Marq Magazine - October 2008

Twin Cities experts share eco-friendly home design trends.

SUE JACOBSON
Vice President, Lake Country Builders, Ltd., www.lakecountrybuilders.com

MICHAEL LANDER
Founder/President, The Lander Group, www.landergroup.com

RACHEL MALONEY
Owner/President, Natural Built Home, www.naturalbuilthome.com

CINDY OJCZYK
Owner/Designer, Simply Green Design, www.simplygreen.design.com

MARC SLOOT
Architect, SALA Architects, Inc., www.SALAarc.com

GREEN-AWARE
If you build it green, will they buy? The answer, increasingly, is yes. Today’s green design includes more than Energy Star appliances and reclaimed materials. From green certification programs to the environmental benefits of low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint and using recycled or sustainable building materials, everyone is more aware of the benefits of building green today.

Maloney: The level of general consumer knowledge has increased greatly over the last couple of years.

Ojczyk: There’s an understanding that it goes beyond energy. People are more aware of green as it relates to building.

Lander: There’s broader awareness about climate change and the need for strategies around that. The built environment contributes to about 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

Sloot: We try to help people understand green starts way before materials. Green starts with design.

FULL SPECTRUM: GREEN AS A SYSTEM
Green design and architecture look at the home as an ecosystem. Green design uses window placement to maximize natural daylight and cross-ventilation, while minimizing the energy to heat and cool. Indoor air quality, resource efficiency and energy efficiency are considered as pieces of the same puzzle.

Recycled porcelain tiles.

Jacobson: The house works as a system. Energy-efficient heating and cooling, along with foam and recyclable-product insulation combine with highly energy-efficient windows.

Lander: Green is expanding beyond energy efficiency to a broader context of healthy houses because a lot of materials in the past have off-gassing and toxins. It’s about air quality now, too.

Sloot: It’s the idea that we do live in a global ecosystem. We’re one of many billions of species in this ecosystem and we depend on it.

Ojczyk: There’s greater value placed on architectural and design services to get everything in order. We look at how everything fits into a system from a budget and design standpoint. Going green is about systems thinking.

GREEN MATERIALS
Green building materials offer reduced maintenance, greater design flexibility and energy conservation. From the fun of retro linoleum, which is made with natural substances and lasts up to 30 years, to the health benefits of using water-based finishes and low-VOC materials, it’s all good. Another variable is a product’s embodied energy: the energy used to manufacture and ship a product. It can create a greener-than-thou conundrum.

Lander: It gets quite complicated when you consider arguments around embodied energy. Could a granite countertop made in St. Cloud be better than a recycled product from further away?

Maloney: Paint manufacturers are looking at the total healthy aspects of the paint and not just VOC content. There’s no reason for people notto be painting with healthy paint.

Look for products that have zero volatile organic compounds.

Sloot: Metal roofing and metal siding are used more frequently now. It’s so much more durable and doesn’t need replacement. When you do take it off, you can recycle it.

Concrete floors are a very green approach. By letting it be the finish material, the need for an additional finish material is eliminated. The greenest material is the one that never got used.

Jacobson: We try to suggest buying local andForest Stewardship Council-endorsed products.

Ojczyk: We look at the green attributes of the product and how that product fits into the system: It could be budget, air quality, the house itself. Does the product contribute to the global factor?

CONSERVING RESOURCES
Green design means conserving precious energy, water and other resources. Tight building envelopes save fuel. Rising energy costs are accelerating the development of alternative heating, cooling and ventilation systems. Green products save on utility bills while helping the environment. Think dimmer switches, LED and compact fluorescent lighting (CFL), ultra low-flow and dual-flush toilets, as well as low-flow showerheads and residential use of motion-sensor faucets.

Conserve water with low-flow fixtures and dual-flush toilets.

Maloney: With a dual-flush toilet, an average family of four can save about 60 percent of its water usage over a regular low-flow toilet.

Ojczyk: There’s a lot more discussion about how you build the best wall system — what’s known as the building envelope — insulation and air sealing to keep air from escaping.

Jacobson: LED lighting products have improved, providing a nice, energy-efficient, long-lasting light. We’re seeing that in recessed can fixtures and under-cabinet lighting.

With the rising costs of energy, geothermal heat pumps are providing a good return on investment and gaining in popularity.

Lander: Reorganizing land use reduces the need for dependence on autos. We need to reduce vehicle miles traveled and build communities in a different form.

Sloot: The Green Rating system looks at sustainable site development, water conservation, energy efficiency, materials and indoor air quality. A fixture that conserves hot water, for example, scores points in water savings and energy savings.

Loft photo by Aric Larson.

All products courtesy of Natural Built Homes.