Topping Off the Resilient Home

Photo above by: ajbrownimaging.com

If the front of the home is its face, the top of the home can be thought of as the brains, thanks to roofing designed for greater resiliency and sustainability. 

Beyond merely topping a structure, roofs can be used in a smart way, to generate power and provide natural daylighting and ventilation with an integrated skylight, among other functions. 

Resilience is one advantage of today’s metal roofs. The life span of a properly installed metal roof can be up to 50 years, and metal roofs typically last three times longer than other roofing materials. A large piece of hail will damage anything it hits, but a metal roof will survive the impact much better than traditional roofing materials, contrary to some misperceptions about metal roofs. Furthermore, metal roofs are resistant to fire, which is a benefit in areas of the country susceptible to wildfires.

In addition to durability, topping a home with a metal roof contributes to its overall sustainability. For example, energy-efficient metal roofs have qualities that can reduce the effect of heat gain from the sun inside a home and subsequently lower energy usage, thanks to the solar reflectance qualities from the Kynar paint finish on many metal roof products. In metal roofs with standing seams, the seam makes a good anchor for attaching photovoltaic solar panels, as long as the clip that attaches the solar panel to the roof panel doesn’t penetrate the metal. Using a metal roof to collect water is another good choice, considering oil and granules from asphalt roof shingles can leach into collected waterh. Another facet of greater sustainability is the recyclability of metal roofs, including those from Petersen Aluminum Corporation (PAC) at the end of their use, which keeps material out of landfills.

Photo by: scottbellphotography.com

Metal roofs like Petersen’s PAC-CLAD steel and aluminum products  enhance the appearance of a home, too. Standing seam metal roofs look good with almost any architectural style if properly specified by a knowledgeable architect or designer. Today’s standing seam metal roofs are available in more colors than other types of roofing. PAC-CLAD roofs, for example, include standing seam metal roofs in 45 colors, and have the ability to match any custom color. 

Metal roofs also bring peace of mind for homeowners, who probably won’t need to think about buying another roof on their home as long as they’re living there. Petersen offers a 30-year warranty against fading, chalking and chipping on the paint applied to its metal roof panels.  

For more information about PAC-CLAD steel and aluminum roof and siding products, visit pac-clad.com, email info@pac-clad.com or call 800-PAC-CLAD.

PAC-CLAD is a member of the NextHaus Alliance

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Get the Lay of the Land: How to Incorporate Landscaping Early in the Sustainable Design Process

By Bob Hursthouse, President, Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors and Core Member, NextHaus Alliance

Spring is the time our gardens come back to life and we begin to move outdoors for summer living.

As we head outside, we can also live in a more sustainable, resilient way that protects the property as much as it protects the planet. For example, while you are reviewing your existing outdoor area and choosing new plantings to add this year, be mindful of avoiding invasive species, look for drought-resistant plants and consider more native plants that look and grow like they “belong” here and are therefore more resilient. When adding hardscapes, ask about how the material, such as stone, wood or brick, was sourced, and look for other options, like permeable paving that allows for the absorption of more stormwater. If you are adding outdoor lighting, check for eco-friendlier energy sources.

Take a step back and consider other environmental factors when making landscape plans. To alleviate flooding and stormwater, you can add a simple rain barrel or create a rain garden area on your property, where you can grow trees, plants and shrubs that will capture and hold water on the surface of leaves and release water more slowly into the landscape. As a way to live more sustainably (and for a fun experience!) grow more of your own food with garden beds and containers dedicated to edibles.

 April – a prime time for landscaping — also happens to be National Landscape Architecture month. By partnering with a landscape architect as part of your home building team, you can take advantage of their unique skill set to guide you on the what, where how and why of outdoor living. Landscape architects are trained in land use planning, managing site conditions, horticulture and how people relate to nature. For the best results, they should be included in the design discussion while your architect is designing your home and before the final site engineering is completed. There are three areas in which a landscape architect’s gifts can be utilized early in the design process for sustainable, resilient homes and properties:

• Siting of the home. Trained in site planning, a landscape architect can ensure the home’s placement for desired curb appeal. Considerations like vehicular and pedestrian circulation as well as the creation of outdoor living spaces can be planned at this time to align with outdoor activities. An evaluation and the protection of existing trees are important to protect the property’s value.

• Site Grading. Your landscape architect will understand grading and drainage. Rainwater harvesting, site drainage and Best Management Practices need to be addressed on most home construction projects.

• Special Features. As a landscape architect designs the spaces for your ideal outdoor living, he or she will help articulate your vision for patios and terraces, spaces for outdoor cooking and entertaining and areas where privacy is needed or a long view could be enhanced. The incorporation of fire features, pools and spas, fountains or ponds , outdoor illumination as well as gardens and plantings will all be considered, too.

