For Dan Hedges '68 and his wife, Adele, building a new home was not just about having a place to live it was also about making a political statement.
Today, the Hedges are the proud residents of a 3,700 square-foot house that incorporates extensive sustainable design elements. Earlier this year, the Hedges' home became the first in Houston to receive a platinum certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. The project's architects, Joe Adams '70 and his wife Gail, presented an overview of the house's sustainable technology in the Haldeman Center on Monday afternoon.
LEED, an accreditation organization, certifies buildings that meet certain sustainability and energy-efficiency standards. Joe Adams' design received a score of 104 out of a possible 130 points on the LEED scale.
The house is built on a steel frame, which supports the 140 solar panels that generate the building's entire energy supply. The energy system feeds the excess power it creates into Houston's grid, and the city's power companies compensate the house's owners for the energy they provide, Adams said.
The house's plumbing draws from reserves of purified rainwater. Plastic tubes attached to the house collect and filter rainwater, which is stored in a 7,000-gallon underground tank. The house is also connected to Houston's water system, in case of drought.
The interior design, meanwhile, is based on an "intersection of ethics and aesthetics," Adams said, explaining that the floors are constructed of sustainable bamboo, the countertops are made from tightly compacted recycled paper, and the walls are decorated with recycled glass.
Construction costs present a challenge to widespread sustainable housing projects like the Hedges', Adams explained. To meet LEED's sustainability standards, he said, the couple spent 25 percent more than they would have on the construction of a standard house.
Government incentives, like tax cuts, to build sustainable homes would help defray construction costs and increase the number of sustainable houses built, Adams said.
In his lecture, Adams also explained some of the particular challenges raised by sustainable housing projects.
Because the Hedges' house is powered entirely by sunlight, for example, architects had to consider the orientation of the building, working to face its solar array south to maximize sun exposure, Adams said.
The structure has already proven its ability to withstand Houston's volatile weather, Adams said. During construction of the house, Hurricane Ike hit the Houston area. The steel structure of the house was not damaged, and the newly installed solar panels remained intact.
Most attendees at the presentation praised the sustainability of the design, and advocated the construction of similar houses. Several audience members, however, expressed disapproval with the house's modern design. Some of the steel beams that make up the structure of the house remain exposed, and the cabinets and furniture are in rectangular forms.
"It seemed sharp, cold and angular," environmental studies professor Norman Miller said, though he said that he supports the concept of sustainable design.
