Page 37 - Green Builder Magazine Sept-Oct 2017

Sealed

in Bliss

green|spaces’ mostly

airtight home pays its

own way in energy use.

BY ASHLEY CABRERA

N CHATTANOOGA, TENN., a small nonprofit asked a simple
question: “Why aren’t zero-energy healthy homes the norm
for new homes in our market?” The answer from builders:
“Because people aren’t asking for them.” The answer from
buyers: “Because builders aren’t building them, or I can’t afford
the upgrades.”
Sustainable living advocate green|spaces sought to solve
this problem by designing, developing and ultimately selling
a series of spec-built net-zero-energy homes. In the process,
I the nonprofit educated the entire market, including designers,
builders, real estate agents, appraisers, buyers, lenders, students and
teachers. With simple, off-the-shelf features, the design team delivered
a home that can produce as much energy as it consumes, protects and
promotes the health of its occupants, and uses water and materials
responsibly—all at a conventional price point for the neighborhood in
which it is located.
green|spaces began its net-zero-energy homes project in 2014, with
a list of what it wanted to achieve with the homes. They needed to be
visible from afar, located on a steep site, and able to be built and sold at
a reasonable rate. To ensure these components were possible, the group
looked at other net-zero energy case studies. These helped it decide which
products and techniques were best to achieve net-zero energy, as well as
to build an affordable house.
The nonprofit held a design competition featuring 11 teams, each with a
builder, designer and engineer, to design the home with components that
green|spaces wanted to include. Each team had to demonstrate that its
design could realistically be built net-zero energy. The final project team
included green|spaces, Workshop Architecture, WM Whitaker Landscape
Architects and Collier Construction. Their consultants were Conditionaire,
SK Collaborative and Vandemusser Design.

September/October 2017 GREEN BUILDER 35

34-37 GB 0917 green|spaces.indd 35 10/16/17 11:21 AM