Your NextHaus Alliance team embraces the unique gift of each of our design and construction specialists. Just as indoor and outdoor areas fuse an array of features and elements, each discipline plays a part in perfecting your living space and making it more sustainable.

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The Power of One: Why a Whole-Home Approach with a High-Performing HVAC System Optimizes Efficiency

By Mike Schaefer, Performance Construction Manager, Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US LLC

If there are natural and effective balances in the greater environment, it makes sense for a home environment to have a certain order of things for optimum efficiency.  It also follows that those concerned about the health of the overall environment can make their own home “ecosystem” more integrated and thoughtful. 

Today’s high-performance, lower-carbon homes reflect this confluence of sustainability, resiliency and performance. A whole-home approach, in which the entire home is considered a single system comprised of interdependent parts, ultimately results in greater efficiencies that help enhance the living environment and the bigger-picture environment.

A key component of the whole-home approach is the HVAC system, which can (and should) work in harmony with other elements of the home, such as framing, walls, insulation, windows, doors, lighting, wiring controls and power sources.

The envelope, please 

Today’s high-performing homes have a more airtight envelope, thanks to elements such as smart framing, improved outboard insulation and better cladding. This reduces heating and cooling loads and the risk of condensation, and also impacts the choice of HVAC systems.

Bigger isn’t necessarily better 

Oversized HVAC units aren’t as efficient or effective for homes built in a more airtight way. Instead, split-ductless and ducted systems better address lower heating and cooling loads and also conserve more energy while often using less ductwork. These systems are available in a range of capacities to match the needs of a particular home. Meanwhile, as more people utilize solar, wind or hydroelectric power, these systems are also ideal for such greener energy sources. Another bonus: because they have less wear and tear, split-ductless and ducted systems are more durable with a longer life.

A custom fit

While optimizing energy with lower loads, high-performance HVAC systems  can be designed for the way people live in their home. For example, split-ductless and ducted systems allow builders to customize the design and keep rooms at temperatures that work best for a particular time of day and for how a room is used. A homeowner can also control comfort zones through better control technologies, including remote controls via mobile devices.

Just as the whole-home approach is optimal for efficiency and environmental impact, it takes a collaborative team to create a high-performing, energy-efficient home, from architects and builders to contractors and HVAC manufacturers. Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC, for its part, offers a Performance Builder Program to develop innovative HVAC systems that meet homeowner needs and requirements.

To learn more, visit metahvac.com. For another example of the power of a collaborative approach to sustainable, resilient design, visit nexthausalliance.com. Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US LLC is a member of the NextHaus Alliance. 

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The Next Kitchen: Heart of the Home, In Harmony with Nature

By Robert Accarino, Valcucine Chicago and Core Member, NextHaus Alliance

Clean lines. Sleek finishes. Palettes that soothe yet inspire. Clever features designed around functionality and the simultaneous desire to live neatly and efficiently.

Long called the heart of the home, the kitchen is also the face of a residence. After all, kitchens aren’t just where we prepare and serve foods – they are the spaces where we connect with family, friends and neighbors. People are drawn to kitchens on an everyday weeknight or a large gathering, even when there isn’t any actual cooking going on. We simply like to be there.

As both the face and the heart of the home, a kitchen reflects you, from the way you cook and eat and drink to your penchant for tiding up or effectively hiding clutter that would otherwise sit in plain sight. Given people’s busy lives, kitchens are also designed around convenience in many innovative ways.

Sustenance and Sustainability

Increasingly, kitchens are designed with sustainability in mind. Just as people are choosing organic and natural foods and beverages, they are thinking about the ways in which they can live more lightly on the earth, including in their homes. Today’s kitchens can be as sustainable as foods and beverages that go into the pantry or refrigerator, including repurposed or sustainably sourced materials and energy-efferent appliances and lighting.

At Valcucine Chicago, we focus on people and the environment in which they live, along with the greater environment. We’re proud to offer features like flooring made from wood harvested from sustainably managed forests in Europe and cabinetry that is resilient, high-tech and richly inviting, based on your personal tastes and preferences. Our eco-tech kitchen features elements like the lightest door that fits into an aluminum structure resistant to water, steam and heat. With this kitchen, there is a significant reduction in the materials used, plus environmental attributes like sustainable finishes.

Such innovative kitchens help people live in harmony in their personal surroundings and in nature, and are examples of how such spaces can be designed around well-being – making the kitchen the heart, face and, ultimately, lifeblood of a home.

