world news - 21.01.2009
The new American home showcases leading edge in green technology
The home will be unveiled as the official showcase home of the National
Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 2009 International Builders' Show®
in Las Vegas, Jan. 20-23.
Las Vegas builder Blue Heron and architect Danielian Associates
collaborated with interior designer Robb & Stucky Interiors to
create a home that is elegant, functional, and efficient, and green -
the home scored at the gold level under the NAHB National Green
Building Program.
"The New American Home has been a leader in green building for years,
but this latest edition is built to be the most energy-efficient home
in the history of this series," said Bill Nolan, chairman of The New
American Home Task Force. "Builders, architects, engineers — anybody
with an interest in housing construction will be fascinated by the
natural gas-powered heating and cooling system, the photovoltaic cells
and the solar water heating. Even the insulation in this home is
exciting.
"The whole package of energy-efficiency products work together to make
this a near-zero-energy home," said Nolan, who runs The Nolan Group, a
housing industry consulting firm in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Tremendous effort has gone into the details of this home, including design aspects related to:
— Site development;
— Resource, energy and water efficiency;
— Indoor air quality; and
— Operation, maintenance, and homeowner education.
The New American Home was sited to optimize solar resources and
incorporates landscape design that helps limit water and energy demand.
The development avoided environmentally sensitive areas. Soil erosion
and disturbance was kept to a minimum with storm water pollution
prevention plans and continued on-site monitoring and implementation of
best management practices.
To minimize the quantity of materials used and reduce waste, the
builder employed advanced framing techniques including pre-manufactured
trusses and floor systems, and used building materials that don't
require additional on-site finish resources. Manufacturers and
suppliers were selected that could provide recycled building materials,
or new materials manufactured from renewable resources or requiring
fewer resources to produce than traditional products. During
construction, a recycling and waste management program included on-site
bins for collecting and sorting materials to be recycled off-site.
The New American Home benefits from a comprehensive design approach to
achieve extraordinary energy efficiency. A proprietary gas-powered
heating and cooling system with a SEER rating of 18 combined with other
energy-efficient features such as low-E windows, advanced insulation,
vertical and horizontal solar overhangs and window louvers enabled the
home to achieve a Five Star-Plus HERS rating of 57. This is before
factoring the installation of a 12,000+ khz solar panel system striving
for a net-zero level of electrical consumption.
Insulated concrete forms (ICF) were used predominately for the basement
and structural walls which provide exceptional insulating properties
with R-values up to 50.
"The design concepts, construction techniques and materials used in The
New American Home 2009 can be adopted for use in any home," Nolan said.
"In a sense, this showcase home is a collection of ideas for the
industry to take away and put into any new or remodeled home."
"From the architects who designed the home to the skilled tradesmen who
completed the final details, everyone involved welcomed the challenge
of producing the home," said Blue Heron principal Tyler Jones. "The end
result was worth the effort. I think this house is going to absolutely
blow people away."
Sponsored by the National Council of the Housing Industry (NCHI) — The
Leading Suppliers of NAHB and Builder magazine, The New American Home
is one of NAHB's most successful and visible programs. NCHI is made up
of the leading product suppliers of the residential construction
industry, and the show home provides an excellent way for NCHI members
to highlight their products.
Registered attendees at the 2009 International Builders' Show can tour
The New American Home during exhibit hours via free shuttle buses
(ticket required) departing every half hour from the Las Vegas
Convention Center. Pick up the tickets at the TNAH booth, which is open
during show hours and located in the Central Concourse near the
entrance to Exhibit Hall C5 and Attendee Registration.
See also:
- — Finnish forests carbon sinks expected to increase in the future
- — Industry unites behind WoodMac China 2009, the largest and longest running woodworking technology trade event in the country
- — Explosion in the pipe of the chemical recovery plant at UPM Pietarsaari, Finland
- — Reduced timber felling in Norway in 2008
- — Timber from Russian ship washes up on UK shores
