Living Building Challenge

The International Living Building Institute (ILBI) was launched here in the Pacific Northwest, by the Cascadia Green Building Council, in 2009 (The Living Building Challenge (LBC) was launched in 2006). The mission is "to encourage the creation of Living Buildings, Sites and Communities in countries around the world while inspiring, educating and motivating a global audience about the need for fundamental and transformative change."

The LBC seeks to bridge the gap between the ideal solution and the current solutions (aka "limits"). While other certification programs focus mostly on just the building itself, the LBC attempts to pull together the worlds of architecture, urban planning, social justice, and policy. Another thing that makes the LBC unique is that the ratings are based on actual outcomes, therefore, a building cannot be evaluated until it has been operational for a year.

One of the first certified projects, Ther Omega Center for Sustainable Living, Rhinebeck, New York 

There are four typologies for certification:

Renovation
Landscape/Infrastructure
Building
Neighborhood

These are further broken down into Living Transcet Catergories, also based on F.A.R.:
L1. Natural Habitat Preserve (Greenfield sites)
L2. Rural Agriculture Zone
L3. Village or Campus Zone
L4. General Urban Zone
L5. Urban Center Zone:
L6. Urban Core Zone

The guidelines of the LBC include seven elements, or "petals:"
Site
Water
Energy
Health
Materials
Equity
Beauty

View the complete guidelines here (warning: PDF).Click here to view all projects recently certified under the LBC:  http://ilbi.org/lbc/certified

The LBC is not for the faint of heart. All imperatives for each of the seven petals are mandatory. It asks you to not just complete a checklist (not that this is simple, either) but to consider many factors, from macro and subjective (beauty) and to micro and specific (urban agriculture). The verbaige of the guidelines may be too touchy-feely for some, but the actual manifestation of those guidelines-a human-scaled, accessible, and healthy space-will be enjoyed by everyone.

Product Review: EcoTop Countertops

Featured Product: EcoTop Countertops by KlipTech

Looking for an alternative to granite? EcoTop counter tops are a sustainable choice for solid surface counter tops, and if you live in the Seattle area, are a great local product. The counter tops are manufactured in Tacoma, WA, and were a Sustainable Industries Top 10 Green Building Product in 2008. John Klippert, the creator of Paperstone, set out to make a "more durable and more aesthetically pleasing counter top that aims to achieve higher wood fiber and resign standards." The product took first place at ASID and Interiors & Sources’ Bloom Awards in 2009-“the first composite material product to combine rapidly renewable bamboo with proprietary, clean, water-based resin.” The counter tops are made from demolition wood fiber, recycled paper fiber, and bamboo.

 EcoTop was used in the bathrooms and kitchen of the award-winning San Juan Channel House. All photos by John Sinclair, Concepia.

Here is Anna's Homeowner Review of the counter tops:

"We installed EcoTop throughout our new house and still love it.  The material is easy to work with and allowed us to create thin counter top edges that appear to float above the bamboo cabinets.  The cost was half of the estimate for Granite counter tops, but that was an opening special from EcoTop.  My only dislike of the material is the color change in the kitchen.  A simple glass of water leaves a ring. For the first month of use, I constantly oiled the counters to make it shine.  I have now settled into the idea that EcoTop is similar to Concrete and does not stay a true black in a kitchen.  The counters in our bathrooms are just fine since we are not placing food and cups on them.  This may not happen with other color choices, but the Black does not stay as Jet Black as the product photos.  When entertaining, I always oil the EcoTop and buff it with a rag.  EcoTop has proven to be very resistant to heat, scratching and crazy toddlers."

More information about EcoTop:

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/5787/paper-countertops-look-and-feel-like-stone

http://www.getwithgreen.com/2007/10/19/countertops-first-there-was-paperstone-now-there-is-ecotop/

Video of how EcoTop is made from Planet Green:

Architects should lead design/build projects

The current edition of Residential Design+Build Magazine offers an insight to the reasons we should move away from the standard design-bid-build methodology of projects and return to the age old ways of master builder, the design-build process with a designer taking the lead role. Please click on the link below to read the article:

Architects should lead design/build projects

Redesign without the Remodel: Future Wealth Creation and Sustainable Living Arrangements

Although the bread and butter of our residential work is working with homeowners who are building or remodeling, our design expertise applies just as much to thinking about your space as it does to laying out floor plans.  In September and October, each Monday design.banter will feature "Redesign without the Remodel, " since the vast majority of us are not currently remodeling our homes or building a new one. It also goes without staying that the greenest design is adapting your current home to your changing needs.  Need some personalized advice? We are always available for consulting on an hourly basis. 