Join us in our kitchen to see the NextHaus of the future

Living in harmony at home and in nature is not just the way of the future. We invite you to spend some time in our kitchens to see and learn about today’s cutting-edge designs that combine beauty and sustainability. On Saturday, April 13, NextHaus Alliance – of which Valcucine Chicago is a proud core member– is hosting an exclusive event, “Designing Your NextHaus” at Valcucine Chicago, 300 W. Superior in Chicago from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

At this event, you can experience what’s next in the interior and exterior of visionary homes, hear from leading designers and experts and sample organic foods and wines. To learn more and RSVP, visit our Events page

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Why an All-Electric Home is the Most Sustainable Home

There’s been a lot in the news lately about green living, and how homes can be designed and constructed in a sustainable way. Those contemplating either building a new sustainable home or doing a substantial renovation to an existing home should consider the benefits of going all-electric, both from an eco-efficiency standpoint and a home efficiency perspective. 

Recently, members of the NextHaus Alliance and I were fortunate to have designed and constructed a modern lake house in a northwest suburb of Chicago featuring an all-electric system. This is the first winter the homeowners have been in the house, and it has been a wild season, with record-breaking low temperatures and rounds of snow and ice. Even on the coldest day, however, this home was warm and cozy. Looking ahead to summer, the home’s electric system is equally well equipped to maintain cool interior temperatures when the weather gets sweltering.

It’s the Chicago area, after all, when there can be greater than 100-degree temperature shifts within a year. That’s the reason why we designed this house, and homes like it in similar climates, to sustain extreme weather swings, with details like continuous rigid foam insulation added around the exterior. 

Why electric?

Electric power is a sustainable choice that makes sense, as ‘electricity is the currency of renewable energy’. If the goal is to de-carbonize, electricity is an effective way to do that. 

Electricity can be produce by various sources. If a home has solar panels, for instance, power can first be drawn that way. Electric battery power is often used as a backup. That  said, although homeowners may want to totally eschew carbon, sometimes it makes sense to have a natural gas powered generator in case the electricity goes out for an extended period of time.

For the heating and cooling system, we prefer using heat pump systems, which can be either ground-sourced (geothermal) or air-sourced. These systems are more sustainable, but they also provide more comfort than air forced from natural gas, which essentially “cooks” the humidity out of the air and thereby often requires the use of a humidifier. 

Myth busting 

Some people have certain perceptions about electric power, but those views are outmoded and misplaced in today’s context. Electric cooking now is not like your grandmother’s cooking, which was done on a stove with a heat element: modern induction cooktops are truly state-of-the-art. Some of the world’s best chefs use that method for a quicker, more even form of cooking. (If you aren’t convinced, come with us to a showroom and enjoy a delicious lunch prepared on an induction cooktop by a professional chef!)

All-electric systems are also quite quiet and, from an appearance sake, look like a regular forced air system.  Maintenance is also simple, and homeowners can change filters as they would with other systems. 

Electric systems are more costly than other forms of power, given the type and number of mechanicals involved. But on a long-term basis, electricity is a greener choice and is also a wise decision for comfortable, more efficient living:  in heating, for example, the heat is essentially moved around instead of being made, as is the case with natural gas.

An electric home is an investment in the future. So many aspects of human living are moving in the direction of such renewable sources of energy that reduce the use of fossil fuels, including the growing and perhaps inevitable use of electric cars. Add to that the benefits of health, sustainability, comfort and convenience, and you’ll find that the investment will pay off before you know it – all while you are enjoying your home in every season.

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How Interior Design Reflects Your Style – and Your Lifestyle and Values

Far beyond choosing personally pleasing palettes and patterns, interior design today is about creating environments that define and enhance the quality of existence for the people who live there.

After all, you spend much of your life inside your home, so having it reflect your lifestyle as well as your style is key to the overall enjoyment of your surroundings.

Design has evolved over the years with the different ways in which we live our lives. People’s values have changed over time, and that changes the quality of life. Decades ago, for example, the concept of a kitchen was based on a space where you would work and serve meals. Today, kitchens are open, inviting and increasingly functional for other pursuits. Similar lifestyle-driven changes impacted the design of master suites, baths and living rooms.

In more recent times and almost certainly into the future, other values affect interior design, including the value of living lighter on the earth. While major systems of cooling and heating and window choices are one aspect of creating a resilient home, so, too is design and décor. 

Indeed, there are many design pieces that provide environmental, societal and economic benefits. Beautiful products are available that are made in a responsible, sustainable way, from textiles produced from natural fibers to eco-friendly paints that do not emit fumes to recycled materials that can be used on countertops.  You can also make a difference by buying locally-made materials, such as cabinets or tiles, which help fuel the local economy. 

