Our last blog on renewable energy explained how you can heat your green home through passive solar design and/or an active heating system, as well as generate electricity through solar power with a photovoltaic system. You can also heat water for your home or swimming pool. How?
Heating your home: Solar water heaters can be used in any climate. There are two choices for solar water heating systems – passive and active. Active systems have circulating pumps and controls; passive systems do not. Solar water heating systems usually require one or two storage tanks and use one of three types of collectors: flat plate collectors, integral collector-storage systems, or evacuated-tube solar collectors. Again, there are different kinds of each system. Active solar heating systems are more common than passive.
Active Solar Heating systems can be either direct or indirect circulation systems. A direct system works well in moderate climates where it rarely freezes. Indirect circulating…
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Here’s the third blog in our solar series. We’ve already talked about how you can heat the space and heat the water in your home using solar energy. You can also use solar energy to light the inside & outside of your green home through a design technique called daylighting. By using daylighting, you can make the most of the home’s placement on your site as well as the location of skylights and windows to bring sunlight into the home.
South- and even north-facing windows are advantageous for daylighting. In the northern hemisphere because of the earth’s tilt on its axis, south-facing windows are the most beneficial for daylighting. South-facing windows allow direct winter sunlight into the home and with proper design minimize solar heat gain in the summer while allowing for indirect southern lighting. North-facing windows allow even, natural lighting with little glare and minimal summer heat gain.
Outdoor solar lighting & way-finding are not only inexpensive and easy to… (Read the rest of this article at the following article source link for the full story)
Bonin Architects & Associates is a proponent of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which encourages the proper management of the world’s forests and certifies products coming from businesses in compliance with its policies and regulations. The FSC (with US and International Chapters) is active in putting a stop to practices that have a negative impact on the environment and also educates, implements, and regulates forestry practices to help restore the earth’s soils, habitats, and cycles, addressing economic, social, and environmental concerns.
Because forest products account for $260 billion of the annual US economy, global forests are under pressure to meet the FSC’s guidelines. As demand for sustainable building products increases, more of these forests are evaluated and brought into compliance with the FSC’s guidelines.
The FSC has developed 10 principles and 57 criteria for the certification of forest management that are applicable around the globe. Here in the United… (Read the rest of this article at the following article source link for the full story)
Windows are an important design, energy, and cost consid- eration for a green home – whether you’re building a timber frame home, post and beam, or sustainable home using recycled and/or energy efficient material. We expect windows to enhance the beauty of our home and perform many functions: admit natural light, block summer solar heat gain, resist condensation and capture solar heat in winter (and prevent its loss).
The most common kinds of windows available are wood, clad-wood, vinyl, and aluminum.
Wood windows are traditional (wood on the interior as well as the exterior), however, wood swells and shrinks, so the window must be carefully and properly constructed and installed per the manufacturer’s guidelines. Warping and rotting will occur over time unless the window is protected. You can order wood windows either finished or unfinished. Solid ‘un-clad’ wood windows are not a typical selection.
Clad-wood windows have a wooden frame typically with extruded aluminum or…
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We’re back from the Lakeside Living Expo in Gilford, NH at Gunstock Mountain Resort, right in the heart of the NH lakes region. Expected attendance at the Expo was 3,000. Show sponsors and vendors were thrilled to have attendance top 5,000 – due in large part to the weather. With on and off showers most of the weekend, heavy rain, and even hail at one point, vacationers and residents of the area switched their focus from swimming, boating, and fishing to the many exhibits at the Expo. Bonin Architects & Associates’ booth had a constant flow of activity, and we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere where we could spend quality time with each visitor. Many people we spoke with who are building in the lakes region were put at ease when they learned BA&A is familiar with the new Shoreland Protection Act, since we have clients already designing with us who fall into this category. We spent a lot of time answering questions about the rules and regulations involved and how the design of an… (Read the rest of this article at the following article source link for the full story)
Bonin Architects & Associates provides innovative, sustainable design solutions for residential and light commercial applications.
One of our green design projects is for a timber frame hometo be built in South Peak Resort at Loon Mountain, Lincoln, NH surrounded by the White Mountains. Delivery of the timber frame is expected at the end of August. The timber frame home will be a second home for Bob and Kelly Kozub, who plan to vacation there as often as possible during all four seasons. Structural Insulated Panels (also known as stress skin panels or SIPs) will keep the home warm in winter and cool in summer. Exterior timbers and cedar shakes and clapboards give the home a mountain look while earth-tone colors will compliment the natural landscape of the White Mountains.
