First Passive Retrofit in the Country Open for Public Tours October 23 – 24

SONOMA, Calif., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ — The newly complete O’Neill Passive House, California’s first certified passive house and the first retrofit passive house in the United States, was just named “This Week’s Green House” by USA Today, and will be open to tour October 23 and 24.

Passive design reduces energy usage by up to 90 percent of a traditional home by combining high levels of insulation, efficient windows, optimized passive solar gain, airtight construction, heat recovery ventilation and energy modeling. In fact, a passive house uses no more energy than it takes to run an ordinary hair dryer.

Public tours of the O’Neill Passive House will be available Saturday, October 23 and Sunday, October 24, from noon to 4 p.m. Tickets are $25, and proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County.

In July 2010, the O’Neill project was certified as the first passive house in California and the first retrofit passive project in the country. A retrofit passive house refers to replacing an existing home’s “active” heating and cooling systems with voluntary, ultra-low energy standards even lower than the LEED standards.

“I am thrilled with the house and I am so happy to have worked with a team of professionals who are so passionate and knowledgeable about passive house design,” said Cathy O’Neill, owner of the Sonoma home.  ”This house is not only highly energy efficient; it’s also beautiful, inviting and comfortable. It really is an heirloom that I will be proud to pass down to the next generation.”

The O’Neill home was designed by Jarrod Denton, AIA, of LDG Architecture of St. Helena, and retrofitted by Napa-based construction company Solar Knights Construction, Inc. Solar Knights owner and builder Rick Milburn is the first builder in California to earn certification by the Passive House Institute in the U.S. (PHIUS).  Denton, who has been practicing architecture in Northern California for 15 years, is also a certified Passive House consultant.

“There is really nothing passive about a passive house,” said Milburn. “These kinds of homes and buildings are the future of energy efficiency. Building and remodeling with the passive house near-zero standard is the most practical and ultimately cost-effective way for all of us to reduce our daily energy consumption and live in a more sustainable, conservation-minded way.”

Energy Efficient with Beautiful Interiors

Despite the O’Neill home’s dedication to extreme energy efficiency, O’Neill, Milburn, Denton and interior designer Jann Blazona did not sacrifice design aesthetic or comfort. The group remodeled the homeowner’s existing structure to create a modern farmhouse architectural style.

“The passive house approach to architecture takes us back to the fundamental principles of shelter:  orientation, seamless enclosure, insulation,” says Denton.  ”Our forbearers utilized these principles instinctively.  As technology has advanced we have used it to replace smart thinking instead of enhance it. Passive house does just the opposite.  Plus, the technology is not only unobtrusive but it promotes a simple, timeless beauty.”

The interiors have a soft, neutral palette of creams, blacks, grays and aged green-blues, and open, airy spaces with wide-plank reclaimed oak floors and painted millwork. Furnishings include curated antiques, cozy linens and sophisticated yet rustic accents.

For more information about the home or to learn more about the tours, please visit www.solar-knights.com.

About Solar Knights Construction

Solar Knights Construction Inc. is a family of quality-oriented craftspeople dedicated to sustainable construction and renovation of buildings and homes. Founded in 1996, it is based in Napa, California. For more information, go to www.solar-knights.com.

About Lail Design Group

LDG Architecture was founded more than two decades ago by building designer and vintner Jon Lail. The firm specializes in custom architecture which does not promote a signature style but rather expresses the unique intersection of the client’s vision, the nature of the site and the architect’s expertise. Sustainable design principles work behind the scenes in all projects. For more information go to www.laildesign.com.

SOURCE Solar Knights Construction

Small plastic containers allow natural light to fill the interior of the structure.

Ever wonder where your plastic bottles go after you recycle them? Well, the Far Eastern Group, a Taiwan-based conglomerate known for construction, has taken 1.5 million plastic bottles and turned them into a three-story exhibition hall. A project that took three years to build, it will now be donated to the Taipei government this month in the hopes to create recycling awareness and attract tourists.

