“Green buildings are the inevitable future of Architecture. Conventional buildings consume and contaminate vast amounts of water, and are responsible for much of the greenhouse-gas emissions that cause global warming—the most tangible urgent environmental problem threatening our whole way of life”

-- Peter Buchanan Architectural Record, May 2000

Green Building Philosophy

Materials, products, method, and processes are evaluated for their overall environmental Life Cycle costs. Criteria considered in a Life Cycle analysis include:

• Resource Extraction -How is the product raw material extracted from the Earth?
• Transportation Costs -How far away does it come from, what transportation is involved?
• Manufacturing/Installation -What comes from the process of making the product, are there any harmful by-products or pollution?
• Use/Durability/Offgassing/Maintenance -What happens to it after it's installed?
• End Game Disposal -What do we do with it when it's time to dispose of the material?

Noel F. Cross Architect AIA also lives and works according to these ecological guidelines. We recycle disposable goods as much as possible (blueprint paper, office paper, bottles, cans, etc.) and two of my staff of five use alternative methods of getting to work (city bus, bicycle). All of our stationery is printed on recycled content paper w/soy based inks. We have been listed in the National Green Pages and regularly participate in environmental seminars and programs. Mr. Cross is building his own personal residence using passive solar design, rammed earth walls, radiant floor heating with a ground source heat pump, reclaimed lumber, and photo-voltaic solar panels.

"GREEN" Building Alternatives Click to download pdf

The following is a partial list of some of the environmentally friendly, sustainable, or "green" building design concepts that we here at Noel F. Cross Architect AIA incorporate into our architectural practice. There are several alternatives/categories available when choosing Earth friendly design, so there is sure to be something that applies to almost anyone's level of "environmental commitment":

 Green by design:  Structural/Systems Alternatives:


• 
basic passive solar design techniques


•
fly ash in structural concrete vs. cement
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 natural flow through ventilation
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 manufactured strand lumber vs. standard
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 south facing glass, limited north glass
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 TJI floor, ceiling and roof joists vs. "sticks"
•
 interior mass walls and floors
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 demolition & construction recycling
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 calibrated overhangs/fins/sun shades
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 cotton or cellulose insulation vs. fiberglass
•
 basic building siting/orientation
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 rain water reclamation systems
•
 landscape placement/protection
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 high efficiency furnaces/boilers
•
 basic daylighting techniques
•
 ACQ pressure treated lumber vs. ACZA/CCA
 Finish Material Alternatives


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bamboo flooring vs. oak hardwood flooring


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concrete countertops vs. granite
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 recycled content tile vs. imported stone
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 low-e windows/french doors vs. standard
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 anything but carpet as floor material
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 non-formaldehyde content anything
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 linoleum or cork tile vs. sheet vinyl
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 compact fluorescent light fixtures/bulbs
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 wheat board vs. particle board
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 low/zero VOC adhesives/sealants
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 metal roofing/slate/tile vs. shakes
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 low/zero VOC paints/stains/finishes
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 composite siding vs. redwood/cedar
• 
 recycled/reclaimed lumber vs. standard
 Energy Efficient Active Systems


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photo-voltaic solar for electricity loads


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BIPV (Building Integrated Photo Voltaics) roofing, siding and glazing
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 wind generator for electricity loads • radiant floor heating vs. forced air
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 hot water solar vs. gas fired • pool/spa heating w/solar panels
•
 ground source heat pump system    
 100% Fundamentally Environmental Building Systems

•  rammed earth wall system
•  PISE (pneumatically impacted stabilized earth)
•  straw bale/plaster wall system
•  SIP (structural insulated panels) wall and roof systems
•  recycled lumber and strand lumber framing