The timber frame design includes a full finished basement and two-car garage. A bunkroom in the basement provides space for guests while the basement also includes a large recreation area with a fieldstone… (Read the rest of this article at the following article source link for the full story)
The September 2008 Special Green Issue of Timber Homes Illustrated features an interview with Green Architect Jeremy Bonin on energy efficient home design, sustainability, and his specialty in timber frame design.
Writer Peter Lobred asks Jeremy, a LEED accredited architect and the author of the timber frame book, “TIMBER FRAMES: Designing Your Custom Home” pointed questions about building a timber frame home and incorporating sustainable design. After explaining some of the catch phrases in the green building industry, Jeremy answers questions such as “What are some basic considerations – or the most crucial elements – that consumers / architects can incorporate into their plans for sustainable design?” and “Does there seem to be a natural fit between timber frame homes and green considerations?”
Asked about the cost versus benefits of energy efficient home design and sustainable options, Jeremy reminds homeowners that the simplest solutions are not only the most… (Read the rest of this article at the following article source link for the full story)
When you’re planning to build a timber frame or post and beam home, there is another consideration in addition to the species of wood you will have.
Green: Green timbers are healthy living trees when harvested from the forest. They typically have a moisture content around 28 percent. The timbers dry for a year or longer after the timber frame is erected. Throughout the drying process the timbers will shrink in the direction perpendicular to the grain of the wood, check (typically small cracks perpendicular to the growth rings running with the grain of the wood) and possibly twisting as they acclimate to the temperature and humidity of the environment. These are characteristic of green lumber and unavoidable, but do not affect the structural integrity of the timber frame. Green timbers are the least expensive option.
Standing Dead: Standing Dead timbers are trees that have been killed by insect infestation, fire, or other means and are still standing in the forest. The timbers are…
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We’ve all done it…browsed through the section of standard floor plans in a magazine, critiquing each one against our family’s wants and needs in a home. There are literally thousands out there, some free, some for sale. The problem is that finding the perfect plan for you is like finding a needle in a haystack. If and when you do find a great plan, you have a host of other considerations to make before purchasing it including your site, local and state building code requirements, and the energy efficient materials and systems you want to include in your home. The Log Home Directory asked Green Architect, Jeremy Bonin, for his insight on how an architect helps you incorporate all of your requirements into a green home, as well as help you with such things as site analysis, environmental studies (including wetland and shore lands), and bid negotiation – well beyond what a standard floor plan in a book can provide.
Read Jeremy’s article posted on the Log Home Directory’s… (Read the rest of this article at the following article source link for the full story)
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock, Massachusetts, became the first privately-owned business in North America to own a wind turbine when it started operating August 15, 2007, fulfilling three primary goals: 1) to reduce their dependency on non-renewable energy by 24%; 2) protect the long-term viability of Jiminy Peak as a resort and therefore help to assure stable jobs not at the risk of changes in power prices; and 3) show business communities everywhere the value of taking the initiative rather than waiting for someone else to provide solutions.
Celebrating its first birthday this month, the turbine, named the Zephyr, is a 1.5 megawatt turbine capable of producing up to 2,000 horse power for Jiminy Peak’s snowmaking plant. Generating a massive 4,600,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) a year, the Zephyr reduces the resorts annual consumption of 9,404289 kilowatt hours by 24.5%, eliminating the need for 383,000 gallons of diesel fuel generated power.
After much research and collection of…
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Our last blog on renewable energy explained how you can heat your green home through passive solar design and/or an active heating system, as well as generate electricity through solar power with a photovoltaic system. You can also heat water for your home or swimming pool. How?
Green: Green timbers are healthy living trees when harvested from the forest. They typically have a moisture content around 28 percent. The timbers dry for a year or longer after the timber frame is erected. Throughout the drying process the timbers will shrink in the direction perpendicular to the grain of the wood, check (typically small cracks perpendicular to the growth rings running with the grain of the wood) and possibly twisting as they acclimate to the temperature and humidity of the environment. These are characteristic of green lumber and unavoidable, but do not affect the structural integrity of the timber frame. Green timbers are the least expensive option.
