We are designing and building a green roof in Manhattan. As one of the few green roof companies in Manhattan it is a very exciting time. Differance of Green Roof Beween Manhattan and Brooklyn Building a green roof in Manhattan is a totally different feeling than doing a green roof on a Brooklyn brownstone. Putting green […]
Green Roof in Manhattan Read More »
If you have ever wondered why we use aluminium for fins in radiant floor heating here is a simple visual example: This image is actually to show the benefits of fiberglass over other materials for windows (it conducts very little heat). But the image also shows that aluminium conducts three times more than metal. Thus
Why do we use aluminium for radiant floor heating? Read More »
Brooklyn brownstones are being built with tighter and tighter envelopes, which means there are no leaky cracks to help ventilate the building. This is a problem, sort of. Gone is the wasted heat. But you need to make up for that air and the best way is good design and mechanical ventilation. ASHRAE is the
How Much Fresh Air Does Your Home Need? Read More »
Here is a study that confirms what we all know: that day light helps kids learn. Basically they studied lots of classrooms with various levels of daylight and there was a 21% difference in performance between the kids with the most light and those in classrooms with the least light. Although it is obvious, my
Daylight helps Kids learn, Duh! Read More »
Here is an interesting competition and an indication of how all buildings will be built (or better, renovated) in the future. This way of thinking is a large part of Building It Forward. A lot of this thinking is due to the great book “Cradle to Cradle”. ====== Design competition for professionals and students. The
Lifecycle Building Challenge Read More »
Here is something I found on the MIT site. It had some bad links so I reproduced it here. The reason I find it useful is that it was done by a student without any financial interest in the canal. It was also done before the whole Superfund issue, so it is not polarized yet.
Civil society strategies on the Gowanus Canal Read More »
Here are two banks who supposedly offer financing for green homes in New York. I haven’t used them (yet). Bank of America 800-900-9000 2007 Special Financing Pulaski Bank Home Lending 913-338-4300 2008 Special Financing
Green Home Lenders Read More »
Natural Home Magazine is tailored to natural minded home kind of people. It’s a mix of DIY advice and decorating hints. Geared to the general public who might be a little handy on the weekends, an issue might have a showcase house, an organic cooking recipe, some natural products for the bathroom and an article
Natural Home Magazine Read More »
The concept of “Conservation and Efficiency Before Renewables” is an important green building practice. Lets break it down. Green Building Conservation The greenest building is to NOT build in the first place. In any green building it is important to constantly ask, “Is this building step necessary? Do we really need to buy this product?
Green Building – Conservation and Efficiency Before Renewables Read More »
When I coined the concept of Built It Forward I knew what it meant but that didn’t mean I knew how to accurately describe it to others. Today I was describing it and came across a good way: When you build it forward you are giving more to the world than what you are taking
Build It Forward Further Defined Read More »
