IRVINE, CA-The first sustainable home of its kind to be built with readily available building materials is now open for public tours. The home, called the ABC Green Home (affordable, buildable, certifiable), is a collaboration among Green Home Builder magazine, Southern California Edison and the Orange County Great Park in Irvine. It will be used to educate and train builders, students, industry groups and visitors on the concept of affordable eco-living.
The project, which has received six green certificates from four different agencies, is on display at the Orange County Great Park here. It allows homeowners and industry professionals to explore the concept of “net-zero” homes—homes that produce as much energy as they use. In early 2014, the ABC Green Home partners will donate the house to a combat-wounded veteran via Habitat for Humanity.
The home demonstrates that a solar-powered, sustainable home can be built using available materials, technology and appliances at a cost that is competitive with conventional housing. Organizers say the home is a model for the future when it comes to sustainable products and practices. Everything within the home is eco-friendly, including the low-VOC paints, windows, doors, faucets, bathroom fixtures, appliances, solar roof and landscaping.
Other components include:
- The garage’s rear door opens onto a covered rear patio rather than directly into the house to keep auto exhaust from getting indoors.
- The heat exchange pump uses electricity to both heat and cool the house, as well as the water.
- Low-voltage computing allows the home to draw the blinds, open the doors and dim the lights remotely.
- Solar panels have been placed on the rear roof to improve the home’s appearance.
- Studs have been built 2 ft. apart instead of the traditional 16 inches and are made from 2x6-in. boards instead of the traditional 2x4s, reducing lumber use and creating bigger spaces in walls for insulation.
- Carpets are made from recycled materials.
- Landscaping reduces water consumption, using paving stones that recycle water for irrigation.
- Non-toxic, zero-emissions paint and wallpaper are used to improve the indoor air quality.
The home also features universal design principles, making it suitable for ownership for a wide cross-section of the American home-buying public. It is handicapped-accessible with wider doors and halls and, lower work spaces, and can be adapted for wheelchairs in showers and under sinks.
“It’s our hope that this visionary project inspires homeowners, builders and renters to think about all the possibilities that are open to them,” said Gene Rodrigues, Southern California Edison’s director of customer energy efficiency and solar, in a prepared statement. “Every energy-efficient feature, no matter how small, makes a positive impact on their own electric bills and the environment that we all share.”
The project features a flexible design by architect Manny Gonzalez and his team from the Los Angeles office of KTGY Group. Gonzalez says that momentum has already been growing in recent years toward green homes such as this one. “Being able to demonstrate that you can build a home that uses net-zero energy is important, but being able to do it affordably makes the message even more compelling for the home-building industry.”
As GlobeSt.com recently reported, the City of Anaheim and the Orange County Transportation Authority, with design assistance from KTGY Group Inc., Architecture + Planning, have broken ground on the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, a $184-million multimodal transportation facility that will connect Anaheim, Orange County, the entire Southern California region and beyond. KTGY, the urban design advisor for the project, prepared ARTIC’s master plan and mixed-use district conceptual development guidelines and provided architectural design review services for the project.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Carrie Rossenfeld
Carrie Rossenfeld is a reporter for the San Diego and Orange County markets on GlobeSt.com and a contributor to Real Estate Forum. She was a trade-magazine and newsletter editor in New York City before moving to Southern California to become a freelance writer and editor for magazines, books and websites. Rossenfeld has written extensively on topics including commercial real estate, running a medical practice, intellectual-property licensing and giftware. She has edited books about profiting from real estate and has ghostwritten a book about starting a home-based business.
