Green Materials, GOOD - Green Methods, GREAT

Green and Sustainable materials are starting to become more and more popular these days. All the talk seems to be about such items as bamboo flooring, recycled glass tile, formaldehyde free cabinetry, water permeable paving, insulated concrete forms (ICF), and many other earth conscious materials. These and similar items are important to a more green or sustainable project, but method or approach to this project is just as important. This “Green Method” starts from the beginning, or the planning stage, and by this I mean the design and drawing for your project.

The planning stage is critical to any home, addition, or remodel. If your project has not been planned, typically there will be a lot of time, resources, and materials wasted by the end of construction. Each project I work on, I sit down with each client and plan out what they want in their project. As I plan, layout, and design each project, I keep a few things in mind.

1. Minimize waste and Maximize materials. Layout rooms, spans, and overall dimensions to fit the building materials that will be used. This eliminates labor for cutting and excess materials that often end up in the land fills.
2. Keep Plans and Designs Flexible. If planned correctly a space can be used for many different functions within the home. In years to come, easy expansion or change to your home or space is easily facilitated. It is always difficult to tell a client they either have to change their dreams, or we have to do more excessive and sometimes expensive work, in order get the client what they want. This scenario is often due to inflexible spaces that were created years ago.
3. Cut Down on Human Effort and Time. The more concise information and level of details in a set of plans, the less time a contractor has to sit and figure what they are supposed to be building. If he doesn’t have to waste much time on such items, they can focus their energies else where on the project.
4. Assemble Your Project Team Early. Once you have selected an architect or designer for your project, it is important to get a contractor on board. Having the contractor involved early allows for greater coordination to occur in the early stages, creating fewer problems once construction starts. This will save time and money in the end, and get you a higher quality of a project.

Green building is not just about the components being used, but is about the methods, approaches, and systems being created. This usually involves time, efforts, planning, and things that can not be quantifiable or measured. The items above are a few of many ways to plan for a greener project, and are often overlooked. They are hard to measure, but they will simplify the process, reduce mistakes, cut back on the amount of waste, and minimize the “headaches” that can sometimes be involved with each project. Once the ball is starting to roll in the right direction the architect or designer can integrate these green materials that everyone is talking about. If you have any questions about green planning or design, please contact me.