SIPA member Zero Energy Plans, LLC was one of eleven home building professionals awarded a National Green Building Award by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) during the National Green Building Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The design firm was honored along with builder TC Legend Homes for [...]
SIPA member Zero Energy Plans, LLC was one of eleven home building professionals awarded a National Green Building Award by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) during the National Green Building Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The design firm was honored along with builder TC Legend Homes for their work on a Seattle-area zero energy home that was selected as the Project of the Year in the Concept and Research category.
Built with 6-inch SIP walls and a 10-inch SIP roof from Premier SIPs, the home includes a plethora of energy-efficient features along with onsite solar generation to reach net zero energy use over the course of a year.
Read more about the home on the Zero-Energy House Seattle blog.
Published by the Forest Products Society, Wood Design Focus provides design professionals with technical articles and advancements in the field wood engineering and design. The Spring 2012 issue focuses exclusively on structural insulated panels (SIPs), featuring case studies, research, and engineering methods for SIP structures.
Guest editor Tom Williamson [...]
Published by the Forest Products Society, Wood Design Focus provides design professionals with technical articles and advancements in the field wood engineering and design. The Spring 2012 issue focuses exclusively on structural insulated panels (SIPs), featuring case studies, research, and engineering methods for SIP structures.
Guest editor Tom Williamson hand-picked two case studies demonstrating how SIPs can be installed over structural steel to reduce energy consumption in large educational buildings. The issue also includes an engineer’s perspective on the challenges of designing with SIPs, the application of SIPs over existing buildings, and the latest research on the use of SIPs in high seismic areas.
Wood Design Focus is available by subscription from the Forest Products Society.
On April 19, 2012, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) revealed their Top Ten Green Projects of 2012. The projects exemplify sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment.
The list included the Portland Community College Newberg Center, a 13,500 sq. [...]
On April 19, 2012, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) revealed their Top Ten Green Projects of 2012. The projects exemplify sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment.
The list included the Portland Community College Newberg Center, a 13,500 sq. ft. net-zero energy building constructed with Premier SIPs. Designed by Hennebery Eddy Architects, the Newberg Center is the first net zero higher education building in Oregon and a key part of Portland Community College’s mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
SIPs were part of a comprehensive energy reduction strategy that started with a passive solar design that maximizes daylighting and solar heating, coupled with concrete floors for thermal mass. Designers also incorporated a number of water-saving strategies, 98 percent natural daylighting, and passive cooling. Despite a tight public budget, the building was certified LEED Platinum.
Read more about the project at the AIA Top Ten website.
Over the course of two years, USA Today editor Wendy Koch has covered the design and construction of her family’s new custom home in Falls Church, Virginia. After deciding to downsize to a more modest-sized home, Koch arduously researched green technologies that would help save energy, resources, and decrease the home’s carbon footprint. [...]
Over the course of two years, USA Today editor Wendy Koch has covered the design and construction of her family’s new custom home in Falls Church, Virginia. After deciding to downsize to a more modest-sized home, Koch arduously researched green technologies that would help save energy, resources, and decrease the home’s carbon footprint. SIPA member Charles Byrd of IntelliStructures installed the home’s structural insulated panels (SIPs) and explained their benefits in an earlier USA today video published during construction.
The home uses 54 percent less energy than a code-built home and is expected to earn a LEED Platinum rating.
Read more at USA Today
In August of 2009, the City of Vancouver initiated the EcoDensity program, a comprehensive city plan focusing on environmental sustainability. Under the new program, owners of single family homes can construct smaller, “laneway” homes in place of a garage on the city’s numerous back lanes. The move is expected to increase [...]
In August of 2009, the City of Vancouver initiated the EcoDensity program, a comprehensive city plan focusing on environmental sustainability. Under the new program, owners of single family homes can construct smaller, “laneway” homes in place of a garage on the city’s numerous back lanes. The move is expected to increase population density in already established areas and attract more infrastructure, such as public transit.
One Vancouver area builder, LaneFab, is adding to the inherently small ecological footprint of these modest-sized homes by constructing a net zero energy laneway house. The 1,020 sq. ft. home uses SIPs from Insulspan along with a passive solar design, LED lighting, a heat recovery ventilator, and an air source heat pump to drastically reduce energy use. What little energy is required is provided by a grid-tied photovoltaic array. The home also manages to supply much of its water through a rainwater harvesting system with a 500-gallon storage tank.
Read more at Jetson Green
St. Louis, Missouri will soon be the home of the nation’s first Active House prototype. Active House USA is an innovative sustainable home being built by Hibbs Homes and Verdatek Solutions using the Active House specifications created by the Active House Alliance.
By focusing on three main sustainability factors―energy, environment and indoor climate―during [...]