Some elements, including appliances, help improve the environmental health of the home, like refrigerators that can clean the air in a house. You might be surprised by the look and performance of modern induction cooking systems, which heat fast and cool down just as quickly for greater control over cooking. (I personally love the beauty of a glass top induction range.)

Homeowners can also choose materials created to withstand challenges from nature. At a time when hundred-year rains come every other year or so, rubber flooring or tiles instead of carpet is a much more resilient option in areas vulnerable to flooding, like basements. 

On another level, interior design choices have a wider impact that extends beyond the structure of your house and your property lines. How do you define and enhance the quality of your existence and living space? You can express your values in not only on how you choose to heat your house, but also with the materials you put in it, all of which can serve a greater purpose. 

Janet McCann is president of Janet McCann Associates, Inc. in Northfield, Ill. She is a core member of NextHaus Alliance. Learn more at janetmccanndesign.com

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Choosing the Right Windows and Doors for your Resiliently Designed Home

By Gabriela Taylor, Sierra Pacific Windows

According to the Resilient Design Institute, resilient design is defined as designs created with the capacity to adapt to changing conditions and to maintain or regain functionality and vitality in the face of stress or disturbance.  It is the capacity to bounce back after a disturbance or interruption.  These impacts include more intense storms, greater precipitation, higher winds and wider temperature swings.  

When designing a resilient home, choosing the right window and door package is crucial to the integrity of your building “envelope.”  However, you also want your home to be just that -- your home, which is warm, inviting, and comfortable. So how do you find the best of both worlds? 

Aluminum clad exterior, wood interior windows may be just the answer:  strong on the outside and able to complement your custom furniture pieces on the inside. Choosing the right windows will provide both exceptional durability and the beauty, warmth, and sustainability of wood. 

The integrity of your finished home is created by many factors. When it comes to the element of custom windows, there are some things you should look for:

• Durable materials that enhance the resiliency of your home.

  • Thick, low-maintenance, and weatherproof aluminum clad exterior.

  • A powder-coated exterior finish that can withstand the elements and is environmentally-friendlier to produce, with virtually no waste or harmful VOC’s.

ye-h photography | Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architect

• Beautiful and certified sustainably produced wood, domestically grown that provides excellent thermal insulating capabilities and reduces our carbon footprint.

• Energy performance capabilities.

  • Glazing options to suit your needs.

    • A variety of ‘Low E’ glazing coating options to achieve optimal thermal performance goals. .

    • Dual or triple glazed units to reduce noise, improve energy performance, and filter UV rays.

    • Windows that can lead to energy savings by reducing the use of fossil fuels, thanks to thoughtfully placed windows to take advantage of daylighting in the right places, reducing heat loss during the winter months.

• Windows that contribute to passive building methods using solar energy.

• Processes and design techniques that maintain your building envelope.

  • Proven installation methods that protect your home from harsh winds, as well as air and water infiltration.

  • Excellent design pressure ratings, contributing to tighter building envelopes.

  • Wood components and insulated glazing that add to sound reduction providing quieter acoustics.

Resilient design is ultimately about the entire building and can be achieved by choosing the most advanced window design products for the particular environment and climate of your project location. To achieve both resilient and beautiful design, choose a window and door product that meets all of your performance requirements and aesthetic needs. 

Gabriela Taylor is an architectural consultant with Sierra Pacific Windows. Sierra Pacific is a core member of NextHaus Alliance. Learn more at www.sierrapacificwindows.com. 

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How Resilient Landscape Design Beautifies Surroundings and Mitigates Stormwater Issues

By Bob Hursthouse, President, Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors and Core Member, NextHaus Alliance

Just as there is an inherent connectedness in nature, a sustainable, beautiful home and its surroundings are linked together through complementary design elements and philosophies.

A well-appointed home that allows for a lighter living in the earth is truly an inside-out proposition, from architecture to interior fundamentals to landscaping. That holistic approach to resilient home design is what inspires and drives the collaborative work of NextHaus Alliance. 

Rooted in resiliency

Approaching landscape design with a mindset of sustainability involves the interplay between plantings and hardscapes and how the outdoor space connects to the indoor space and the people who live there.

Beauty, of course, is a key consideration in a landscape design. Choosing color palettes, textures and shapes of flowers, plants, shrubs and trees reflects your personal tastes and interests that carries through from the indoors to the outdoors.

From a practical perspective, stormwater management is an increasingly important part of landscape design today, especially in the Chicago area, where infrastructure hasn’t always kept pace with development and there have been more significant rain and flooding events in recent years. Compare today’s larger homes and garages, for example, to previously built smaller homes with smaller driveways, which have less surface runoff.  

Another relevant issue in stormwater mitigation is the loss of mature trees. Pests like the Emerald Ash Borer and Asian Longhorn Beetle have led to major tree losses and, with that, declines in absorption capability.

