We performed some energy modeling studies a few years ago to determine what the ideal effective aperture is for each climate we work in. We were surprised to find that because energy codes and window manufacturers are tightening up on glazing solar heat gain performance, code-minimum windows do not allow for passive solar heating benefits. This means that even in northern climates where buildings could benefit from southern heat gain, the window code will not allow the solar heat gain coefficient to be high enough to perform this way. You can read more about the study and our findings in this...

A SIMPLE RAINWATER CALCULATOR to help you estimate how much water you can potentially collect and how much water your design requires (both indoor and outdoor). As you progress through design there are other consultants who will likely provide input such as the landscape architect, irrigation designer, and civil engineer.

We hired Greenstone Industries of San Antonio to manage the construction waste on one of our residential projects that received LEED Platinum certification last year. By doing so, we diverted 88% of construction waste from the landfill. The other amazing part is that this service cost a third less than a typical dumpster service which would have delivered 100% to the landfill. Greenstone built these recycle bins from old pallets to separate the different kinds of waste.

That's why it's important to start the energy model early. We have developed a process for creating an early-stage energy model using very basic, conceptual information about a design. We call it an "energy snapshot." The project manager fills out this spreadsheet about their project and sends it to me: I input this information into an energy simulation tool such as REM Rate (residential) or eQUEST (commercial) along with some reasonable assumptions based on building systems our firm typically utilizes and a few minutes later . . . An energy model is born. This model will be refined...