St. Louis, Missouri will soon be the home of the nation’s first Active House prototype. Active House USA is an innovative sustainable home being built by Hibbs Homes and Verdatek Solutions using the Active House specifications created by the Active House Alliance.
By focusing on three main sustainability factors―energy, environment and indoor climate―during planning, construction and after the homeowner takes residence, Active House USA aims to have a positive impact on both the homeowner and the surrounding community. The immediate goal is to provide the homeowner with a cost-effective and easy to operate living space that creates healthier and more comfortable lives for occupants without impacting the climate.
To meet the energy efficiency, thermal comfort, and indoor environmental quality requirements of the Active House specifications, the home will be built using structural insulated panels (SIPs) from Insulspan. SIPs provide a well-insulated building enclosure that limits air infiltration and allows for better control over indoor air quality.
“We start at the building envelope with everything we do,” said Matt Belcher with Verdatek Solutions. “SIPs are a great way to handle both the thermal envelope and vapor barrier in one step.”
Active Houses must meet a challenging energy use requirement of between 30 and 80 kWh per square meter. But Active House takes this a step further, requiring that most energy be provided by renewable sources and by positioning energy efficiency as one part of a holistic concept of sustainability that also includes indoor environmental quality, water efficiency, and total environmental impact.
The home is also designed to be certified under four North American sustainable building standards: ENERGY STAR, EPA Indoor airPlus, Building America Builder’s Challenge, and the National Green Building Standard. By meeting and exceeding these existing certifications, the Active House USA prototype aims to help develop metrics and standards for Active Houses around the world.
For more information on Active House USA, visit activehouseusa.com
Central Oregon Community College’s recently constructed Junger Culinary Center was selected for the 2012 Commercial Wood Design Award, presented by WoodWorks. WoodWorks is an initiative to provide information to architects and engineers on the use of wood products in nonresidential construction. At the WoodWorks sponsored western Wood Solutions Fairs held throughout [...]
Central Oregon Community College’s recently constructed Junger Culinary Center was selected for the 2012 Commercial Wood Design Award, presented by WoodWorks. WoodWorks is an initiative to provide information to architects and engineers on the use of wood products in nonresidential construction. At the WoodWorks sponsored western Wood Solutions Fairs held throughout Oregon, California, and Washington, the Junger Culinary Center was recognized along with six other buildings that demonstrated innovation and excellence in wood design.
The 15,000 sq. ft. culinary center in Bend, Oregon was designed by Yost Grube Hall Architecture. It houses a large teaching kitchen that can accommodate 100 students, along with a demonstration theater and 60-seat restaurant that is open to the public.
Premier SIPs supplied 6-inch SIP walls and 8-inch SIP roof panels to help the design team reduce energy use and meet the new Earth Advantage Commercial green building standard.
Learn more at PremierSIPs or see additional photos on Flickr.
In the April issue of Fine Homebuilding, architect Linda Reeder documents the work of Make It Right, a nonprofit organization spearheaded by high profile celebrity Brad Pitt that is building 150 homes in the hurricane-ravaged Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The goal of Make It Right is not simply to [...]
In the April issue of Fine Homebuilding, architect Linda Reeder documents the work of Make It Right, a nonprofit organization spearheaded by high profile celebrity Brad Pitt that is building 150 homes in the hurricane-ravaged Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The goal of Make It Right is not simply to replace some of the 4,000 homes in the Lower Ninth Ward damaged by Hurricane Katrina, but to demonstrate how to build homes that are green, affordable, healthy, and storm resistant.
Since 2008 Make It Right has constructed 80 homes that meet the rigorous LEED Platinum green building standard. After experimenting with modular construction and advanced framing with spray polyurethane foam insulation, Make It Right settled on structural insulated panels (SIPs) from SIPs Team USA as their preferred building system.
The below excerpt quotes project architect Sarah Howell with Make It Right’s executive architect John C. Williams Architects:
The winner? For MIR, it’s SIPs, which the organization plans to use for all homes going forward. After an initial experiment with steel-faced panels, which proved expensive and difficult to install, the organization turned to OSB-faced panels made by SIPS Team USA in Bainbridge, Ga. Exterior-wall panels have a 16-in. custom extension on the outer piece of OSB that covers the floor system and eliminates the need for a rim board while providing lateral stability. The OSB sheathing is treated to resist moisture and mold. After factoring in local labor costs, material costs, and the availability of local contractors trained in SIP installation, Howell says, “we figured out that for our region at this time, SIPs are the best way to build.”
SIPs helped make the housing units affordable by reducing utility costs and improving storm resistance. All the Make It Right homes are engineered to meet the 160-mph winds of a category 5 hurricane.
