Barkitecture Houston is a event which supports Pup Squad Animal Rescue.  The event is focus is on local Houston area architects and builders building any type of dog house with the only requirement being size.

4′ x 5′ x 4′ high

Our entry into Barkitecture was focused on using only recycled materials for the entire dog house.

Materials

1) Pallets – for floor, frame, siding and roof
2) Old Shower Curtain – for roof sheathing
3) Paint Can – for ornamental chimney flue
4) Nails and screws

Process

1) Break apart pallets and remove nails and staples

2) Start with one pallet for base and floor

3) Fill space between planks with additional planks and layout wall base plates

4) Use 2×4’s from pallets for wall corners

5) Install shower curtain over top of roof sheathing for water barrier

6) Use pallet planks for siding, trim pieces, and roof.  Sand to smooth finish. Install paint can on roof as chimney flue.

We visited the Builders Show in Las Vegas and were lucky to get to view The New American Home. Its an amazing showcase home that most of us would never live in, but the ideas and innovations in it are too be admired and someday will be commonplace in future homes

The 8700 square foot home spread across 4 floors with an elevator provides the home owners with many spaces to entertain and enjoy the open layout that flows in and out through the several wall to wall automatic doorways. Lavish as it is, the home aspires to be a zero energy home, producing as much energy as it uses. Some of the integral energy efficient features and design elements that make this zero-energy goal a reality include:

• 12-1/2″ thick Insulated concrete forms (ICF) were used predominately for the basement and structural walls providing insulating R-values up to 50
• Vertical and horizontal solar overhangs and window louvers enabled the home to achieve a Five Star-Plus HERS rating of 57
• 10.64 kilowatt solar panel system – powered by 56 Sanyo bifacial photo-voltaic panels which provide upto 18.6 watts/sqft
• Unvented attic sealed with open-cell spray foam insulation
• Tankless natural gas water heaters
• 40% of interior lighting utilizes LEDs or CFLs
• Swimming pool heated by a roof mounted Solar thermal water heating system

View complete details on the New American Home 2009

Solar thermal water heating panels for pool

Window ‘Eyebrows’ – horizontal louvers

Rejuvention Room surrounded by swimming pool

Solar panel covered outdoor patio with a flat screen and fireplace!

Master bathroom – with a flatscreen!

Master bedroom – zen garden

Aside from these energy efficient design components, the home features many conveniences including zen gardens surrounding the vanishing pool, swim up bar and outdoor kitchen, home automation and security system, central vacuum cleaning system, pet shower, 5 or 6 fireplaces, 7 or 8 flatscreen tvs throughout, a wine cellar, media room, and of course towel warmers in the master shower.

We recently took possession of this 81 year old wood frame bungalow and garage apartment on Maxie St near Memorial Park.

In order to make plans for a future modern development, the lot would need to be cleared and the house demolished.

Considering the state of the

house and that it was in such a state of disrepair, most people would demolish it outright, and the structure and many of the usable house components would be lost in a landfill unnecessarily.

But before bringing in the demolition crew we wanted to make sure the house which already had a long life would still be able to be used in parts. This was accomplished by meeting with several organizations, such as the Habitat for Humanity Houston ReStore or Historic Houston, that specialize in salvaging usable building components from older structures and selling them for use in other structures.

After first ensuring the water, power and gas utilities were disconnected, and securing a demolition permit from the City of Houston, we provided access to the house for all interested people that could use any remaining parts to begin the salvage process.

From this house we were able to salvage all this

1. Toilets
2. Kitchen sink
3. Water heater 50 gallon tank
4. Electrical wiring
5. Plugs and Switches
6. Light fixtures
7. Siding on exterior
8. Front Porch decking
9. Front Porch ceiling
10. Windows
11. Doors – Interior, Exterior, Screen
12. Door hardware- doorknobs, handles, locks and hinges
13. Some siding and ornamental trim fascia boards
14. Chain-link wire fence
15. Steel Laundry-line posts
16. Bathroom fixtures- sink, vanity, showerhead and faucets
17. Ceiling joists
18. Kitchen cabinets, cabinet doors, cabinet hardware

The lifecycle of these items will be extended for use in another location and provide use for some time. We saved about 10 yards of waste from going into a landfill, a small speck in a mountain of garbage, but if this was done with more older homes prior to demolition, it would have a noticeable impact.

Other items one should have salvaged or recycled from buildings slated for demolition include:

1. Carpets and carpet padding
2. Hardwood floors – these can be sanded and refinished
3. Air conditioning systems – metal components should be recycled
4. Garage doors
5. Any metal piping, conduit can be recycled

The La Quinta Inn & Suites development in Brookshire, Texas is well underway. Built on a 62,000 sqft lot located on Interstate-10 at FM1489, the development provides a modern, efficient layout and design for its owners, operators and most importantly its guests.

Some of the features in its design that focus on ease of operation for the building owners and operations staff include:

1. Fixed pane dual paned Low-E windows throughout the building to control air temperature variations from opening and closing.
2. Entry vestibule provides for two Besam automatic sliding doors to control temperature variations in lobby.
3. Centrally operated Air Conditioning systems controlled by Honeywell programmable thermostats in all public areas and corridors instead of using localized PTAC units.
4. Fluorescent and CFL and LED lighting in common area lighting to reduce energy consumption and waste from frequent bulb changes.
5. Wall mounted digital thermostats for each guestroom near the entry door to provide easy access for guests to adjust room temperatures without having to set PTAC units on high or low repeatedly.
6. All guestroom baths feature granite vanity tops and granite bathtub enclosures to ease housekeeping cleaning and maintenance during heavy repeated use.
7. Guestroom locks feature Onity Advance system - long lasting card key locks

With an abundant supply of containers at the Houston Ship Channel, they are now being recycled and integrated into new home construction within the loop.

