Welcome to the July edition of the Green Building Journal. While the 4th always brings us a gift of celebrating our freedom, friends, family and fireworks, complete with heat for most of the country, it is also the perfect time to explore alternative methods for efficient and sustainable design to help us withstand the elements in comfortable ways.

This month’s journal is focused on modular building and net-zero design. While this method of building traditionally brings to mind boxy, portable, temporary and not all that attractive structures, this industry has experienced rapid change over the years. Our contributing writers this month offer us insight into the new and exciting advances in modular building.

Tom Hardiman’s article Modular Construction - A Greener Way to Build, gives us insight into the growing acceptance of green building construction utilizing the process of modular building, to reduce the environmental impact while using traditional construction materials.

In the article A Net Zero Modular Building in Mountainous Terrain, a fan of modular construction, Ken Wilkins, shares his goals for the design of a net-zero modular home in a rugged area. Ken shares with us the advantages and challenges of his innovative green building project.

We are excited to include the first article by our new contributing columnist from Edwards Executive Search. Mark Herbert writes that while our economy is still dragging its feet at recovery, now is the time to develop some critical strategies and find the best people to help your business thrive not just in tough times, but at all times.

While this is a snapshot of what you can find in the journal, dive in and enjoy the articles, blogs, videos and news. Explore the Green Building Pro social media community, engage with other members and contribute your expertise to collaborate and communicate with other green building professionals.

I am also very excited to announce the continuation of Green Building Expo with our Online Event Series beginning August 25th. Each month we will feature multi-hour virtual events focused on a specific topic within the green building and sustainable design industry. Each virtual event will deliver panel discussions and presentations by industry thought leaders targeted to the focus of the event. In August we will focus on Green Schools, September will find us discussing Net Zero Construction and in October it’s time to present Remodels and Retrofits.

We welcome you to join us in our community and attend our monthly online series, either as an attendee, sponsor, speaker or all of the above. Feel free to contact me with your interest in topics for future journal editions and our Green Building Expo Online Event Series. I look forward to joining you online in the Green Building Pro community.

Jenica Egan
Editor in Chief
Green Building Journal
Follow us on Twitter @buildgreenpro

From The American Heritage Dictionary:

Efficient: adj, 1. Acting or producing effectively with a minimum of waste or effort. 2. Exhibiting a high ratio of output to input.

Designers and builders these days are being asked to do more with less, to be efficient. Whether measured in time, money or natural resources the typical construction process is anything but efficient. Computer Aided Drafting and Design and the internet have dramatically increased productivity in the design process as well as creation of construction documents and specifications, but for the most part these quantum leaps in technology have not found their way to the job site.
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Import, configure and export your BIMs with Georgia-Pacific Architects Design Studio.

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I have occasionally been asked what would inspire anyone to acquire a modular building and my answer is….why not? Simply put, the speed of construction of a modular project coupled with the flexibility of relocation and the ability to lease modular building products make it an obvious decision, especially when a land lease is also involved in the transaction or when the need has a definite start and ending timeframe.

Modular buildings can be temporary or permanent in nature and the customer can and should select the quality of construction and have input on the finish materials.
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The grand opening of Green Building Expo was a great success, with over 2000 attendees participating in 18 hours of conference sessions over the two-day kickoff. If you missed the expo or didn’t get a chance to see all of the presentations, all of the sessions are now available online and accessible at any time.

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If only net zero energy buildings were like cheap baseball caps. One size would fit all. Unfortunately, reality is very much case by case and often times there are circumstances that prevent a correct fit from being achievable. These limitations come most often in the vehicle of a financial excuse, but can also be the result of serious design constraints such as weather patterns and roof space. Also, keep in mind that most clients will not understand net zero design so it will be an uphill battle to convince them to increase a project’s complexity and timeline.
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With the increased awareness of green construction practices, there is a growing acceptance of the environmental advantages of the modular construction process.

Think of modular construction as more of a process than a facility type. The same materials are used in modular construction as in conventional projects—wood, concrete, and steel.
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In designing our building we have two ‘prime directives’: 1) That it be of a replicable design and 2) that it be within a specific budget amount that smaller companies could afford to follow. Utilizing modular construction meets both of these criteria.

Our final design is a two-story space at just over 3,900 sf. We chose a two-story design to decrease the costs associated with footers, foundations or more pillars. Our walls will have a whole-wall R value of about 40+. We are designing it with a 2”x4” wood stud exterior wall, a 3” space, then an interior 2”x4” wood stud wall. The walls will have vertical fiberglass batts of R-13 and the middle space will have horizontal R-13 batts. This, combined with the small R-value of the drywall and the exterior siding treatment will give us the R-40. An R-21 batt is available from the insulation manufacturer and could be used for higher R-values. However, consider the additional costs and the availability of any component when designing your building.
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The Spanish government’s first Solar Decathlon Europe (SD Europe) took place last month in Madrid, Spain. SD Europe is a spinoff of the version hosted in Washington D.C. and organized by the United States Department of Energy, with two biannual competitions held on alternating years. The Queen’s Solar Design Team (QSDT) has now visited both of the sister Decathlons; these fact-finding missions have supplemented ongoing research at Queen’s as well as provided us with an insight into the nuances of each competition.

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When the pace of change outside an organization becomes greater than the pace of change inside the organization, the end is near.” John R. Walter, President, ATT. Our current situation is in turmoil. We appear to be coming out of the most significant recession since the 1930’s, we see businesses closing or cutting back. So far at least half of the financial bailout hasn’t yielded significant results. Banks are still not lending. Here are a few other “pre-meltdown” considerations for you as well- Eric Allenbaugh, an Oregon based management consultant published an article describing the three primary cultures represented in corporate America.
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Sustainable Site Design by Claudia Dinep and Kristin Schwab is an excellent resource for those involved or interested in practicing sustainable landscape architecture. Within it the authors outline how sustainability in landscape has evolved over generations and the existing frameworks available for creating and evaluating sustainable design.

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Sheri Koones’ new book is about the rise of prefabricated construction, and how to use this technique to build green. The book is gorgeous and laid out in a way that’s easy to flip through and digest at any time. The format is a showcase of different homes, twenty-five in all, that subscribe to being efficient and sustainable. Spread out over three sections, each highlighting buildings that range from being ‘green’ to establishing themselves as some of the ‘greenest’ homes in America.

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