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Benefits of Building an Earth Sheltered Home

admin — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

An earth sheltered home is an example of sustainable living. People have been building earth-sheltered homes for as long as they have been building houses, and there are numerous examples in Iceland. In the United States, the back-to-the-land movement and the oil crisis in 1973 brought the idea of the earth-sheltered home into the mainstream. However, the idea never really materialized. Today, as people struggle with outrageous heating bills the idea of creating earth-sheltered homes is once again popular. The advent of green technology and sustainable living techniques have done a lot to foster the development of earth-sheltered homes.

Architects are always looking for new and innovative ways to create houses. Whether it is constructing a modern day tree house or designing living quarters inside a sand dune, new methods and possibilities are being explored. Sometimes, however, the best way to pave the road to the future is to look at examples from the past. The earth-sheltered house is an innovative alternative to the mainstream styles of housing. The earth-sheltered house is constructed by packing earth against the walls. The earth creates a thermal mass, and this thermal mass prevents heat loss and keeps the home at a comfortable temperature.

Five Steps Toward Becoming LEED Certified

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

LEED Certification is rapidly becoming one of the most important certifications in the building and development industry. It is highly recommended that anyone from architects to engineers to contractors become LEED certified. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) has become known as the standard for green building and construction. Green building and living has become the norm for many consumers as a way to save the planet while saving money as well. Building green homes and buildings is a career that you can be proud of.This/tag helps explain it more. Becoming LEED certified can provide you with the opportunity to work on many more projects while also giving you knowledge above and beyond your competitors.

Here are five steps toward becoming LEED certified explained to you:

First, you need to decide which level of certification you wish to obtain, the first, second or third tier. Next it is imperative that you study the information and materials relevant to the exam. The third step in obtaining your LEED certification is to obtain the hours necessary to qualify your for the certification. Fourth, find a testing center because you are now ready to take the exam. Finally, you can now enjoy your new “green” profession.

Environmental Benefits of Using Re-Claimed Materials

admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Using reclaimed materials is becoming a popular practice, as it is not only an economically sound endeavor, but also one bursting with environmental benefit. Reclaimed materials are materials that come from old structures that are often to be demolished, but still have all sorts of wood, brick, or fabric that are reusable. In fact, a lot of times reclaimed wood is better for use when building new structures, because it is more durable and has already been through years of humidity changing; this means that the impact of radiant heating systems is not as damaging to the old wood as it would be to newer wood.

Building with reclaimed materials is a great way to recycle. If these materials weren’t being used, then there would be tons of perfectly good resources filling up our landfills and being turned into harmful waste. Even more, when people use reclaimed materials to build their new structures they are avoiding the unnecessary deforestation of our environment and the over-consumption of our resources.

When you choose to build with reclaimed materials, you are making a practical choice that assists you in doing your part to protect the environment. The benefits of reclaimed materials are vast. Consider using these materials as your building materials and you will certainly be pleased with the result.

How to Decide What Building Materials to Use

admin — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

If you are in the process of building a new home and a green one at that, the choice of building material is of utmost importance. While there are many options available to the builder, one needs to consider which will truly meet construction requirements while attaining green status.

Key concerns in choosing green building materials relate to the renewable or recyclable nature of the material. Materials such as FSC woods and bamboo are responsibly harvested and can be regrown faster than traditional or damaging practices such as clear cutting. Steel framing materials are also well-regarded as they can be up to 70 recycled from older materials. In a similar vein, repurposing used materials is a very eco-friendly practice, one such example being the incorporation of old tires into the structure of a house.

Another aspect to be considered is how well the materials insulate the house as energy use reduction is a vital component of green building. Finally, in an ideal world, building materials should be sourced locally to ensure a lower carbon footprint. Builders who take into account some if not all of these concerns should be able to decide on materials that lend themselves to building green.