Peter Pfeiffer, a principal and co-founder of Barley & Pfeiffer Architects, is a green building expert based in Austin, Texas.
A couple weeks ago I attended the 2010 conference for the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE). Held in Austin, the conference theme was “Reaching Beyond Austin City Limits,” focusing on sustainability in light of the fact the green building movement was mothered around those parts and remains a hot topic around the world.
While there were many great messages, facts and figures shared throughout the week’s sessions, some that stick out most came from the opening lecture, “Smart Ways to Go Green,” given by Peter Pfeiffer, principal and co-founder of Barley and Pfeiffer Architects, LEED AP and Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
Pfeiffer was green before green was a color in construction spectrum, and his longstanding work in sustainable building underwrites his deserving expert status. According to Pfeiffer, being green is easier and more affordable than people think. However, Americans have overlooked the obvious and become distracted by the shiniest objects, what he calls ”eco bling.”
In addition to recycled glass countertops, solar panels, bamboo flooring, tankless water heaters and other green gadgets, Pfeiffer cited Brad Pitt’s “Make It Right” houses as examples of eco bling. These $340,000 homes, erected to replace the $65,000 9th Ward cottages destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, boast funky shapes and splashy color schemes as well as LEED certification. Turns out, Pfeiffer says these cool-looking mod homes are less green than the New Orlean’s 1930′s “home of the future,” which features generous roof overhangs to limit sun exposure, a roomy and shady wraparound porch under the overhang, and transom windows to keep air flowing through the house.
Maximizing resources and minimizing excess are the foundation of the green movement. This means minimizing consumption (energy, water and materials), maximizing healthy environments and air quality (avoid polluting air vs. finding ways to purify it) and reducing your environment impact (by considering your setting and using only what you need).
The good – and rarely discussed – news? The most effective green construction elements are the least expensive (and the most expensive ones tend to be less effective). The idea that green homes have to cost 25 to 35 percent more is a myth. If a project team thinks green from the outset, a sustainable home will cost just 3 to 5 percent more. Pfeiffer noted that 90 percent of the opportunities for high performance occur in the first 10 percent of the design process. ”It’s a matter of green by design vs. green gadgets,” he says.
“Green by design vs. green gadgets…” In my mind, that’s a phrase on which the green building movement should build its PR. If the movement truly wishes to get green buy-in from the builders and buyers for whom eco bling is beyond the budget, it must start with what’s easy, obvious and affordable.
Other takeaway tidbits from Pfeiffer:
* Locating all bedrooms of a two-story residence on a single level reduces energy costs by about one-third; this is because the other floor acts as a thermal barrier for heating/cooling (and only one level really requires heating/cooling at a time based on night/day routines).
* Opting for lighter-colored countertops helps save energy, enhancing daylighting effects and making it easier on the eyes while performing tasks.
* Go here or here for additional Pfeiffer-sanctioned savvy.
* Go here for building green information.
Dana Arnold
michelleolson
Amanda Fier
Katarina Kovacevic
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