Think Spot

For an exterior to be great, it needs to be sustainable. Where you choose to build and how you choose to site your homes present major opportunities to maximize green strategies. The life span and the material choices of a home have a huge impact on the environment as well. The longer a home will last, the high and better the intended use for the resources that went into its construction.

I recently had an opportunity to ask Mr. Rick Fedrizzi a few questions about green building. With his rich history and the role that he has played in the green building movement, it’s always a privilege and an honor to talk with Rick.

• With USGBC's prominent role as a facilitator of the green building market shift, how do you see the organization assisting in the success of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act? What are the challenges to the success of this legislation?

In the last two blog posts, I shared highlights from a talk given by building scientist Michael Blasnik at the Department of Energy's National Weatherization Training Conference, particularly the problems with inaccurate computer models in determining weatherization strategies and effective home energy improvement measures.

Still stirring from the DOE Weatherization conference, I’ll review the energy-efficiency strategies that Michael Blasnik says saves money in homes. Read my first Blasnik blog about flawed computer models that gauge energy savings. The whole idea here is that computer models are a great way to track energy-efficiency measures, but a computer is not needed for determining the upgrades that will make a significant difference in energy usage.

I’m fresh off of the road attending the US Department of Energy's National Weatherization Training Conference in Indianapolis last week. This was my first trip to the Circle City, and I was pleasantly surprised. Clean, great architecture, nice bars, including an authentic 1897 German Rathskeller beer hall (I went there twice in three days).

I’m in my mid-30s. Facebook, Twitter, Digg and the like are new concepts to me. I saw my wife reconnecting with tons of friends, which made Facebook seem like a fun and actually very powerful tool. It wasn’t really until November that I understood the extent of the power of social networking.

South of our nation’s capital, near the Navy Yard, the first phase of EYA’s Capitol Quarter project is well under way. It’s a residential rowhouse project that takes up nearly eight city blocks with mixed market rate, workforce, and subsidized rental housing. When completed, 90% of the project’s 300 units will be LEED for Homes certified. The remaining 10% will be subsidized housing units owned by the District of Columbia, which opted against LEED certification due to budget constraints.

Check out floor plans, site plan, a model and details plans of this project.

Today, I am meeting with Aaron & Calder Wilson (The Architects) for conversation and drinks. I will relay our conversation to you, at least the relevant parts, which could come fewer and farther between as the drinks continue to flow. Who knows, if it sounds good it could end up as a podcast.

Passive House Project in Asheville, N.C., Poses Many Questions and Lessons

Check out floor plans, site plan, a model and details plans of this project.

Over the next few months, I will be following an interesting infill project here in Asheville. It’s an 842-square-foot house, following the Passive House Institute standards.

Last week, I took Amtrak from Charlotte to our nation's capital with a couple of green building items on my agenda. On Wednesday, I checked out an infill green development called the Capitol Quarter in southeast Washington near the Navy Yard; on Thursday, I attended the USGBC Federal Summit at the Ronald Reagan Building. Both should be great blog fodder, so stay tuned. Before I put the cart before the horse, however, I’ll talk a little bit about my chosen form of travel.