Solar and salvaged in grove park: high-efficiency graces a north Asheville neighborhood.Desiger: Alice Dodson, Weaverville, NO Builder: Empire Builders, Asheville, NC Solar Contractor: Sundance Power Systems. Wolf Laurel, NC Square Footage: 3.000 Construction Type: Alternative Durisol Block from footer In a document or report, common text that appears at the bottom of every page. It usually contains the page number. to roof with framed interior. "I wanted to have an energy efficient house that incorporated |renewable energy Renewable energy utilizes natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, and hydroelectricity to biomass and biofuels for transportation. and would have long-term minimal impact. The choice of green materials was moderate to more expensive, but well worth every penny," says homeowner Bill Chapman of his new Asheville, NC home. The driveway for his house, located on top of a "knoll with views of the Grove Park. was so steep that a rear entry to the house had to be added. Unique in its incorporation of solar technologies and the way the exterior color of the house blends into the landscape, this house stands out in a traditional north Asheville neighborhood. Bill chose the architect, Alice Dodson, based upon her environmentally conscious approach towards architecture, building, and site design. The existing house at the site was salvaged and materials from it, like the steel beams, were used to build the new house. The choice was made to tear down to demolish violently; to pull or pluck down. - Shak. See also: Tear the existing house because it was not properly insulated and would therefore be inefficient to heat. Being that Bill's main concern was the energy efficiency of the house, he chose to build with energy conserving materials and incorporate an active solar Active solar technologies are employed to convert solar energy into usable heat, cause air-movement for ventilation or cooling, or store heat for future use. Active solar uses electrical or mechanical equipment, such as pumps and fans, to increase the usable heat in a system. heating system. While he is not off the grid entirely, the house is highly efficient and does have very low electric utilities. In fact, the domestic hot water/ radiant floor heating system, a solar electric (PV) system, provides an average of 160,000 BTU Btu: see British thermal unit. per day, with backup provided by a 96 percent efficient boiler. What is Green Building? This umbrella term A term used to cover a broad category of functions rather than one specific item. In many cases, a term is so catchy that it tends to be used for technologies that are a stretch from the original concept. See middleware and virtualization. encompasses the design, the construction, and the materials a home is built out of. A green built home generally is energy efficient, has low toxicity materials, utilizes solar energy solar energy, any form of energy radiated by the sun, including light, radio waves, and X rays, although the term usually refers to the visible light of the sun. , has little impact on the surrounding landscape, and is environmentally friendly Environmentally friendly, also referred to as nature friendly, is a term used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.[1] . Top Green Points: Effidency: Active solar hot water/radiant floor heating system, Durisol block construction (composed of mineralized min·er·al·ize v. min·er·al·ized, min·er·al·iz·ing, min·er·al·iz·es v.tr. 1. To convert to a mineral substance; petrify. 2. To transform a metal into a mineral by oxidation. 3. wood chips), offering high R value, smaller square footage, passive solar design, with heat absorbed by mineral wool insulation on west, east, and south Low Toxicity: Durisol Masonry building materials with no toxic components Environmental: Smaller square footage, colors blend with natural landscape Why Build with Durisol? Masonry building materials provide great benefits when designing a green building. Their thermal mass is of great benefit in stabilizing temperature, thereby conserving energy. The acting R-Value of Durisol (R30-R40) is approximately double that of standard stud wall construction. In addition, Durisol does not contain toxic material components. Durisol wall form systems are made of mineralized woodchips mixed with cement and pressed into a wall form. Mineralization Mineralization The process by which the body uses minerals to build bone structure. Mentioned in: Rickets mineralization, n the bioprecipitation of an inorganic substance. prevents decay and makes the wall system fire resistant. For extra insulation, mineral wool is inserted into the wall system. The wool soaks up the heat, radiating it slowly back into the house. After the blocks are dry stacked, the wall form is filled with reinforced concrete. The walls are eight to twelve inches thick and can be finished with stucco, plaster, or any other type of siding. Durisol has been used in Canada and Europe for the past thirty to forty years. What is Aerated Autoclaved Concrete Autoclaved Aerated concrete (AAC), or otherwise known as Autoclave Cellular Concrete (ACC), is a lightweight, precast building material. AAC provides structure, insulation and fire resistance in a single material. ? Aerated Autoclaved concrete, used at a different residence designed by Dodson, is another form of alternative building material. AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) An audio compression technology that is part of the MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 standards. AAC, especially MPEG-4 AAC, provides greater compression and better sound quality than MP3, which also came out of the MPEG standard. is a type of masonry wall system produced by several manufacturers in the US. This system originated in Germany as Hebel block, and has been used in Europe for fifty to sixty years. This is a whole house building system, with interior and exterior wall blocks, pre-cast headers beams, and floor panels. The wall blocks are composed of limestone, cement, and sand. They are autoclaved, making them solid, structurally sound, and insulating. The active R-value of masonry walls, Durisol, and AAC is double that of standard stud wall construction. These types of masonry wall systems do not contain toxic material components. Sundance Power Systems is the largest provider of renewable energy systems in Western North Carolina Western North Carolina (often abbreviated as WNC) is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains, thus it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. and offers design and installation of solar-hydro-wind electric systems, solar hot water/heating, and radiant floor systems. You can contact Sundance at 828-689-2080 or on the web at www. SundancePower.com Scott Pillar at Empire Building can be reached at tallfolks@charter.net Alice Dodson Architect, PA has provided sustainable and solar custom residential design since 1990. Contact her at 828-645-9326 or alicedodson@charter. net and check out her website www.greendragondesign.net |
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