There are landscaping solutions that can help deal with surface areas that aren’t able to absorb stormwater and hence tend to flood. Now, homeowners can choose from hardier plant materials, including native plants, along with more resilient materials that can help with water containment. Water mitigation is increasingly incorporated into our landscaping projects, encompassing hardy plantings as well as mechanical and physical systems. It’s part of an effort to ensure the overall integrity of a client’s home and to also contribute and help enhance the greater community. 

Rain barrels are one basic component of stormwater management that can be added to a home’s outdoor area. Homeowners can also create “rain gardens” with plants and layouts designed to hold water in that part of a yard. Trees, shrubs and plants in rain gardens and other carefully designed landscape areas can capture and hold water on the surface of the plant material, where it can be released more slowly into the general landscape. Fortunately, there are many great plant materials that can accomplish this function, including native plants, grasses and trees that are particularly resilient in the home soil and climate. Native species of oak trees are one example of a resilient tree that also host important species as part of a balanced environment.

The Next Wave of Sustainable Landscape in a Lakefront Home

A recently-completed home in Lake Zurich, Ill., a project that involved members of the NextHaus Alliance, illustrates the benefits of resilient landscape design.  For this lakefront property, we worked with the homeowners to choose a broad variety of native plants and resilient materials. While the lake levels are managed, there is a higher water table, and homeowners must collect and discharge water to the lake in a managed way.

One solution we added was a stream bed, which is an intermittent water feature and, if not needed for stormwater runoff, as a dry stream. Along the lake-facing edges of the property, we planted native grasses and perennials that lend color and a dense texture. In addition to privacy, tall grasses serve as a deterrence to Canada geese, which can make a mess on grassy areas.

“How do you want to live?” is the first and most important question we ask people when they are considering their landscape design. For those who want to live more sustainably, there are more ways than ever before to live lighter on the earth and more picturesque from their corner of it.

Bob Hursthouse is president of Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors, a core member of NextHaus Alliance. Learn more at hursthouse.com.

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Why Our Design Work is Influenced by the AIA’s 2030 Commitment

The 2030 Commitment

The AIA’s 2030 Commitment is a program designed to provide architects with feedback on their design’s carbon footprint so theycan work towards significant CO2 reductions. The program’s mission statement is “to support the 2030 Challenge and transform the practice of architecture in a way that is holistic, firm-wide, project based, and data-driven. By prioritizing energy performance, participating firms can more easily work toward carbon neutral buildings, developments and major renovations by 2030.’

The 2030 Challenge was developed by architect Ed Mazria in 2006 to address the fact that buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of CO2 emissions. Therefore. he reasoned, to help solve climate change, building design must move to net zero designs in a logical and stepped approach.

The most recent report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes a stark case for rapidly reducing the global CO2 output to hold atmospheric warming to 1.5ºC. With the obvious increase in hurricane activity, flooding and wildfires over the last few years, the “signal” has clearly appeared over the background “noise” – climate change is very real and we all must make significant efforts to address and correct it.

How the 2030 Commitment Impacts our Work

My firm has been a part of the program since 2009, when the AIA formally adopted the principals of the 2030 Challenge. I have been a member of the 2030 Commitment Working Group since 2009. Since the beginning of 2018, I began my two year term as the national co-chair of this group.

There are four parts of the 2030 Commitment: 1) signing on to the Commitment, 2) modeling each project for its energy use, 3) producing a Sustainable Action Plan for the office that outlines how the office ‘walks the walk’, and 4) reporting the energy use of each project into the Design Data Exchange (DDx).

The rigor of the program establishes a format for reporting the energy modeling of designs. The 2030 Commitment impacts our firm’s culture by making everyone involved in the design process aware of our energy reduction targets and working as a team towards meeting or beating those targets.

Similar to driving a really efficient car, like a Prius or a Tesla, the DDx dashboard gives instant feedback on how we are doing. Similarly, when designing a building, we perform energy modeling early and often. This gives critical feedback when the designs are still very fluid, allowing us to decide how best to shape and orient a building at these early stages, and as the design is fine tuned, additional direction on how to detail the building and integrate and select the various components.

A Holistic Design Process

The current goal of the 2030 Commitment is to be designing buildings at 70% better than the 2003 equivalent baseline. As of 2017, only 560 projects out of nearly 10,000 projects submitted to the 2030 Commitment have met or exceeded this target. Of the 10 to 12 projects that we submit each year, we have had three projects in both 2016 and 2017 meet that difficult goal, in the Midwest’s challenging climate. Our other projects have generally been very close to the 70% goal, making our firm-wide average in 2016 at 62%, well above the 42% average for all 2030 signatory firms.