During our series Redesign without the Remodel, we have been looking at how to think outsider of the drywall box, so to say, about the rooms in your house. Who says you have to use the rooms in conventional ways, if that's not what works best for you? Here's a summary of different ways rooms can be used:

• Have only one dining area
• If you use the breakfast nook as your only dining area, just add a table cloth, candles, and dim the lights for when you want a formal feel
• If you use the formal dining area as your main area, use a table cloth to protect a nice table for everyday meals
• A breakfast nook can make a great office: it's adjacent to the hub of the home, and parents can monitor homework and computer use while cooking. Bills and other clutter can stop at the kitchen/office and never make it into the other parts of the house that are used for relaxing, not working. 
• A formal dining area can also be used as a library. Add a few nice chairs and a small table to create a formal parlor area.  
• Switch your formal dining and family room areas. Make the formal dining room, usually the smaller room, into a more intimate TV watching area. Formal dining areas are usually more closed off from the kitchen than family areas-no more turning up the TV over cooking and dishwasher noises. Family areas are usually larger and may have taller ceilings, making them ideal for a combination formal dining area/library/parlor area.
• Designate just one corner or wall of a room as office space, and allow it to be closed off with a curtain or desk with doors. Office areas can also be carved out under a staircase or in a closet. 
• Let your cars live outside and use the extra 400 square feet for active space. An inexpensive shed can house tools and outdoor and sporting equipment. 
• Think of ways an existing house can generate income or provide a community resource. Create a shared home office in the garage or rarely used formal areas. Identify areas that can be rented out.                                                                      

During the presentation of our project for the AIA Seattle 2009 What Makes it Green Awards, the judges were most interested in this graphic, illustrating the built-in flexibility of the San Juan Channel House. 

The layout of the house and garage apartment allow for future wealth creation and sustainable living arrangements for the family, through rental of different areas of the house, cohousing with another family or allowing adult children a place to live while they find their way financially or take care of aging parents. There are also options for creating a home office, for the owner or for rent to others. So far, the garage apartment has proved its flexibility by acting as a temporary apartment for friends in transition, space for a temporary live-in nanny, and a home office. 

In tough economic times, or just in looking towards a more sustainable future, we may need to use our space in different ways, whether that be working from home, adding a rental unit, or sharing what was once a single family home. New homes should be designed with this in mind, but more realistically existing homes can be retrofitted to adjust to our future needs.
           

Inside the Smith Tower Penthouse

Great article from the New York Times...at least for us voyeuristic Seattlelittes!

"Who Lives Here: The Pyramid Atop Seattle's Smith Tower."

Article by Michael Tortorello

Slideshow

Existing Home Energy Analysis

We are currently designing a remodel on the west side of San Juan Island. The owner is very interested in sustainability and balancing the energy efficiency of the finished product with the desire to keep as much as possible of the existing house (and of course keep the cost as low as possible). The fact that the clients purchased a home to remodel instead of tearing it down or building new is the first step in having the most sustainable home possible. To make sure they are happy with this decision, we must complete an accurate energy analysis to ensure that they are comfortable in the home and with their energy bills, while keeping the budget intact.

The existing house has 2x4 walls, which means that the space in the wall cavities does not allow for the thickness of insulation needed for the prescriptive requirements of the Washington State Energy Code (WSEC). If a building does not meet prescriptive requirements, performance requirements must be met, which in the case of the WSEC requires component analysis for existing buildings, using their Component Performance Worksheet. This entails evaluating the existing components: the types of windows and doors, existing insulation, area of existing glazing vs. wall area. It is time consuming, but a great tool for evaluating an existing building. 

The Component Performance Worksheet is available here.  


The use of this system is great for greening existing homes. There are so many new green products and so many different choices, it can be overwhelming. You may think, oh my gosh, to make my house energy efficient, I have to take out all of the insulation, get all new windows, get a new HVAC system, etc. But you may not have to do it all to get your home up to the current standards of the energy code. 

