Green without wearing green on one’s sleeves. 

The clients for this new home are a retired couple, who are building their dream home with their hard earn savings. The clients first came to us seeking to build a LEED or GreenPoint Rated certified house. With a background in bio-technology and being extremely environmentally conscious Bay Area residents, our clients had high goals, they were aiming to achieve at least LEED Gold certification or 250 points on GreenPoint Rated checklist. However, as the project continued, while the planning and design of house sailed smoothly, the projected fees and material costs to obtain any of the Green certifications became overwhelming. With an absolutely fixed budget–whatever the clients have in their savings and retirement fund, and they do not wish to work again, every penny has to be spent wisely. This was an eye-opening experience for everyone on the team! And it was a reality check on the practicality of these green building checklists. We all care about the planet, we didn’t give up on building a Green Home, but we took the matters into our own hands, and make intelligent decisions on what is applicable and practical for our project.

When this project was finished, the clients did not have a plaque or certificate to hang on their wall, but they have a beautiful, comfortable home, with many of the features that are inherent in any Swatt houses, and are listed on the Green checklists as Green building criteria. What I realized is, in order to make a significant step forward on sustainable design and construction, we the architects must take the biggest responsibility at making a difference, it should not be left for a third party to ‘qualify’ our work.