A deeper shade of green

Construction philosophy builds on momentum

By Janine Anderson

Renewable resources, such as that provided by geothermal exchange systems, are becoming more cost-effective to tap as energy sources. Photo courtesy of Pragmatic Construction LLC

Green building is here to stay.

But as the technique builds momentum, it’s up to the construction industry to find ways to keep up. People are looking for ways to incorporate green-building technologies into their homes, and there are more possibilities now than ever before.

The areas where green-building technologies really come into play fall into three primary categories:

• Energy, which includes things like solar panels, windmills, geothermal heating and cooling systems, and energy-efficient appliances;
  
  
• Environmentally conscious products, like low- or no-VOC paints and soy-based foam insulation;
  
  
• Recycled materials, which can be pieces of old buildings that are saved and put to new use, or they can be new products manufactured by recycling old things.

Nathan Engstrom, program director for Green Built Home, a program of the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative, said some of the newest developments include things like LED lighting. The light-emitting diodes last a very long time and cost very little to operate, though the initial cost is high.

“LED lighting is predicted to be the biggest technological revolution in terms of new technologies for residential and commercial,” Engstrom said. “You can do away with incandescent or fluorescent lights.

“People are beginning to design light fixtures, like recessed cans, with LEDs. The fixtures may look the same, just with a different light source.”

Engstrom said healthy building is another idea getting a lot of exposure. Many products and finishes contain known carcinogens and other potentially harmful chemicals. Some companies are now trying to reduce or eliminate those compounds from their products.

“People are looking at the health impacts of building products and buildings themselves,” he said. “What goes into flooring, furnishings, engineered wood, paints and finishes? How can we substitute toxic or harmful substances with ones that are less toxic and benign?”

In the Milwaukee area, Pragmatic Construction LLC focuses exclusively on green building. The company provides general contracting services for new and remodeled residential and commercial construction.

“We approach it green in terms of methods, systems and products,” said Juli Kaufmann, owner of Pragmatic.

When it comes to energy generation, Kaufmann said, solar panels and wind power have great promise. Solar panels are increasing in efficiency, and people who install solar hot-water systems can recover the cost of the system within a few years, she said.

She expects to see new developments in that arena in the next few years, especially in wind power.

“It’s hard to have it integrated into an urban setting,” she said. “One of the biggest issues is the technology that does exist requires a certain amount of wind velocity.

“In a city, wind blowing through is bouncing off buildings. They’re developing some technologies to capture that chaotic wind energy.”

As for products and materials, Kaufmann said, contractors in the United States often follow their overseas counterparts.

“It’s ironic,” she said. “They’re not new on the planet; they’re just new here in the United States.”

One of the newest developments, she said, is autoclaved aerated concrete, which is a common building material in Europe and Japan. The concrete is made from aerated fly ash, a waste product from coal manufacturing.

“It takes a very yucky process and makes it into a renewed, useful product,” she said. “The block is the entire building system, the structure, sheeting and insulating all in one.”

With continued public support for healthier indoor and outdoor environments, expect green-building technologies to gain in popularity and use.

“We’re seeing a back-to-the-land movement with green building,” Engstrom said.