 While we embrace the challenge of the 2030 Commitment, we don’t let it negatively impact our designs. In fact, we take the technical influences that are required and artfully blend them into our designs. They become the The 2030 Commitment Energy Energy Model rationale for our design decisions and help add meaning to our projects, for both our clients and the environment.

Ultimately, the 2030 Commitment is another evolution in architecture and design. When we look back to how classic architectural styles evolved, those styles were influenced at the time by the local climate, materials and culture and were brought up to date by integrating the best and most appropriate technology solutions, verifying the design’s environmental performance, and developing the most appropriate architectural solution for a specific project. This is how we create beautiful, sustainable and resilient homes!

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How Secure is Your Property?

By Dean MacMorris, ASLA
Vice President, Night Light, Inc. and Member, NextHaus Alliance

If a home is a sanctuary, it can be built for both comfort and security. To that point, a recent study showed that burglaries of residential properties account for 74 percent of all burglary offenses.

Homeowners can incorporate security into their indoor and outdoor spaces as part of their home’s overall resiliency. As part of the NextHaus Alliance, design-build firms and teams like ours at Night Light provide homeowners with effective methods for weaving security measures into the original construction of homes and landscapes to best keep families out of danger, from the conceptual phase through the execution of the smallest details. 

A classic security system is only one element of a holistic, multi-layered security strategy that deters break-ins and burglaries. There are other effective ways to ensure the safety and security of your home and family, especially in newly-built homes. 

• Gauge your risks.  

First determine your family’s risk profile based on factors like home size, net worth, frequency of travel and accessibility of valuable collections, among other considerations.  If assessing your family’s risk profile sounds daunting, consider hiring a security consultant who will work with you to assess your needs, from creating a list of everyone who has access to your home to making your social media and online activities more private.

• Include security features in your home’s initial design. 

A trusted architect will keep safety in mind as he or she makes plans for your home, with features like safe rooms, receiving closets and thoughtful outdoor lighting, which can eradicate vulnerabilities.

• Blend peace of mind with convenience in home automation.

A house with smart home technologies can be a safe home, thanks to features like networked security cameras with remote-access controls. 

• Build for security:

Those in the construction stage of home building implement and reinforce work done in the conceptual stage. Builders keep the site secure and execute plans given to them. (Keep in mind that last-minute add-ons can complicate their work and make it more costly.)

• Combine beauty and security withdesign and décor. 

Decorative features can deter intrusions with elements such as shielded windows, audio and video recording devices (especially in areas where caretakers spend time with children) and automated interior lighting that mimics the schedule of an occupied home if the owners are out of town. An interior designer can also oversee the installation of jewelry or gun safes for optimal security. 

• Secure the perimeter.

The boundaries of a property are the first line of defense, where burglars can be deterred by features like fencing or smart gates. Landscaping, too, can be used to bolster security, with plantings that are aesthetically pleasing but that also provide a function, such as allowing homeowners to survey their properties easily.

• Bring vulnerabilities into the light.

Landscape illumination is an important way to protect properties by preventing intruders from finding and using hiding spots. Night Light pays fastidious attention to landscape illumination through well-designed, aesthetic outdoor lighting that eliminates the “black glass effect”, which is the sensation homeowners experience when they look out a window after dark and cannot see anything but their own reflection. 

In addition to safety and security, landscape illumination lends beauty and enjoyment to a home’s surroundings. Landscape illumination designers light entries and the ground level of a home with an exceptionally attractive alternative to blinding flood lights. This type of lighting is also convenient: such systems run on a preset digital timeclock, switching on at a set time each evening or in concert with home automation controls. 

Installations in and around landscape and hardscape can be tricky if illumination specialists are not involved early in the outdoor portion of the project, so be sure to select a well-integrated team who will eliminate time and budget strains. That is just one benefit to the NextHaus Alliance approach to resilient and beautiful home design and construction, with integration across architecture, construction, outdoor and indoor lighting, window choice, technology, interior design and landscaping. 

For more information about Night Light, Inc., a NextHaus Alliance member, visit nightlightinc.net.

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The New Frontier of Luxurious Sustainable Living: Ground-Up Beauty and Resilience

Exemplifying the new horizon of beautiful sustainable living is a modern solar lake house in Lake Zurich, Illinois. 

Befitting a residence surrounded by nature, this home is inspired by and, importantly, powered by nature. Expected to be completed in fall 2018 and recently featured on the 2018 GreenBuilt Home Tour (greenbuilthometour.org) in July, it’s in the final process of construction right now, allowing for a stage-by-stage look at all that goes into creating sustainable luxurious homes. 