This luxurious custom home development near the intersection of Gibson and Jackson Hill incorporates more than a dozen containers within its structure.

The containers, properly called inter-modal steel building units (ISBUs) are familiar to almost everyone. They are traditionally manufactured in two sizes – 20′ x 8′ x 8′ and 40′ x 8′ x 8′ and can be incorporated into designs to be the building blocks of a much larger structure as this one on Gibson.

Key benefits of the recycling shipping containers into new construction housing:

• Readily available due to US shipping imbalance
• Manufactured of heavy-gauge Corten steel
• Water-proof and fire resistant
• Impervious to the nature’s elements on both land and sea
• Able to be stacked 9 high to build multi-level structures
• New alternative to structural wood framing
• Multiple containers may be arranged in a countless number of designs
• Quicker build time and less trades needed during construction

Container housing is certainly not a new concept, as its been used in Europe and Mexico to construct pre-fab homes as well as low income shelters for those in need. Look for more to be built in the Houston area in the coming years.

This looks interesting.  The Gulf Coast Green conference is coming to Houston on April 3-6.  Jared Diamond is one the of the keynote speakers.  I’ll see you there.

Houston, environmentally conscious green design is here at 1914 Ridgewood St.

Unit A - SOLD
Unit B – SOLD
Unit C – SOLD

Tour the green design and modern minimalist finishes of this premiere development by Green Mode Designs. Some of the ECO features of these town homes include:

• Dual Flush water saving toilets
• Exotic Bamboo Floors
• Day-lighting with low-E Energy Star Showcase Windows
• Minimal Off-Gases with Low VOC paints
• Enhanced insulation in attics and floors
• 12 ft vaulted ceilings
• Velux Skylights – Energy Star compliant
• Huge roof decks pre-wired with surround sound
• No maintenance fees
• European style kitchen cabinets with Blum soft-close features
• KitchenAid Architects Series stainless steel appliances
• Open living space and modern minimalist design

Visitor and General Public Open Houses are held on the weekends (Sat-Sun 1-5pm)

Choosing designs and finishes for stairs can be a challenge. Most traditional residential stairs are carpeted and walled all around with sheetrock and then painted which result in a hallway effect. In this design for the Cityview on Ridgewood development our focus was to provide a transitional stairwell that is bright and open between floors.

From the ground floor to the roof, the open section of the stairwell stands over 40ft high, bringing in natural day lighting from the skylight above and the pocket windows in each level.

The open stairwell incorporated the use of structural steel which in itself is a incorporates at least 25% recycled steel content. The use of steel for the handrails and columns eliminated the need to cover up the handrailed sections with additional wood framing, sheetrock and paint.

The stair treads are made of natural bamboo which provide a consistent floor grain from the first floor all the way up to the fourth floor roof deck. Solid bamboo stair treads provide a durable, and long lasting solution for a busy household.

Minimalistic smart stair design in both form and function.

Today’s kitchens not only serve up meals, but serve as the gathering place in the heart of the home. The modern kitchen is much more than just a food prep area. It can be a quiet area where you relax by yourself, a space where two people casually talk and get to know one another, a desk space where children work on their homework, or it can be an anteroom that is used to support activities in an adjacent living space.

Designing lighting to serve so many needs requires independently operating light fixtures. The modern kitchen styling with clean cabinet lines and smooth finish appliances provides large reflecting surfaces for accent light.

The lighting plan in Cityview on Ridgewood town home kitchens was designed to fulfill all these tasks and allow the home owner to use only the light they need.

Task Lighting

Compact fluorescent (CFLs) under cabinet puck lights were installed to provide task lighting and accent the glass backsplash. CFLs provide a soft white light that is an energy conserving alternative to conventional incandescent bulbs. The blizzard Caesarstone countertops white surface provides creates a bright airy feel to the workspaces.

Day lighting

The above cabinet windows bring in a large amount of daylight to light up the kitchen throughout the day.

General Purpose Lighting

Recessed ceiling mount light fixtures provide large amount of light for general light to fill the kitchen. Recessed ceiling lights can be equipped with CFL’s for even greater savings.
Mood lighting

The kitchen island serves as a focal point and is equipped with dimmable pendant lights above to allow the home owner to create the ambiance they want for that space and the adjoining living area. With a dimmer switch, less is more—more money, that is.

• Dim lights by 25%, increase energy savings by 20%
• Dim lights by 50%, increase energy savings by 40%

You also extend bulb life up to 20 times when you dim a bulb halfway. Lutron dimmers are used throughout the Cityview on Ridgewood town homes. Calculate how much you would save by dimming your lights on Lutron’s dimming calculator.

What to do with all that cardboard and paper?

During the installation of interior finishes, which included the bamboo floors, bath fixtures, toilets, kitchen cabinets, and major appliances there was an abundance of packing materials used to protect the products. Green build not only encompasses the building but the waste that is generated during the development as well.

During this development:

• A majority of the cardboard, paper, aluminum, and plastic were sorted and taken to recycling facilities.
• Pallets used for heavy appliance and HVAC equipment deliveries were not thrown away, but sent back with the suppliers to be reused in their warehouses.
• Boxes were flattened to cover and protect finished floors and stair treads during painting.