by John Steinbach
 A green approach can and will transform homebuilding, and the transformation is starting to happen in Indianapolis.
That’s where architect Mac Williams, founder of Inverde Design, is creating some of Indiana’s first green homes
and discovering that more and more people are looking for the option he provides.
“People are finding me,” he says. “They know they want to build something different — a house that uses less energy, is easier on the environment and is unique and aesthetically pleasing. They might not have the details clear, but they have a notion that they want to build green. From there, a lot of my work is an education process.”
A large part of what pushes Williams to educate himself and others on green options is a concern for future generations. “When my son was born in 1995, I really thought about what the world was going to be like for my kids, and I wanted to influence that,” he tells us.
Williams dedicated himself to becoming a green educator for homeowners and builders alike, because, he says, “Most people don’t fully understand green-building and the possibilities.”
Williams explains the range of green possibilities, including the orientation of a house for passive solar gain, building tight and insulating right, using low volatile-organic-compound (VOC) paint, building with renewable materials, capturing rainwater and employing efficient lighting, geothermal and radiant heat and much more.
True green-building goes beyond picking from a menu of options to complete design integration that matches the needs of people with the natural energies of the building site, including sun, wind and shade and all the possibilities green design offers. “Each project is unique. You can’t just build a stick home from existing floor plans and call it green,” Williams says.
Part of the green-building education process also involves learning a new language. Autoclave Aerated Concrete (AAC) is one of the materials Williams will be using to build green. “The Swedes discovered AAC, and it’s been used in Europe for over 50 years,” he explains. “We’ve just been using it in the U.S. in the last couple decades.”
AAC is an economical, sustainable, solid block of material that provides great thermal and acoustic insulation. It uses recycled fly ash, too, a waste product of coal-fired power generation.
“When you start to build green, you find so many options like AAC that make sense,” Williams says. “AAC is a strong, practical material that helps us recycle a waste product and conserve energy.”
It’s not just homeowners that Williams and other green designers are educating. To build green, you need to have the team of like-thinking contractors and subcontractors it takes to build any home. According to Williams, “Because green-building is new, there’s a learning curve for everyone involved. Some contractors don’t want to take the time to learn something new. Others embrace green options and possibilities, and those are the contractors I love to work with.”
Williams currently has three homes in the design process and is talking to many more interested consumers. “We are still very early in the green-building process in this area,” he says, “and it’s a real honor to help people design some of the first homes in Indiana that are great to live in and much better for our planet.”
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 11 March 2008 14:39 )
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