable design courses (paid for out of our energy bills) were offered to anyone interested . . . and I just happened to be . . .

Fact: Air moves throughout a home . . . hot air rises drawing cooler air in behind to replace it.

How:

• Follow a breeze through a window or door;
• Open the flue in a fireplace; the stronger the draw of warmed air, the brighter the flame;
• Turn on a forced air heating system or wall furnace;
• Use the mechanical fans in Kitchens and Baths.  They continually draw air and moisture up and out of a room pulling in air from other areas of the home;

• Why Efficiency?  We need to keep a desired sustainable temperature within our living space so we don’t pay for wasteful fluctuations in our heating/cooling systems.
• Why Quality? We want to make sure the air we breathe is clean and contained within a healthy environment. Need I say more?

One of the most common locations for air  temperature difference is high up along ceiling planes where the attic space is not sufficiently sealed off from the living space below. The attic is usually vented and is essentially open to outside air. At ceiling/wall intersections, air gaps in the Gyp. Bd. as small as 1/8″ can allow air to pass up into an unconditioned attic space.  Air passes through walls along the edges of electrical outlet covers, recessed ceiling cans, bath tub framing and heating vents if, during construction, they are not properly enclosed. Replacement air may be drawn in through unsealed areas in basements or crawl spaces below. What do you have in your crawl space . . . worth the air you breathe? Perhaps you have furnace ducts . . . are they asbestos wrapped, leaking, old? Any moist soil, mold, rodent residue?

Getting a home performance test is an excellent way to find out. We tend to monitor our body health, why not sustainability for our home?

Imagine what we might learn if we color coded air movement and tracked its source within a living space. We would probably try harder to keep it pure and contained. If we could visually see the where and understand the why of air flow for both quality and temperature, we might better understand its affect on energy use and our health. Two tools used in a home performance test which demonstrate this are an Infrared camera, a thermal imaging device which shows a range of different temperatures within a room: blue being the coldest, green more neutral and red hotter. These images can be used to show areas that are not properly insulated. In the case below, the camera is locating an area that is much colder than the rest of the room.The second tool is a blower door. The blower door is just that: a powerful fan that is attached to a door. Air is blown into or out of an enclosed area for testing purposes. If the fan sucks air out of an area, it will cause negative air pressure and begin drawing available air from any location. One can then place a hand over furnace duct vents, around windows or doors, outlet covers or an open fireplace to test for drafts. Where there is a draft, there is a definite air leak in the interior building envelope and we are breathing air from that location.

I believe home performance testing is the starting point for building green. Before adding solar or taking note of the wind, we need to evaluate and perfect our building’s envelope. Conservation of energy and quality of life begins here forcing us to focus on performance in detail and understanding our living environment with an educated mind.

I recommend the following companies:

Gavin Healy of Balance Point Home Performance

Do you remember a time when you were traveling, confident in your exploration with your trusty guide book in hand? You reached for it to provide a bit of history, neighborhood details or the best meal in town? That guide book never left your side and served you in multiple ways? David Johnston’s & Scott Gibson’s book Green from the Ground Up (The Taunton Press, 2008) has become that type of guide book for me in the land of green design.

First and foremost, the book is a good read with smart content and colorful layout. Each page is chock-full of photos, detailed building illustrations and energy saving techniques. All in small packets made easy to learn. David’s own story flows like an undercurrent from page to page chronicling his journey. He began as the owner of a solar construction company in Washington DC , before moving  on to Boulder, Colorado where he become an author and trainer in green building programs.

In this book, David challenges the reader to look beyond the trendy words of sustainable architecture and building green by questioning the rationale for natural resource depletion and climate change. He encourages one to view the home as a system with interdependent parts (such as: insulated foundations; efficient windows and doors; rain screens and exterior walls). Each chapter explains green product alternatives one step at a time by using what is already on hand.

I agree with David’s perspective on green building owners. They become a part of a home’s efficiency because they take the time to understand not only how the house works, but how it interacts with the environment. David explains house orientation to the sun, indoor air quality and includes a punch list for preventing mold.

Many San Francisco Architects are committed to designing healthier building environments. I know I am. It takes time to gain experience and overcome uncertainty with new building technologies. Teaming up with experienced Contractors who are comfortable with these new methods and promote them makes the transition much easier. David fits this category perfectly and I am going to keep his and Scott’s trusty guidebook, Green from the Ground Up close at hand.

New Building System for the Construction Industry; Introduction

I propose a new method of house construction: mass production of a standardized frame and panel system with universal couplings. These could be configured  to quickly and efficiently  form a building envelope, interior walls, floors and ceilings . . . an expansive fluid building system. The standard panels would support infinite possibilities for material combinations.

Carbon Glut and Construction Waste

As I sit typing, this very moment, the sound of hammers pounding, permeates my space. Workers are renovating a house next door and I wonder . . It is a terrible waste of time, energy and materials in building houses one by one. It takes 6-9 months to build or renovate one quality home and demolition damages materials which are still in their prime. We build houses these days to be permanent, to last a life time then we go about expanding, remodeling and renovating our living environments, often on a whim. On any given day at a construction project, enormous effort is made to frame, plumb, wire, structurally sheathe, apply moisture barriers, window, door, sill and roof flashings; then install windows, doors, sills and roofs. Exterior finish materials need on site trimming, priming, painting and/or sealing. So much effort for one building envelope.

My Idea

My idea calls for a factory produced frame and panel system which could provide optimal flexibility by using universal, structurally designed couplings. These couplings would be adaptable for assembly and dis-assembly and regulated by local code requirements and climate conditions. The framing would be anchored to an engineered foundation unique to each site, and would be capable of relocation. The adaptability of the framing system would cause less site damage and preserve  the natural environment. Each panel would have the capacity to include a vertical and horizontal mechanical, electrical and plumbing chase complete with factory installed pipes, duct work and wiring. These would link one to the other, and finally to the main site utility lines offering a uniquely integrated system that could easily be accessed, unhooked, moved, reoriented or replaced in an orderly fashion without disturbing the adjacent panels. Each house would have a main “dash” or control panel which displayed all house functions (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, lighting, audio, Internet and security) all in one place for easy monitoring and maintenance. The dimensional building panels would be delivered to the site and each panel, supporting exterior, interior and insulating materials would become a floor, wall, ceiling or roof component. Ideally, the materials would be local to and assembled in a factory. Interior built-ins for kitchens and baths would be components of specific panels. Material suppliers, fabricators, window and door manufacturers, lighting designers and green building experts could collaborate as part of the factory team providing constant quality control and future innovation to the assembly line process. Features such as windows, doors, photovoltaics and living roofs could be panel integrated and ready for delivery. Every panel would be designed to be removed and returned to the factory for exchange and recycling in order to save valuable building materials and to eliminate waste. Think of the floating floors in Europe where owners, pack them up and take them along to their new environment. An endless variety of panel types could be showcased and ordered through various dealers. This system could be inclusive to all manufacturers of green technologies as the panels would be fitted with the materials. The panels could continually change as long as standard sizes were maintained. Each panel would offer unlimited possibilities for design and promote continuous innovation.