The EcoARK is the first large-scale building to be made of plastic bottles. When brainstorming for the materials to make a green, low carbon building the contractor, Arthur Huang, said they were inspired by the waste in their office. According to The China Post, builders took bottles from Taiwan’s waste stream for reprocessing into plastic containers that interlock strongly enough to block the elements and withstand storms or earthquakes.

Inside the exhibition hall, the clear plastic containers in the wall will allow natural light into the interior. The building will include an amphitheater, museum space and eco-friendly air conditioning made from a screen of falling water collected during rainy periods.

This is another step forward in Taiwan’s keen interest to promote green technology and architecture, as it seeks to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The EcoARK is scheduled to host fashion and environmental protection shows at the Taipei International Floral Exposition in November. When the expo is over the building will be packed up and taken to another location. Let’s hope this eco-friendly structure makes it to the states!

To learn more about the EcoARK and see photos, check out NTD World News’ story:

For more unique ways of recycling your plastic bottles, Associated Content and Craft Stew have some creative solutions.

California adopts first statewide green building code

from: The Christian Science Monitor – www.csmonitor.com

California’s building commission adopted the first statewide green building code this week. Environmental groups welcomed the new standards, which mandate water use reductions and waste recycling in new buildings, but were critical of its rating system.

By Daniel B. Wood Staff writer / January 15, 2010

Los Angeles

California continues to take the national lead in environmental protection. The California Building Standards Commission voted unanimously this week to approve the first statewide green building code.

Taking effect January 2011, the nation’s first mandatory green building code – dubbed “CalGreen” – lays out specific constraints for newly constructed buildings. It requires builders to install plumbing that cuts indoor water use by as much as 20 percent, to divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills to recycling, and to use low-pollutant paints, carpets, and floors. It also mandates inspection of energy systems to ensure that heaters, air conditioners, and other mechanical equipment are working efficiently. And for non-residential buildings, it requires the installation of water meters for different uses.

The code also allows local jurisdictions, from San Francisco to Los Angeles, to retain stricter green building standards, if they already exist, or to adopt stricter versions of the state code if they choose. It’s the first state in the nation to mandate a green building code.

Environmental and green building groups largely welcomed the new code, though they took issue with certain aspects of it.

“We applaud the state of California for being the first state in the country to raise the floor on acceptable, green building standards,” said Jason Hartke, vice president of national policy for the US Green Building Council, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit. He adds that the statewide standards adopted will “significantly save water and energy, improve indoor air quality, and create jobs at the same time.”

Buildings represent 40 percent of all carbon emissions and over 70 percent of electricity use, Mr. Hartke notes, and the new standards thus would help California meet emissions targets under its new global warming law.

Meeting new emissions targets

The law, AB32, requires the California Air Resources Board to develop regulations and market mechanisms to ultimately reduce California’s greenhouse-gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020. Mandatory caps for significant sources of emissions will begin in 2012.

The new code’s mandatory measures will help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 3 million metric tons by 2020, according to David Walls, executive director of the state building commission. That gives plenty of time for builders and manufacturers to transition to the new code, he says, and doesn’t even take into account emissions savings that might accrue voluntarily.

“This is going to change the whole way that buildings are conceived and constructed by incorporating green practices into our everyday building code,” Mr. Walls said. “Other states will be looking at what we’ve done to try to mimic what we’re doing.”

Rating system criticized

Some environmental groups including the Sierra Club and the National Resources Defense Council were critical of the two-tier “Calgreen” voluntary rating system suggested by the new code. That would clash with the “LEED” rating system, a voluntary green building label widely used nationwide, and cause confusion among builders, they said.

Moreover, a two-tier labeling system would be open to conflicting interpretations and thus be unenforceable by local building inspectors, they argued. More than 200 architects, engineers, and builders have also e-mailed Schwarzenegger to protest the label.

At least one major business group has welcomed the move for a single standard across the whole state, however.

“CalGreen will define what a green building is – something that is not clear right now,” said Matthew Hargrove, senior vice president of government affairs at the California Business Properties Association.

“Having a clear statewide standard will help our companies avoid unnecessary environmental lawsuits,” he said, adding that more consistent standards across the state “means we won’t have to deal with a different code in every jurisdiction, and will allow us to meet some of the statewide regulatory mandates heading our way.”