Author(s): James Grayson Trulove

Home and Garden

Designs for Healthy Living

As the costs for energy and building materials soar, sustainable homes are moving into the mainstream. What makes a sustainable house a sustainable home? New Sustainable Homes will address that question by presenting a wide range of projects where the architect and client have made a conscientious effort to incorporate sustainability into the design of the home and construction materials used in its execution. The result is a home that is less toxic to live in, is cheaper to operate, and often gives back to the environment rather than taking away. Also, and this is the most important consideration for many, it is a great looking, highly livable home that not only retains its value but has been shown to increase in value more quickly than more conventionally conceived houses because of cheaper operating expenses. These designers and their clients are not on the fringe. New Sustainable Homes will show readers will learn about the many materials and techniques that make up today's sustainable house, including: 1) the use of pervious concrete on driveways that allows water to seep through to the water table below. 2) using bio-fiber panels in leiu of plywood for interior finishing 3) using organic, green roofs that improve insulation, absorb sound and manage storm-water runoff 4) solar water heating systems 5) use of high thermal performance windows 6) photovoltaic electrical systems Homes from around the country including California, Texas, Vermont, Michigan and Florida as well as internationally (particularily Australia where there is a particularly strong interest in stustainable housing) will be presented in the book by such nationally and internationally recognized architects as Pugh+Scarpa Architecture, E. Cobb Architects, James Grose, and Steven Erlich. Approximately 15 projects will be included complete with professional photography and floor plans and detailed drawings that illustrate certain sustainable features. New Sustainable Homes puts to rest the stigma that "green architecture" is unattractive and unsuitable for residential architecture. The houses shown in this volume represent design equal to or superior to most conventional houses and reveal how much the parameters of ecological design have expanded in just a few short years.