There has been an explosion of interest in going green. Everything from cars to light bulbs are being pushed to new levels of efficiency. New industries are cropping up, it seems, on a daily basis.

But what about buildings; office buildings and schools in particular. These are the places that we spend most of our waking hours, and where we consume most of the energy. (more…)

The plans indicate that the home would be set into the ground and seamlessly fit into the surrounding moorland. The house which has been 3 years in the planning will be built in the grounds of Gary’s current mansion and is thought to be his dream home.

Whilst many footballers have a reputation for garish design choices it seems Gary and his family are taking the issues of going green very seriously demonstrated by being prepared to spend a speculated £6 million on the proposed development. At 8000 square feet the eco home will have a huge kitchen at the centre from which other living spaces will spider off. Architect have analogised the proposals to that of a modern day Stone Age settlement. Rather cruelly some have also likened it to the home of the Teletubbies! (more…)

As more and more homeowners become aware about protecting our environment and the green building concept, builders, designers and architects are now incorporating green elements in every home that is built. With the advancement in technology and the emergence of modern building concepts, homeowners can now integrate these green elements without sacrificing the overall appeal of their dream homes.

Despite the heightened interest by various sectors about the green building concept, many homeowners still don’t have a clear understanding of what constitutes a green home and how such type of structures are built. An environmentally friendly home has beneficial effects on the health and overall well-being of your family. It is also a financially sound option. (more…)

Many companies claim that their products and services are “the future”. But no one has more of a right to this claim than companies in the green building industry. As we all know, the industrial practices of the 20th century have significantly compromised the environment in more ways than one, necessitating a change in the way that we regard the environment on both a personal and public level. On a personal level, many of us choose to support the environment by participating in recycling and buying non-toxic products. But on a public level, we often choose to stick with old, unsafe building practices because a changing of the guard would require more time and money than we care to invest.

However, we often fail to consider that implementing sustainable design in new and existing buildings will do more than preserve the environment; it will also save us money. Although implementing green designs can cost more up front, the lower operating costs that they bring can easily offset the initial investment, and then some. For example, if implementing an energy efficient water system costs $24,000 more than implementing a traditional system but we end up cutting our water bill by $2,200 a month, then the entire additional investment is returned in one year and after that all of the return is pure profit.. (more…)

In Austin these days, like in a lot of the country, people are going green with their building practices. There is a much bigger emphasis being placed on energy efficiency and things of that nature, so construction companies are hopping on board and doing their part. So what are these green trends that we should be keeping an eye on? In order to get LEED certification, builders have to follow some of the standards set forth in terms of securing the home and using the proper materials. Builders are going a little bit further than that right now, though. They are building homes with a great “green” consciousness than ever before.

One of the ways that construction companies in Austin are going green is through their choice in bathroom accessories. When you are building a bathroom, you have some options in terms of putting together an energy-efficient setup. Many builders are choosing to spend a little bit more and install smart toilets that save water. These toilets look a lot like the old ones that most people are used to, but the difference is that they recognize exactly how much water is necessary to get the job done with each flush. This has helped a lot in areas where water scarcity is an issue during the hotter months. (more…)

In today’s real estate market, many prospective homeowners are faced with the tough financing situations that are now all too common. The government does not seem to have any viable solutions and seems to just get us further into the crevasse of recession but allowing big banks to run even further off course. If you find yourself seeking a way out of a life of bank servitude, try building your own green home by using these strategies.

Build a cord wood home

Saving a lot of money by building your own cord wood home is easier than you may think. First, cord wood construction is simply using lengths of firewood (cord wood) embedded into mortar structure. This wood is built into the wall in a perpendicular fashion and creates a wall that is about a foot or so thick, whatever length of wood you cut. (more…)

It is much more difficult to create an optimal environment within a building when it has already been designed, compared to working to specific goals from the planning phase. This can be expressed in fewer words: ‘You can put lipstick on a pig… but it’s still a pig’! In terms of green buildings, this means that systems like grey water tanks, solar panels, recycled office furniture and low energy appliances are the lipstick. If the building was not well-designed to take advantage of natural sunlight and ventilation, to be able to catch its own rainwater and provide it’s own soundproofing and if it constantly requires heating and cooling to maintain a comfortable temperature – it is a pig. Today we are looking at using building information modelling in the conceptualisation and detailed design phases of a construction project to ensure you don’t end up with a lipsticked pig.

Green building design principles

The following are principles of green building design that, by using building information modelling facilitate:

* Designing away unnecessary spaces
* Designing for climate
* Analysing the durability and longevity of a design
* Use recycled, or recyclable, material where possible and practical (more…)

Since January 2009 it has been a legal requirement for anybody selling or leasing a commercial property in the United Kingdom to obtain a commercial Energy Performance Certificate (commercial EPC) before placing the property on the market. Many people have undergone the intensive, expensive, but relatively brief training programme to become UK Government accredited Commercial Energy Assessors and have set themselves up in business. Some of these people were already involved in commercial property in one way or another, as Chartered Surveyors, Architects or Building Services Engineers. Others were attracted to the new profession by unfounded claims of a shortage of Assessors or simply fell into it because they had been made redundant during the recession and ‘needed something to do’.

In consequence, the market has become crowded and commercial EPC prices have fallen dramatically. Most people requiring an EPC remain only vaguely aware of the new requirements and continue to regard EPC’s as a ‘necessary evil’ or at best a ‘tick box requirement’ which their solicitor insists on. In consequence the main and sometimes the only consideration when procuring a commercial EPC is price. Unfortunately, this reality has been rather exacerbated by the requirement for Commercial Energy Assessors to have their EPC’s audited on a regular basis. This auditing requirement is supposed to ensure the quality and consistency of EPC provision, but whilst going some way to achieving this aim it has also contributed to a widespread belief that a commercial EPC is just a piece of paper and it doesn’t matter who provides it. (more…)

Straw bale home construction is an astonishing new development in the new era of humanity. Based in going back to our roots, the idea is not 100% new, it is just new to this day and age. A combination of straw bale wall building techniques, earth plasters, rainwater cisterns, natural heating and cooling, generating electricity from sunlight will combine to create a energy efficient home and building with a beautiful finish.

It is not stock just in straw bale building, it goes beyond the imagination, and is generating all kinds of great ideas for natural energy generating systems to provide us with true hope for a better greener future. Investing in new renewable energy technology is the clue to the final push that science needs. (more…)

There’s treasure in them there houses, the ones that are about to be torn down! And if you look closely, you’ll see that the treasure is not just what is in the buildings, but the green business opportunities they represent.

Holding on-site auctions at houses that are about to be demolished can be a good business for enterprising individuals who enjoy treasure hunting and are passionate about preserving our natural resources. What’s more, it doesn’t require a big outlay of capital to get started. (more…)