LivingHomes Awarded LEED for Homes Platinum
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08.16.06
We knew there was a reason we liked LivingHomes, ever since we first heard about it and subsequently saw the green prefab designs taking shape, and we're glad to see we aren't the only ones. They have received the highest rating possible from the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) new pilot, LEED® for Homes rating system, making it the first residential project in the country to attain a Platinum rating. The LivingHomes model home is a Zero Energy, Zero Water, Zero Waste, Zero Carbon, Zero Emissions residence. LivingHomes is the first company to make LEED certified, prefab homes available to consumers nationwide. The first line of homes, designed by Ray Kappe, is available for purchase right now. The second line of homes, designed by David Hertz, is currently under development.
Said Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC President, CEO & Founding Chair, “The LivingHomes’ model home is expected to demonstrate that incorporating sustainable design into the construction process will help to lower operating costs, increase home value, reduce maintenance issues and improve indoor environmental quality in the long-term. With fewer than 20 LEED Platinum-certified commercial buildings nationwide, achieving Platinum certification is by no means a simple endeavor. LivingHomes demonstrates an unwavering commitment to sustainable design and will be pivotal in building awareness for the program.”
“We are honored to achieve LEED Platinum certification,” said LivingHomes Founder and CEO Steve Glenn. “As a company, we’re committed to building some of the healthiest, most ecologically considered production homes available and we will use LEED for Homes both to clarify what we’re doing and why – and to help our customers understand what’s different and important vis-à-vis other production homes. The LEED Platinum certification is an appropriate, and much-appreciated acknowledgement, of our efforts.” ::LivingHomes
common fire foundation's coop in red hook, ny was the first leed platinum residential building in the country, i think. kavitha was kind enough to give some friends and i a tour this past weekend. very cool.
miriam at hearty roots, the organic farm and csa across the street, also gave as a great tour of the farm & we got to sample some of the delicious veggies. beautiful day, with cool people, in a beautiful setting, with some fresh organic food. couldn't ask for more.
The living homes look beautiful, but they also look (and I know looks can be decieving)like they wouldn't retain much heat. Do you think they would work in the Northeast?
-Armand
I'm a big fan of Living Homes, however think they are lacking in one key area--especially since the model home was built in the L.A. area--I'd like to see a bio-diesel storage tank/fueling station as an option in or near the garage.
zaxxon, as point of fact, the livinghome model home was the first home in the nation certified platinum by the USGBC. i went to the coop site and it seems like they have not yet built there building.
armand, our homes are extremely energy efficient. the model home got a HERS (heat energy rating system) of 95, which makes it an energy star home. nonetheless, we have options for walls that are solid for colder climates. one other advantage of a steel frame; one can easily change walls.
lauren, biodiesel storage is someone one would do with one's site GC (general contractor). we'd totally encourage it; but we don't do site-work.
steve glenn
ceo, livinghomes
Mr. Glenn,
I am a M. Arch. grad student at the University of Oklahoma. The program is undergoing a philosophy change and the curriculum is geared primarily towards sustainable design. I am a native Californian and very interested in the work you are doing as well as possible career opportunities. Is there any suggestions you would make in regards to learning more about your operations for educational and professional purposes?
Sincerely,
Frank Crosby
Frank,
We have several internship positions available. Please send your resume to jobs@livinghomes.us.
Thanks for your interest and enthusiasm. We certainly hope sustainable building continues to grow in popularity and are proud to be leading the way.
Daniel Cunningham
LivingHomes
I live in North Carolina. How long long before we see this on the east coast.
i grew up in chapel hill (north carolina) and my mom still lives there. we'd love to do homes there! just need a willing client!
steve
I also live in Chapel Hill, NC and my husband and I would love to build a prefab green home. Any suggestions?
Nice! I saw this house on Discovery Health, and found this website doing a yahoo search.
I'm in Jacksonville, FL, and I'll be in the market for a new house next year, I see that the house is built in large part at a factory then shipped. Any idea if it is possible/cost effective to have one in Jax?
Great post. Thanks for the info. Here in the Big Bend region of North Florida, we have quite a few LEED for homes certified projects and are currently working on certifying our second platinum level home.