WHAT MAKES IT GREEN?

The Wedgwood House won the 2008 Built Green Hammer Award in the Judges Choice category. This 5 Star home “was the highest point scoring project in 2007, and the highest to date under our new single family checklist”. (Aaron Adelstein, Built Green™ Director)

The Wedgewood House is also an ENERGY STAR™ home and has earned a $2000 federal tax credit from the IRS for its energy efficiency. Independent analysis using computer modeling shows that the house will save 53% of the energy used in a conventional home built to code.

Together the building and landscape incorporate all the main characteristics of sustainable design and construction.

(1) SIZE: The house has an efficient, compact floor plan. The compact plan reduces total heated volume, lessens energy usage and reduces construction materials and waste. At the same time, it provides ample and convenient storage. And through the use of axial views and overhead beams the house maximizes the value known as “perceived space”. Functions on the main floor effectively lend and borrow space; circulation throughout is efficient; living areas on three levels provide opportunity for privacy; and indoor spaces connect naturally and conveniently to outdoor rooms and the landscape.

(2) ENERGY AND RESOURCES: The house produces approximately 50% of its electrical usage from photovoltaic cells. Approximately 70% of the heat needed for domestic hot water is collected from evacuated tube solar collectors. Both solar systems are mounted out of sight on the roof where the solar aperture averages 91% throughout the year. In addition, radiant heat, increased insulation, careful glazing and the use of compact fluorescent lights minimize energy usage and the production of greenhouse gases. Efficient appliances and plumbing fixtures also minimize water usage.

(3) MATERIALS: More than 90% of the lumber is FSC certified, harvested from sustainably managed forests, through local sources. All of the trim wood is reclaimed lumber from the original house on the site. The original foundation walls were preserved by installing new foundations beneath them. Low or no-VOC finishes and paints are used throughout, and interior cabinet plywood has been sealed to prevent off-gassing. These measures dramatically improve indoor air quality and lessen environmental damage due to production and transport of construction materials.

(4) DURABILITY: The house employs innovative membranes in the wall construction, known as a rainscreen wall. This method of construction is superior in managing moisture in the Seattle climate. In our specific application, there are two redundant membranes which weatherproof the wall against rain. In addition, the wall, operating essentially like Gortex™ clothing, allows vapor to escape naturally from the inside. This improves indoor air quality by discouraging molds within the wall and allowing the walls to “breathe”. Also it extends the lifetime of the building’s materials, minimizing waste. Fibercement siding applied with stainless steel screws, trimless aluminum thermal- break windows and steel roofing provide an extremely durable and low maintenance exterior skin for the building. Railings and porches also are designed for highest durability and lowest maintenance, using powder-coated steel, stainless steel cables, and Trex™ decking.

(5) LANDSCAPE: The house is integrated with the landscape by near- and long-range views; by natural cross-ventilation, as well as vertical ventilation; and by providing for easy flow of interior spaces into well defined outdoor rooms. Integrating the interior and exterior brings the natural world closer and also increases perceived space on the interior. By using a green roof on the garage and a rain garden, the design lessens surface water runoff and counteracts the heat sink effect caused by heat build-up on hard surfaces in urban areas. The landscape also minimizes irrigation needs by using drought tolerant native species where possible, roof water collection, and a “smart” micro-irrigation system, which senses rain.