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Architectural Angle
Making your home remodel “greener”
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE STAFF AT ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN INCORPORATED
Simply put, “green” home design seeks to apply ecologically sound principles to the practice of architecture. It seeks to maximize the conservation of energy and to employ the use of renewable, recycled and nontoxic materials in the building process. As much as possible, a green home is designed to work in sync with the forces of the natural world and to do no harm to the fragile ecosystems that surround it.
The decision to go forward with a home remodeling project is, in and of itself, a green choice. It is a choice to conserve and renew what already exists.
In a larger sense, the green movement has its roots in persistent human values that go back for generations. Many of us may remember the frugal habits of our grandparents—saving gift-wrapping paper, mending worn clothing, composting for a garden—simple practices that reflect a deep, latent respect for the valuable and limited natural resources and human ingenuity that go into the production of the things we use. But it is about much more than just frugality. We seem to know instinctively that making such choices—living mindfully—can profoundly enhance our feelings of physical and spiritual well-being.
A remodeling project presents us with an opportunity to revisit some of these basic core values, and green design strategies allow us to incorporate them into the very fabric of our homes. Every renovation project, whether the approach is green or conventional, should start with a thoughtful examination of how you and your family really live from day to day. What do you want from your home? Which spaces work for you and which do not? What are the characteristics of the home that affect your moods, emotions and health? Make an inventory of the qualities you most value in your home and the ones that you want to incorporate into your remodeling project.
Consider the natural rhythms of life, both inside and outside the home. The impact of seasonal changes, for example, are especially pronounced on Cape Cod. The most basic elements of nature—water, sun, wind, air, vegetation and terrain—affect us daily, often in ways of which we are only partially aware. These forces can bring us pleasure or discomfort, joy or harm, depending upon how we choose to interact with them. The sun can warm and illuminate our homes; wind and water can cool and soothe us. Green design looks for ways to take advantage of the simplest principles of nature, not to overcome or counteract them.
It is likely that some, and perhaps many, of the goals outlined in your personal inventory can be met with green design solutions. If you opt to incorporate green elements into your remodeling plan, as you learn more about them, you will soon see that green building choices are not black and white ones. Instead, they present an array of interrelated decisions based on many independent factors, not the least of which is the budget that you bring to your project.
Even a cursory look at the widely accepted benchmark rating systems that provide guidelines for green building, such as LEED-H, GHNE, or Energy Star, can be daunting. It will be your architect’s role to provide informed guidance to make your decision-making process manag
eable.
The concept of “embodied energy,” for example, is integral to green design. Does the amount of energy expended in the manufacture and shipping of a material exceed that which might be saved in its use in your project? Bamboo flooring is desirable not only for its beauty, but also because it is an easily renewable organic material. But what is the cost of shipment from the point of manufacture to the point of use? Another example: Though the embodied energy of steel is high, the material itself has green characteristics. It is made using a high percentage of recycled material and will be easily recyclable in the long term. The environmental cost of materials is often masked by the relative price of the product. Decisions about which materials represent “greener” choices in the renovation project may well touch upon the core values of the homeowner.
Issues of toxicity or the presence of volatile organic compounds, called VOCs, are illustrative of these often-difficult choices. For example, the high degree of toxicity of building materials made from polyvinyl chloride or PVC (widely used to make exterior siding, windows and trim) is masked by its low cost, wide availability, ease of fabrication and its ability to hold up well to weather. And durability in itself is certainly a green value. So, green building decisions frequently involve the weighing of one parameter against another. During the design process, it is the architect’s role to serve as your advocate and to help you understand such tradeoffs.
The application of green strategies to architectural design is rapidly gaining global acceptance. Many large public and commercial building projects have led the way in the development of green building technology, and the adaptation of that technology for use in residential architectural design is ongoing.
The choice to incorporate green design elements into a home remodeling project is a process that can give us deeper personal insight into the interrelated nature of all our lifestyle choices. There is comfort to be derived from the knowledge that we are living more wisely and responsibly and in better accord with the natural world. It is nurturing and restorative, providing a way to give expression to our deeply held values on a daily basis. It takes us back to our natural impulse to conserve, an impulse that has universality.
Consider the natural rhythms of life, both inside and outside the home. The impact of seasonal changes, for example, are especially pronounced on Cape Cod. The most basic elements of nature—water, sun, wind, air, vegetation and terrain—affect us daily, often in ways of which we are only partially aware. These forces can bring us pleasure or discomfort, joy or harm, depending upon how we choose to interact with them. The sun can warm and illuminate our homes; wind and water can cool and soothe us. Green design looks for ways to take advantage of the simplest principles of nature, not to overcome or counteract them.
Issues of toxicity or the presence of volatile organic compounds, called VOCs, are illustrative of these often-difficult choices. For example, the high degree of toxicity of building materials made from polyvinyl chloride or PVC (widely used to make exterior siding, windows and trim) is masked by its low cost, wide availability, ease of fabrication and its ability to hold up well to weather. And durability in itself is certainly a green value. So, green building decisions frequently involve the weighing of one parameter against another. During the design process, it is the architect’s role to serve as your advocate and to help you understand such tradeoffs.
