Tuesday

Mission Possible? LEED Certified Homes for $100K::.


via | Inhabitat by Bridgette Steffen

A team of Philadelphia-based green building visionaries have joined efforts to build a LEED certified home for $100K. After experiencing frustration at the lack of available modern, green, affordable homes, developer Postgreen, Interface Studio Architects and building company Level 5 Construction have set out to construct a 1,000 sq ft home for $100 per sq foot, and get it LEED certified.

The100K House Project was started back in the fall of 2007 with two urban infill lots in East Kensington in Philadelphia. Their blog posts detail the process as they build out these homes, and include pictures, floorplans, LEED checklists, builder spec plans and even a construction budget. It’s a shame no one got the rights for a reality TV show for this, but the project team is diligently documenting the progress online.

As one intent of the 100K House Project is to get LEED certified, many green features will be incorporated into the project. Some of these features include, solar thermal hot water, rainwater collection, low-flow fixtures, radiant in floor heating, passive air conditioning, ERV and dehumidifier, efficient lighting, SIP construction, low VOC finishes, and drought tolerant landscaping that is 100% permeable.

These homes will be for sale once they break ground and the expected asking price will be around $200 - $250K. These houses are an attempt to meet the demand of average income consumers dreaming of a modern yet healthy and sustainable home. The team has placed a high priority on modern architectural design and cost effective green building. In order to build an affordable home, the focus is on providing the best building envelope and mechanical design rather than on high-end finishes.

+ Postgreen
+ Interface Studio Architects
+ Level 5 Construction



cradle-to-cradle ::.

CRADLE-TO-CRADLE
A phrase invented by Walter R. Stahel in the 1970s and popularized by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their 2002 book of the same name. This framework seeks to create production techniques that are not just efficient but are essentially waste free. In cradle-to-cradle production all material inputs and outputs are seen either as technical or biological nutrients. Technical nutrients can be recycled or reused with no loss of quality and biological nutrients composted or consumed. By contrast cradle to grave refers to a company taking responsibility for the disposal of goods it has produced, but not necessarily putting products’ constituent components back into service.


.:: ideas ::. connect@3pointzero.org