 A high efficiency heat pump (here connected to radiant floor heat with an insulated slab) can go a long way in improving your total UA

This worksheet automatically tallies your UA (sum of the U-factor times the area) versus the Target UA based on the area and volume of the house and the climate zone. (The definition of u-factor is here. It's really technical and boring, but basically the lower the number, the better. For example, in Seattle our windows have to have a u-factor of below 0.35, while in Georgia they just need to be below 0.75). So, you can play with things until you get the number you need. For this house, it may mean that not ALL of the walls need to be upgraded to 2x6 if I choose the most efficient HVAC system and house that HVAC system within the building thermal envelope. Of course, we want to do all we can to make it as efficient as possible, but most of the time that's just not feasible, especially considering the unknown costs and potential surprises inherent in a remodel. 


Still mystified by how to green your existing home? Feel free to contact us with any questions.

Redesign without the Remodel: Formal Area Conversion

Although the bread and butter of our residential work is working with homeowners who are building or remodeling, our design expertise applies just as much to arranging spaces as it does to laying out floor plans.  In September and October, each Monday design.banter will feature "Redesign without the Remodel", with tips on how to "remodel" your home using furniture and items you may already own. Your home can have a brand new feel without ever lifting a hammer (well, except to hang a picture), since the vast majority of us are not currently remodeling our homes or building a new one. It also goes without staying that the greenest design is adapting your current home to your changing needs. Need some personalized advice? We are always available for consulting on an hourly basis.

OK, so I'm cheating a little on this one. This may require a little remodeling. Or it can just be treated as a room switch. This series has been about rethinking how we use our spaces and how they can used in nontraditional ways, in ways that work for the way you really live.

Why not make your breakfast nook the one dining area? Do you really need 2 eating tables? Not only are you paying for the extra furniture, but a mortgage on that space too. If your mortgage is $2000 per month on a 2,000 sq foot house, and your dining room is 168 SF, you are paying over $2,000 per year for a room you may only use for major holidays and birthdays. 

One idea is to have the nice table in the breakfast nook. For everyday dining, use a table cloth (and table protector if you have young kiddos). Then, when you want to create a special dining experience, take off the table cloth, light some candles and turn down the lights. You won't even notice that you're in the breakfast nook that you use every day!

If you have a breakfast bar or an area to place stools, this can serve as your casual dining area.

The formal dining room is usually the perfect size for an extra bedroom or a guest room. Instead of moving to accommodate another child or because of the lack of a guest room, you can use the rarely used formal dining room. If you don't want to get too much into the details, you can add some sliding doors, like those available from Raydoor or the Sliding Door Company, or DIY barn door sliders (where a track can be installed over the existing opening, so there is minimum disturbance).

A sliding barn door is a great way to partition off a room (with an opening too big for a traditional door) without creating remodeling dust. Photo credit.

Now to the possible remodeling part. The formal dining area is flexible because of its location at the front of the house, which opens up many possibilities for casual cohousing or house sharing. The formal area of a home can be turned into a separate room for an adult child or elderly parent. If the laundry room or a powder room are adjacent to the dining room, this opens up the opportunity to add a full bathroom. A separate entrance can be added to the front for renting out the room to a student. There is an opportunity for privacy in that the formal areas are usually separate from the other bedrooms. 

Use sliding doors to close off a home office or home office + foyer from the rest of the house. That way, the foyer can serve as an entrance for the office and the home. Photo: The Sliding Door Company.

The location at the front of the house also makes it ideal for a home office. It can be closed off from the rest of the house. A separate entry can be added, or if the dining room is off of the foyer, sliding doors can be added to close off the foyer for when clients or business associates visit. If you have employees, the can make them more comfortable in that they will have some separation from your house. In many homes, the most common entry is the one adjacent to the garage or driveway, so the front door is not often used. Extra income can be added (not to mention company during the day) if the home office is turned into a community office for other work-from-homers in the neighborhood. (See last week's entry on sharing a community home office).

GREEN THINKER NETWORK - VIRAL VIDEO

Redesign without the Remodel: Setting up for Sharing Space-Garage

Although the bread and butter of our residential work is working with homeowners who are building or remodeling, our design expertise applies just as much to thinking about your space as it does to laying out floor plans.  In September and October, each Monday design.banter will feature "Redesign without the Remodel, " since the vast majority of us are not currently remodeling our homes or building a new one. It also goes without staying that the greenest design is adapting your current home to your changing needs.  Need some personalized advice? We are always available for consulting on an hourly basis. 