Designer Nathan Kipnis FAIA of Kipnis Architecture + Planning in Evanston and founder and core member of NextHaus Alliance, fuses nature with stunning surroundings and modern amenities in this 6,185-square foot home, built on a pie-shaped lot overcooking scenic Lake Zurich.

Sustainable Living

Design elements underscore and reflect shapes of nature, with features like a large curved window wall that integrates into the structure for an unobstructed view of the lake. 

Nature is at the core of the home in terms of energy derivation. To reduce the use of fracked natural gas, natural gas is used only as a starter for the fireplace and for a backup generator. The rest of the energy, including the power for the ultra-efficient HVAC system, hot water tank, dryer and induction cooktop, are derived from a 9.8 kW solar photovoltaic roof mounted array, with the remaining power coming from certified renewable energy credits from the electric grid.

The environment is top of mind in other elements of the home, including high-efficiency correctly-colored LED lighting, siding made from waste fly ash, interior finishes and materials  that are eco-friendly and healthy, smart home integration to efficiently control the various systems, careful deconstruction of the existing home for reuse, and many other environmentally efficient techniques and materials. 

To see other examples of residences that are both resilient and grand, designed by a collaboration of home industry experts that are part of the NextHaus Alliance, visit nexthausalliance.com.

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Hurricane Florence and Resilient Architectural Design

Recent images of the ferocity of Hurricane Florence’s impact on the South Atlantic coastline remind me of how fragile our living spaces can be.  We take for granted that Mother Nature supremely rules – until catastrophe strikes in the form of a hurricane, tornado, historic rainfall, blizzard, wildfire or other disaster.

There is a certain level of hubris in thinking that the force of nature can be ignored or put off. Ignoring it — or believing it can’t happen to us — won’t work when we’re knee deep in water, forced to evacuate or staring at a torn-off roof.  Hurricane Florence’s massive winds, accompanying tidal surge and prodigious amounts of rainfall combined to produce tremendous damage to buildings, communities and infrastructure.  This follows an active 2017 hurricane season, in which Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Mariacaused immense destruction along other coastlines.

The question after the shock subsides and the rebuilding begins is typically, ‘What can I do to not only survive an event like this, but also to minimize or eliminate the impact?”  Although extreme weather can’t be controlled, risks can be minimized or eliminated. For example, people can design resilient homes to withstand and cover from disasters.   That point is underscored by the Resilient Design Institute, which defines resilient design as “the intentional design of buildings, landscapes, communities, and regions in response to these vulnerabilities.”

Getting started with Resilient Design

There are many ways to gauge, address and change a home’s resiliency potential. The Resilient Design Institute offers several principlesinvolved in successful resilient design.

One of the first and foremost steps in building a resilient home is understanding the potential threats and vulnerabilities. For the Chicago area, these tend to be high winds, intense rain and snow events, flooding, and power outages.

There are many resilient design resources available, including information from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), that offer guidelinesthat provide assistance with designdecisions, as does the American Institute of Architects. For example, basements should be designed as “sacrificial” areas that can handle flooding. This can consist of wall systems split into upper and lower sections, with the lower section able to withstand a flood event and to be quickly and easily repaired.  Mechanical systems should be raised off of the basement floor and foundation heights raised up higher than normal.

Because of our reliance on electricity, an electrical backup system is a key component to a solid resiliency strategy. One of the best ways to do this is to make sure you have a solid power generator, either run by on-site renewables or a gas powered generator, or both, a way to store this energy and a way to decide which components are powered by it. At NextHaus Alliance, our preference is to reduce the use of extractive fuels like natural gas, thereby reducing CO2 emissions, and instead use renewable energy.  While wind power is generally best on a large commercial scale, it is not so appropriate at the building scale; solar photovoltaic is much better suited for this.

To store energy, various battery backup strategies can be considered. These are getting more affordable and robust over time. To manage where the power is used, a sub panel circuit box is used, with critical circuits prioritized to manage power where it is needed during an outage. This could include powering refrigerated devices, sump pumps, remote controlled skylights for natural ventilation, ceiling fans, etc.

Other strategies for resilience include making sure the building is as watertight as possible. Installing a full ice and water shield on the roof helps make sure if there is damage to the roofing, the home itself will remain watertight. Oversized gutters and downspouts that direct storm water safely away from the home are essentially the norm now. In areas vulnerable to hurricanes (and, one might argue, severe tornadoes), homes can be secured with “hurricane straps” that hook into joints to prevent roofs from being blown off in high winds.

There are many other strategies that can be integrated into the design of the building to lessen or eliminate the impact of stress events on a home or your designs.  For more information on how you can have a great home that is resiliently designed to provide comfort and peace of mind, contact NextHaus Alliance at info@nexthausalliance.com.

