Green Builder Seeks Environmentally Educated Client for Sustainable Building Project
We promote sustainable building through marketing and education for both the public and building professionals. Part of our mission at the Green Building Program is to create a pool of knowledgeable and motivated building professionals who can respond to the market's demand for sustainable building. The other half of that mechanism is to create demand for sustainable building by educating consumers about green building services and products. One of the ways we provide that education is through our workshop, Green by Design (GbD).
Creating Green by Design
In 1999, after many years of providing technical consulting and training to Austin building professionals, the Green Building Program created an educational CD-Rom called "Green by Design" for the general public. The main focus of the CD is called Seven Steps to Green Building. Out of the "Seven Steps" material we created a series of presentations that eventually became our Green by Design workshop.
The goal of Green by Design is to educate people about the importance of green building — both to the environment and to them personally. Statistics tell us that 40% of the world's resources are used to build buildings, 30% of landfill waste comes from buildings, and 40% of our energy is consumed in buildings - but most importantly, 90% of our lives are spent inside buildings! Obviously, the way we build, the materials we use, and the way we live are deeply entwined. In the workshop, we explain how to make homes energy and water efficient; how to select attractive, healthier, lower-maintenance materials; how to choose high-efficiency lighting, appliances and heating and cooling systems; and how to develop a beautiful landscape that saves time, water, and money.
The workshops began in July 2001 and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The Green Building Program held the workshop twice in 2001and twice in 2002, then, based on the need and the popularity of the workshop, we decided to hold it four times a year for the foreseeable future. The workshop is taught by Green Building Program staff and is usually held at either the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center or the JJ Pickle Research Center. The workshop locations can accommodate about 100 people and, even after five years, the workshop sells out every time it is held. The workshop is very low cost ($35 per person) and includes food, the Green by Design CD, and a notebook.
Sponsoring Green by Design
Green by Design is sponsored by members of the Green Building Program — this helps us keep our costs down and provides a great marketing opportunity for members. We provide sponsors with a table at the workshop so they can display company information and answer questions. In addition, they are listed as a sponsor on the our website and on the back of the GbD notebook.
Sponsoring Green by Design puts our members in contact with about 100 people — all interested in and educated about sustainable building — but GbD can be a networking event for our sponsors as well. At least a few of our members have met at GbD and ended up working together. GBP member and builder Bobby Zirkel of Shelter Design and Construction sponsored Green by Design last year. Smith Holt, an architect who owns his own firm, attended that Green by Design as a way of getting reconnected with green building in Austin. He checked out Bobby's display and later invited him to bid on a project. Bobby was selected as the contractor for the project, a residential addition. The project ended up earning a 5-star rating and was selected to be on the 2006 Cool House Tour. According to Bobby, working with others in the green building field makes a huge difference. Projects are much easier to work on when everyone starts off from the same page.
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The Shomos
home has a metal roof, a 10,000 gallon rainwater collection system, and
a thermal chimney to help exhaust hot air.
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screened-in porch on south side of the house is used as indoor/outdoor living
space and it provides a shady buffer between the sun and house. |
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outdoor shower. The deck is an engineered wood product and on the left you
can see part of the rainwater catchment system. |
Educated Clients = Green Clients
An educated consumer is more likely to use our Member Directory to find a building professional, as in the case of Monica Shomos and her partner Ron Taylor, who attended Green by Design in June 2004. Monica was ready to build a home, and although she had no prior knowledge of green building, she felt connected to her land and wanted to be a good steward. It was important to her and Ron that they have a healthy home AND a building project that would disrupt the land as little as possible. After attending GbD, Monica used the Member Directory to choose several architects to interview. Monica said she was especially drawn to the Members with Case Studies available in the Directory. After interviewing a few members, Monica chose to hire Ben Obregon as her architect. "I responded to Ben's enthusiasm and vision, as well as his great customer service attitude," says Monica. Ben designed the house specifically for Monica's site and, now that she's living in the house, Monica says she really understands the importance of site specific design. Ben focused on three main areas in his design: site selection, insulation, and capturing the amazing hill country view. The house is nestled between several large live oaks, and as an added bonus, the windows in the master bedroom look out into the tree canopy. Ben created flow-through ventilation in much of the house. For example, a screened balcony across from the master suite allows cool breezes to help keep the second floor area cool and provides a great place to enjoy to the view. The house also has a full length, covered, wrap-around deck on the west and southwest, made of engineered wood. A separate carport on the west side of the house provides shade and creates a continuous breeze flowing over the deck area, working the same way as an old fashioned texas dog-trot. The house was built with 2x6 studs and total fill cellulose insulation in the walls, while the attic has a radiant barrier and R-30 batt insulation. Designing a specific home for a specific site has so many benefits - it helps capture what is best about the site, makes a plan for working with any challenges, and means the site and the home can work together to create the best possible outcome. Remember: it's much easier and much cheaper (in the long run) to work with Nature rather than against her.
Taking it to the Next Level
Working with clients educated about green building can make it possible for an architect or builder to take their own green building experience to the next level. Such was the case for architect David Webber of Webber | Hanzlik. David designed an extensive remodel for Mike and Linda Lessner. The remodel of the 1940's house included adding a second floor, making electrical and plumbing upgrades, and installing a photovoltaic system. After buying the home and beginning work on the plans, it became clear that they wanted to do things in a way that they could feel good about. "We had this opportunity to build our dream home and we wanted to feel good about what we were doing and do things the right way." says Linda, who attended Green by Design in 2004. Before the workshop Linda knew very little about green building; however, she quickly became a convert. The idea of re-using materials really interested her and she says that she practically haunted Habitat for Humanity's Re-Store looking for materials that could be re-used in their project. One of her best finds was enough wood to complete their new second story flooring. She also found cabinets, tiles, doors, sinks, and lighting fixtures. " It became like a game to me: what can I find that can be re-used? It was so much fun and really took me out of the 'new is better' mindset. These things had character and charm, which was just what I wanted in my home. "
David's firm was already a member of the GBP; however, the Lessner's builder, Rob Howard of Howard Builders, had never built a green home. According to Linda, he was open-minded and enthusiastic - very refreshing characteristics in a builder. Rob was interested in green building and helped her with a lot of the materials research. He has recently become a provisional GBP member.
David says that working with Linda was wonderful. "She was very focused and did a lot of the footwork and research herself. Her commitment to building green allowed us to take the project to a much higher level of sustainability." David feels that all architects should be automatically doing things as green as possible - that sustainability should be the baseline and things should only be improved from there. David says that he focuses on using high quality materials because they are usually inherently more green. "Up to a certain point, it is very easy to do green building. After that point, it is the committment of the client that takes you to the next level," says David. Green by Design gives clients a solid understanding of what it takes to end up with a sustainable project. The Lessner remodel earned a five-star rating from the GBP and was featured on this years' Cool House Tour.
More About Green by Design
Green by Design is coordinated and taught solely by Green Building Program staff, including: Richard Morgan: Program Manager; Mary McLeod: Residential Manager; Rich MacMath, Conservation Specialist; Dick Peterson, Conservation Specialist; Russell Shaver, Mechanical Engineer; John Umphress, Conservation Specialist; and Toye Goodson, Administrative Manager. Most of our staff are design, building, or landscaping professionals with many years' experience. The workshop is always held in Austin, and relates to our specific regional needs. The material covered includes: goals, priorities, integrated design team approach, site conditions, and materials and products; mechanical systems, testing, water heating, photovoltaics, plumbing, lighting, and appliances; landscaping, integrated pest management, and maintenance.
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