Accessory Dwelling Units | Backyard Cottages | Portland & Seattle ...
Learn more about Accessory Dwelling Units and backyard cottages by Portland/Accessory Dwelling Units
- Sustainable backyard cottages
- Basement & attic conversions
- Ready-to-build designs
- Expertly-crafted green living
---
A Key to Green Building: Build Smaller
Tuesday, October 19, 2010When it comes to green building, size matters.
A week ago today we shared a recent installment in Alex Wilson's (of BuildingGreen.com) Top Ten Green Building Priorities. Today's blog post by Wilson unveils priority #5: "Build Smaller". According to Wilson:
"From an environmental and energy standpoint, building smaller houses is a winner. Smaller houses take less material to build and they use less energy to heat and cool. This is common sense, but it's amazing how rarely people think about it…When I hear that green homes cost more than standard homes, my first response is always to point out that smaller homes are much greener--and those homes usually cost less, not more."Sam and I recently sat down with Jordan Palmeri of Oregon DEQ to discuss his excellent work documenting the greenhouse gas and waste implications of Oregonian construction patterns. It was striking to learn just how significant a difference in home size makes in terms of climate change impact. According to Palmeri's preliminary results, compared with a typical 2,262 SF Oregon home, a 1,633 SF home reduces climate change impact by 19% and a 1,149 SF home brings a 38% reduction. And that's just changing size alone, not taking other green building actions/interventions.
Of course, building smaller requires good design to maximize limited space -- that's where a healthy design-build collaborative process can really come in handy. The recent flurry in interest in Accessory Dwelling Unit development is an encouraging sign that, in Portland at least, demand for smaller homes is on the rise. Every bit helps!
-Zack
No comments:
Post a Comment