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The Best Approach to Crafting a Sustainable and Luxurious Home

Smart Homes Streamline Lifestyles & Increase Sustainability

The right smart home automation installation requires careful planning and collaboration from beginning to end, starting with your goal for the smart home technology. Do you want to reduce your carbon footprint? Make everyday life easier? Enhance the look and feel of each room?

Whatever your goals, achieving them will take careful collaboration between the right builder, architect, designer and smart home company. In Chicago, this inspired the birth of NextHaus Alliance to make smart home construction seamless.

Keep reading to learn about our role in the NextHaus Alliance and what that means for you.

SEE ALSO: HOW CAN YOU LEARN MORE ABOUT SMART TECHNOLOGY?

The NextHaus Alliance

The NextHaus Alliance is a consortium of Chicago-based design-build companies, all focused on creating homes that are beautiful, sustainable and fully customized to fit each homeowner’s lifestyle. It was founded and is focused on homeowners seeking an integrated experience using state-of-the-art sources focused on sustainable smart home solutions.

Barrett’s Role in NextHaus Alliance

As part of this consortium, we are the smart technology experts. Through our close work with builders, architects, interior designers, and other design-build professionals, we’re able to ensure that each and every smart device technology is integrated smoothly and cohesively throughout the home in order to achieve efficiency and effectiveness.

When you build a smart home from the ground up, there are going to be a lot of cooks in the kitchen. Using an integrated team of seasoned luxury purveyors with a focus on sustainability ensures that regardless of any changes clients want to make, any customizations they need to the tech systems, or any concerns they have about the process – they are communicated in a timely and accurate manner to the other collaborators.  

With everyone working together seamlessly, any unforeseen obstacle or change that comes up can be easily taken care of without expensive change orders.

The Best Technologies for a Sustainable Home

As a part of the NextHaus Alliance, we strive to bring you a smart home that is not only comfortable and stylish, but also equally sustainable.

We take into consideration the environment around the construction, and how to add features that’ll take advantage of its surroundings.

We can install a variety of smart technologies, such as smart lighting control, motorized shades, and smart HVAC systems to help reduce your carbon footprint.

We can add these different features to give you an energy-efficient and long-lasting home that you’ll not only enjoy, but one that can save you so much. 

These technologies are all connected as part of one cohesive system that allows you to easily manage your entire smart home at the push of a button on your tablet, smartphone, or remote.

We’ll work with you from the start to create this home that’ll have both visual and hidden components that make the ideal living space for you and the environment.

The right smart home company will put your interests first.  Give us a call or fill out our contact form online to get started on making your sustainable dream home a priority.  We’d love to hear from you! 

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What is Resilient Design?

A building that can bounce back…

The word “resilience”in a general sense means “the ability to recover from or adjust easily to change.” In the personal sense, when we encourage people to be “emotionally resilient,” we want them to bounce back from setbacks.

In the home building world, “Resilient Design”is an emerging concept that encompasses resilient buildings, protection of water supplies, community resilience and more. At Next Haus Alliance, we define it as “the intentional design of buildings, landscapes, communities, and regions in response to vulnerabilities.”

…in the face of disturbances or interruptions

Resilient Design is important because the list of vulnerabilities is long and growing:

• The realities of climate change – such as more frequent and severe storms, floods, wildfires, etc. - make resilient design in homes a necessity rather than a nice-to-have. You want to know that your home can stand up to the worst that Mother Nature has to offer.

• If there are disruptions of services, you want to make sure that basics like power and water remain available in your home.

• If there are severe disruptions, you want to remain in touch with family, friends, and neighbors.

• In a worst-case scenario, you’d want to ensure that food and fuel are available.

When you and your family are weathering a storm, you want to feel safe in the moment and confident that things will return to normal quickly. A home that is designed with resilience baked in offers that peace of mind.

The principles of Resilient Design…

Resilient Design for a home rests on a number of basic principles. There are more than we can reasonably talk about in one post, but they can include:

• Redundancy– like having back-up power in case a storm knocks it out

• Stronger materials and construction techniques that enable your home to withstand higher winds and pounding rain

• Independent energy sources– like solar – that can work off the grid if necessary

• Assuring safe water supplies – so that if your water depends on power to work, you’re not left “high and dry”

• Taking a “systems view”– This may sound a little “geeky,” but your home is also part of a larger community. At Nexthaus Alliance, we think about how whole communities can access food, fuel and other necessities after the storm.

… are still evolving

While many of the materials, techniques and technologies necessary to build a resilient home exist today, it’s still an emerging science (field). Our Next Haus experts stay on top of exciting new developments in this space.

For more information on Resilient Design, contact the Next Haus Alliance.

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