Read the full article at Fine Homebuilding. They are currently offering a free trial subscription that provides access to this article and all their archived online content.
Orlando, Florida – Three members of the Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) were recognized for their exemplary energy-efficient homes at the Energy Value Housing Awards (EVHA) ceremony on February 8, 2012, during the International Builders Show. Now in its 17th year, the EVHA challenges builders to elevate standards for energy-efficient construction and [...]
Orlando, Florida – Three members of the Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) were recognized for their exemplary energy-efficient homes at the Energy Value Housing Awards (EVHA) ceremony on February 8, 2012, during the International Builders Show. Now in its 17th year, the EVHA challenges builders to elevate standards for energy-efficient construction and fosters the adoption of energy efficiency principles. Winners are selected from projects in three climate regions (Cold, Moderate, Hot) and five categories (Affordable, Custom/Demonstration, Multifamily, Production, and Existing Homes).
Of the 17 winning builders, four rose to the top of the judges’ scorecards by building with structural insulated panels (SIPs), a high performance panelized building system that helps reduce the amount of energy spent on heating and cooling.
NEXUS EnergyHomes of Frederick, Maryland took home both the EVHA Builder of the Year honors and the gold award for Production Homes in the Moderate Climate category. Their award-winning 2,710 sq. ft. home is part of a 55-unit development of net zero energy homes priced under $300,000. SIP walls are a key part of a high performance building envelope, along with spray polyurethane foam and ENERGY STAR windows. Each home also features a ground source heat pump, a desuperheater for hot water, and onsite solar generation to achieve a HERS Index of 28 (57 without solar generation).
“We spent over a year researching and analyzing all the different ways we could insulate the envelope,” said NEXUS EnergyHomes Construction Division President Mike Murphy. “We looked at batt insulation, spray cellulose, spray foam, and combinations of flash and batt, but when it really came down to it, SIPs made the most sense.”
SIPA member Scott Homes claimed their third gold award in four years for an ultra-efficient 2,066 sq. ft. home in Olympia, Washington. By building with 10-inch-thick SIP walls and a 12-inch-thick SIP roof, Scott Homes achieved remarkably low blower door test results of 0.65 ACH50 and a HERS Index of only 39, without any solar generation. In addition to SIPs, the home features a ductless split air source heat pump, a heat recovery ventilator, and triple pane low-e windows.
“Building with SIPs allowed us to have an affordable home that was over-the-top in energy efficiency,” said homeowners Matt Cooper and Eileen Ryan. “It does cost a little more to build with SIPs, but it costs considerably less to live in a SIPs home. Our electricity bills average $35 per month.”
Coupeville, Washington builder Clifton View Homes/Zero Energy Plans took home a gold and a silver award for two custom homes. The gold award was given to a 1,000 sq. ft. home in Mitchell, Oregon with a complete SIP building envelope, a ductless split air source heat pump, a heat recovery ventilator, and triple pane low-e windows. Taking full advantage of the sunny climate, the home uses a solar thermal system and a 5.6 kW photovoltaic array that provides 100 percent of the home’s energy needs, including charging an electric car. The solar generation system brings the HERS Index from 44 down to -15.
Clifton View Homes earned a second award for their 1,469 sq. ft. home in Coupeville, Washington constructed with a combination of insulated concrete forms (ICFs), SIPs, and a conventional wood frame attic. The home achieved a HERS Index of 55.
Production builder La Miranda Homes chose SIPs for its 1,950 sq. ft. Tucson, Arizona home that claimed the gold award for Production Home in a Hot Climate. The SIP building envelope combined with an energy recovery ventilator and hydronic heating and cooling system pushed the home to a HERS Index of 20 (40 without solar generation).
For more information on the EVHA winners, visit the EVHA website.
Nearly 200 visitors stopped by Eric Thomas’ and Alexandra Salmon’s open house last weekend to catch a glimpse of the first net zero energy home in Ballard, Washington. The open house marks the fruition of the couple’s goal to construct a net zero energy house for roughly the same cost of purchasing [...]
Nearly 200 visitors stopped by Eric Thomas’ and Alexandra Salmon’s open house last weekend to catch a glimpse of the first net zero energy home in Ballard, Washington. The open house marks the fruition of the couple’s goal to construct a net zero energy house for roughly the same cost of purchasing a comparable existing home.
Their extensive research led them to SIPA member Zero Energy Plans, LLC of Coupeville, Washington, who designed the home with Premier SIPs and a host of other energy-saving technologies, along with 6 kW of onsite solar generation. The homeowners also chose to incorporate several green features into the home, including reclaimed cast-iron bathtubs, no-VOC paint, and a rain garden that handles all storm water onsite.
See more photos on the Zero-Energy House Seattle blog.