One of the things I'm most passionate about in design and in my own reading and writing is sharing spaces and items. A great summary and update of the sharing "movement" can be found here (warning, it's a PDF, but well worth opening), from the online magazine Shareable: Sharing by Design.

Redesign without the Remodel has been about thinking of your space in a different way and utilizing it the way that works best for you, not just how the rooms are labeled on a floor plan. Simplifying your home to include only what you need can open up space and possibilities. 

One room with so much possibility for sharing is a garage. Unless you live in place with very harsh winters, do your cars really need a bigger room than your bedroom? The area of a two car garage can be 25% of the average home. 

Along with ear plugs and headphones, one of the cheapest ways to "remodel" your house is to purchase a remote keyless entry, which you can do for under $50, to start your car from inside the house on a cold day. For under $200, you can purchase a storage shed for the backyard to hold outdoor and sports gear. 

A garage is an ideal place for a shared community office. It's private and separated from the rest of the house, usually with its own entry. The ideal situation would be to have a powder room close by in the house. No one can agree on the temperature in an office anyway, so personal fans and space heaters can be used in lieu of central heat and air.

Getting a garage in shape for an office will take some work, but not a full on remodel-some insulation in the walls, drywall and paint. Add sweat equity from those who will be sharing the office, and you can do it in a weekend (and as soon as a phone line can be hooked up).

More and more people are working from home, and having a shared community office offers many of the advantages of working from home without many of the disadvantages, the main one (in my opinion) being isolation. Internet connection, phone lines (a business line can be a huge expense for small businesses), printers, scanner, fax machine and office supplies (ordering in bulk cheaply), and conference table can all be shared. Also, very small businesses can share an admin person that they may not otherwise be able to afford. The advantages of working from home are in tact: no commute (except a walk to the neighbor's house), casual working environment, flexibility, saving money on commercial rent. 

As with most sharing solutions, there are many possibilities of how to handle the financial aspect. This could be a great way for the homeowner to earn some extra income from rent, and it would still be more affordable than standard office space for the other participants. A co-op could be formed among members, and one person could offer their garage as neighborhood storage for shared items such as tools, or as a neighborhood workshop.

These ideas can of course be applied to other rooms besides the garage, the most ideal being a rarely-used formal living or dining space, usually ideally located at the front of the house by the entry way. 

More ideas for sharing space next week.

Further Reading: 

• Superbia! 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods, by Dan Chiras and Dave Wann. You can read my review of this book here. 

• The Sharing Solution, by Janelle Orsi and Emily Doskow, both lawyers. This book gives practical advice on sharing everything from cars to houses.

Flashback Friday: "Green" is the New "Standard"?

Originally posted October 12, 2009

A few weeks ago, we presented at the Northwest Ecobuilding Guild's 2009 annual green building slam. There was a good turn out and great projects were presented. But I had to wonder: is this just a self-congratulatory meeting of like minds? Or can we hope that it is something more?

We spend a lot of time touting our green projects. This is not without good reason, as they are "green", compared to standard building practices. But this "standard" has only been around a short time. There was a time, not too long ago, when buildings were naturally cooled, did not depend on fossil fuels for heating, no chemicals were used anywhere and all materials were local. I am not proposing that we go back to the 19th century and I do not mean to negate all of the progress we have made in life safety, sanitation and building technology. I am very thankful for my fire detector, elevator and dishwasher. But looking back at a longer, broader view of history, we are just trying to play catch up.

It may just be a matter of semantics. For instance, all food was "organic" a handful of decades ago. Now, somehow, chemical treatment is "conventional" agriculture, and agriculture as it has been practiced for generations, without chemicals, is relegated to the margins.

So, "standard" building techniques are just what we have ended up with through specialization, standardization and chemical inputs. My point is that, as individual designers and builders, it's OK to be a little bit proud of our green accomplishments, when viewed in the context of the relative price of materials and the convention of standard building practices. But in a larger context, we are just trying to fix the mistakes that we (the building profession, industry, society, etc) have made.

