What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place? That’s the fundamental question posed by the International Living Building Institute, which created a new building standard that seeks to promote true sustainability in the world’s built environment. When the leaders of Washington University’s Tyson Research Center in Eureka started…
I remember as a child the commercial about a popular glass-cleaner encouraging the viewer to “bring all the sun in.” There is an energizing feeling to have bright, natural daylight pouring into a room. While dark, quiet spaces may have their place, a well-lit room is an inviting space to work and play. Studies in…
The feeling of fresh, warm water on your face in the morning shower is soothing, refreshing and invigorating. The feeling of sunshine on your shoulders is equally therapeutic – in modest doses of course. Imagine combining these two to naturally warm water with sunshine, and you have a match made in heaven. We’ve actually been…
Sarah Heyman and her family have always been conservative when it comes to consumption. They are far from the ordinary family: Sarah rides her bike to work, and since they live near bus and MetroLink stops, they often use mass transit to get around. As a result, they have made a critical choice to live…
Did you know that in the average home, about half of the energy consumed is wasted? There are a number of contributors to this phenomenon, including inefficient lighting & appliances and bad habits, but the main culprit is the shell of your home. Your biggest energy expense it heating and cooling your home, so the…
When Gary Pawelko and his partner Diana Figueroa built their home in Wentzville, they carefully considered the many options available, doing their best to imagine this new space and how things would fit together. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize until the home was finished that the kitchen, where they spent a large portion of their time,…
Since most of us spend an average of 90 percent of our time indoors, it’s important to create a healthy environment in which to live. While we may not have enough control or influence over our work environment, we can certainly make healthier decisions about our homes. Many newer homes are built much “tighter” than…
When Rick & Debbie Massimi’s 15-year old air conditioning system began to fail last year, they weighed their options to maintain the aging equipment or invest in a newer, more efficient system. With an all-electric home, they had high energy bills in the summer and even higher costs in the winter. “I wanted to reduce…
The traditional incandescent light bulb has long been a symbol for an idea, as in “when the light goes on.” Since Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb in 1879, this technology has become the dominant standard for electric lighting. The filaments in the bulbs are heated to incandescence by an electric current, which is…
It’s a common misconception that having a “green” home means small, basic and visually unappealing. Dale and Sharon Becker had long dreamed of the home they built in O’Fallon, Missouri, but wanted to apply green building principles in a comfortable, beautiful home. They had been fans of Sarah Susanka’s Not So Big House and designed…
