Posts Tagged ‘Green’

Creating a Sustainable, Smart Home from Start to Finish

Project Integration, or integrated design, is one of the methods used to build today’s green homes.  In this method all parties are involved in the building of a home at the start– architects, contractors, engineers, designers all work together from beginning to end.  The goal of project integration is create a home that is more then a building or a shell – to create a structure that is efficient and intelligent, where every piece counts and works towards the final goal of complete sustainability.

Complements of construction.com

The method allows for the relationships among materials used both internally and externally to be manipulated and precisely planned, mapping to both flawless function and high aesthetic appeal.  A home must be a smart home in order to be truly sustainable, and project integration allows the professionals and the homeowners to make those smart decisions about what products will be the most sustainable and design friendly integrations in the home.

With this new approach growing in popularity, for building and design product manufactures the focus is now on creating a better green product – something more then an item that is made from recycled content and is still attractive, the key is to create a smart solution.  Consequently we are seeing an increase in this type of product on the market. So what are some of the areas where these smart decisions can be made?

Products that Lend to An Integrated Approach

Lighting is a category in green living that has quite an array of options – beyond picking a special bulb or using lights only when needed – there are bigger impact options for lighting.  Verve Living Systems is a great example of smart home lighting.  With Verve not only can homeowners control when, where, how much and how often lighting is used in any given room, but it’s technology makes it wireless, which means no more wasting all of that copper that is normally used to create the wiring that lights up a home.

Radiant floor heating is a great example of a seamless convergence of aesthetic appeal and sustainability.  As its name states, this heating system is stored in the floor of a home emitting heat from below instead of blowing it through vents above.  When the heat comes through the floor its warmth continues to radiate from every object it touches, instead of just floating around the ceiling and quickly loosing its warmth.  With the technology invisible to those in the home and without the use of ducts, which create dust and aggravate allergens, it’s clear why this option is attractive to homeowners.

Both of these examples empower homeowners to be in control of how much energy they are using in the home.  By equipping homes with energy efficient products and then giving consumers the tools they need to measure their energy use, homeowners are learning to use only the amounts of resources they need cutting back on creation of waste.

Design Integration is Key

Still, the sustainable decisions made in design integration aren’t always centered around what new technology has to offer.  In design integration its also key to consider the bigger picture; what type of environment is the home built in and what will the homeowner need to create a comfortable living space keeping the surroundings in mind.  If you live in a hot climate sometimes making the eco-responsible choice is as simple as deciding to use a type of concrete flooring because it will be cooling on those sweltering days.  As Dwell points out in many of its features on beautifully designed sustainable homes, the decisions made in construction should be unique and creative to each family.

Complements of the American Institute of Architects

In project integration the options are endless, and no matter a homes unique combination of new sustainable technology and old sustainable resources, it is considered a success if it is built to map to a purpose, to bear the responsibility of utmost efficiency and sustainability.