Designing an Affordable Custom Home

A custom home for under $200,000? Impossible, you might say. A San Juan Island couple is making it happen.

Here are some steps that each of us are taking early in the design process:

• Keep it small and maximize outdoor programmed space (this home is 1,250 square feet, with a 158 balcony and 134 square foot crows nest)
• Design using standard dimensions to minimize waste
• Use a square footprint, the most efficient shape, with clean modern lines to keep labor and material costs low (one plane shed roof)
• Use prescriptive structural design. This house is designed to use standard shear wall design with wood (no steel structural frame needed, which is often the case in those modern homes you see with walls of windows) and dimensional lumber for all beams (no large manufactured beams needed). Our goal is to show how a creative, modern design can be accomplished while employing affordable prescriptive structural design.
• Hunt for salvaged materials. As we design, the client is searching the websites of such stores as Second Use, which sells salvaged building materials. Built-ins can be key to making a small space work, and if you start looking for salvaged items early in the design process, we can tailor the design to the pieces you find, instead of the other way around. (Our San Juan Channel House, an award winning custom home built for under $190 a square foot, employed many salvaged materials).
• Prioritize your needs. We have an extensive client survey that we hand out at the beginning of any project. It asks about a typical day, dining habits, and storage needs. This allows us and the clients to focus on how they spend their time and what is most important to them. In this home, ample space is provided for cooking, canning, and drying of food. 

We are excited about this home and are really enjoying the design process of making all of the client's requirements work in the space.

Redesign without the Remodel: Space for a Home Office

Although the bread and butter of our residential work is working with homeowners who are building or remodeling, our design expertise applies just as much to arranging furniture as it does to laying out floor plans.  In September and October, each Monday design.banter will feature "Redesign without the Remodel", with tips on how to "remodel" your home using furniture and items you may already own. Your home can have a brand new feel without ever lifting a hammer (well, except to hang a picture), since the vast majority of us are not currently remodeling our homes or building a new one. It also goes without staying that the greenest design is adapting your current home to your changing needs.  Need some personalized advice? We are always available for consulting on an hourly basis.

More and more people are working from home. Even if no one in your house works from home, chances are you need a space to pay bills, check the internet, and store records. Thinking of an office as a space rather than a room save you from designating an entire bedroom or using your extra living area as an office. Below are some ideas to fit an office into an existing space.

Office under the stairs: This space may currently be an awkward closet or storage area, but it can be a great space to squeeze in an office. It can be open or closed. Below is an option for a closed office (the door will open outward and a little bit of the staircase will be exposed).

Office under a staircase in a home with typical 8' ceilings. There is room for a bookshelf and a simple desk (use an old door or plywood, cut to fit the 3' clear space, support with 2x4's attached to studs). Use the space under the desk for extra storage (boxes holding records can double as a footrest) or for the hard drive for a desktop. Paint the walls a pleasant color, and add a mirror to the wall to make the space seem larger.

Guidance from the DIY network: How to Build an Office Under the Stairs

Office at the end of a room: This idea only takes up 2'-3' of space at the end of a room. In a 12' room, that's just 24-36 square feet.  You can use a reclaimed hollow core or smooth door, salvaged counter top (my desk growing up was an 8' section of laminate counter top held up by kitchen table legs), or a few layers of plywood. Short file cabinets can prop up the desk. Run a curtain rod or wire along the edge and use a curtain to hide whatever is going on underneath. Shelves on either end can extend to the ceiling and provide storage for all of the books and DVD's in the house. A closed cabinet or glass-door bookcase can be used to hide ugly binders or paperwork. 

 Utilize the end of a room for a desk and floor to ceiling storage. If there is no window, a wire or rod can be hung and large curtain can disguise the area when not in use.

Office in a closet: If you have a guest room or spare room, you can fit a desk in the closet to create an office that can be closed off when guests come or when the room is being utilized otherwise.  If you work from home but also have kids to watch, you can put the office in the kids play area and put a mirror behind the computer monitor to keep an eye on them while you work. A deadbolt placed at the top of the drawers will keep them out. The space can then also be used for art projects and craft supplies.

Even a small closet can be plenty of room for a computer and shelving. Photo credit.

If you live in a small space, your headphones or earplugs can add virtual square footage to your home. Clever design can allow you to have a fully functional office in a small space that can be closed off when you don't want to be reminded of work.