[AEN] Cool Homes Tour this Sunday - including 1st LEED Plantinum home in Austin

[Brandi Clark]

From: Laverne A. Williams lavernewilliams at sbcglobal.net

 
S P E C I A L  T O U R   A N N O U N C E M E N T
for Austin ’s First LEED Platinum home (also Five Star Rated) on Tour this Sunday 
 
On Sunday June 22nd, from Noon to 6 PM, a very special home in Austin (www.FirstAustinLEEDHome.com) will be open to the public for tour.  It is officially the First Certified LEED® PLATINUM of any building type in Austin ….. as well as officially being the First Certified LEED home completed in the Birthplace of Green Building in the U.S., Austin, Texas. 
 
It is featured on the 2008 Austin Cool House Tour, which is an annual fundraising event for the Texas Solar Energy Society. 
Tickets are limited so be sure to order your ticket onlineas soon as you get this announcement or purchase at select places (Please go to the end of this email for purchasing information)
 
 
 
Below is the press release for this significant building award....followed by tour ticket ordering information.
 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
FIRST LEED®CERTIFIED HOME COMPLETED in AUSTIN TEXAS (It’s PLATINUM)
the 
BIRTHPLACE of U.S. GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS 
 
 
Home Receives Highest Ratings Achievable 
from 
Top Two U.S. Green Building Programs
 
Houston TX – An Austin, TX, home by Environment Associates, Architects and Consultants of Houston was awarded LEED Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for achievement in green homebuilding. It also received a Five Star certification from the Austin Energy Green Building program, the country's first comprehensive program to encourage sustainable building techniques in residential, commercial, and municipal construction. Both awards are the highest green building certification ratings offered by the nation's premier green building programs.
 
The completed project is the first building of any type in Austin to earn LEED PLATINUM certification.  It also has the distinction of being the first home in Austin to be certified green by the USGBC. The home is designed to maintain relatively comfortable conditions in the 3,082 square-foot enclosed living space without off-site sources of power and water. 
 
It was designed by LaVerne A. Williams, AIA, LEED AP, for homeowners Laurel Trevino & Carlos Torres-Verdin and built by Custom Building, Inc., of Austin . The high performance home is specifically designed for the terrain and micro-climate of the site and constructed to provide low energy consumption and healthy living conditions with low maintenance. 
  
"With the rising cost of energy and increasingly scarce resources," said Williams, “more clients are seeking our ability to design homes that provide livable conditions in spite of future environmental events and possible supply challenges of basic essentials such as energy. Designing a home for 'Passive Sustainability' requires the expert use of materials and the integration of proven architectural techniques in an aesthetic manner which my firm has been perfecting for more than three decades of green home design.” “Having it all come true in an aesthetically pleasing manner at a reasonable cost was an added bonus for the owners.  As the LEED© for Homes program did not exist when the design was begun, becoming LEED Platinum was not a forethought, but resulted from what the owners and the architect and builder were all planning to have from the very beginning.” Design techniques used include passive cooling design for summer and direct gain
 passive solar heating for winter. A high-efficiency cooling and heating system serves as a backup when needed. Calculated roof overhangs, interior mass, shading porches, size and placement of windows for enhanced cross-ventilation and natural daylight and other passive solar design strategies contribute to comfortable indoor temperatures.
  
A 20,000-gallon rainwater harvesting system provides all the water for the home and gardens. The home has no well or municipal water connection. A 3.3 kw dc photovoltaic system provides solar electric power and a solar water heating system provides hot water.
  
Extensive gardens and a greenhouse will enable the owners to supply most of their fruits and vegetables. Native plant landscaping minimizes water use. Local and recycled or renewable materials were used extensively in the home. Durable natural materials extend the longevity and function of the home. Most building products were manufactured within 500 miles of the site. Stainless steel mesh in the foundation controls termites and eliminates the need for toxic chemicals for pest control.
  
Indoors, efficiency and health are assured by the use of mud plastered AAC walls, solid wood finish materials; hardwood, tile and linoleum flooring; clay paints and finishes without volatile organic compounds (VOC’s); fluorescent lighting; Energy Star appliances and low-e insulated glass windows. For more information, visit www.FirstAustinLEEDHome.com.
 
The award-winning home will be open to the public June 22, noon to 6 p.m., as part of the Cool House Tour 2008 sponsored by the Texas Solar Energy Society and Austin Energy Green Building . For more information, visit www.txses.org/cht08 
 
LEED-certified homes complete a technically verified process that includes a home energy (HERS) rating and actual onsite inspections by independent inspectors to certify that the home is built to satisfy green requirements in seven categories, including energy and water efficiency and environmental health for the occupants and the planet. 
 
"The U.S. Green Building Council is proud to help celebrate the owners' and Environment Associates' commitment to greener living," said Michelle Moore, Senior Vice President of Policy & Market Development, U.S. Green Building Council. "Williams' leadership is at the national forefront of quality and his example can help us all to live better by reducing our environment footprint, cutting our utility bills, and coming home to a healthier place to live." 
 
### 
 
About Environment Associates 
Architect, bioneer and building ecologist LaVerne Williams, AIA, LEED AP is the Founder and CEO of Environment Associates, Architects & Consultants of Houston , Texas , an award winning architectural firm noted for its dedication to quality of life matters and for its pioneering green home and healthful home projects since 1975. From its inception, Environment Associates has been dedicated exclusively to the creation of environmentally responsible architecture. Williams is often referred to as one of the "grandfathers of green building" and Environment Associates is thought to be the oldest architectural practice in Texas dedicated exclusively to the creation of architecture that strives to be environmentally responsible. This home is the latest of several award winning LEED projects involving the architects. For more information, visit www.environmentassoc.com. 
 
About the U.S. Green Building Council 
The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations. Since USGBC's founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 15,000 member companies and organizations, a comprehensive family of LEED® green building rating systems, an expansive educational offering, the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org), and a network of 77 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups.  For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.   
 
About Austin Energy Green Building  
Austin Energy Green Building™ is an education and marketing organization that promotes the design, construction, and operation of higher-quality, more-sustainable buildings. The program helps construction professionals achieve higher-quality results by emphasizing green-building principles and teamwork at every stage of a project. It is the first and oldest green building program in the nation. For more information, visit www.austinenergy.com.  
 
 
 
 

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COOL HOUSE TOUR
Sunday June 22nd, from Noon to 6 PM
INFORMATION and TICKETS
 
go to:
 
http://www.txses.org/solar/content/the-cool-house-tour
 
Please note that to tour any other home on this tour in addition to Tonalacalli, a guidebook must be purchased as your ticket, so do this online right away as there is only a limited amount for sale and they need time for the mail to get to you (or those in Austin can make their purchase at one of the stores listed on the website above). A guidebook costs $15. ($19 including shipping and handling) Companion tickets are available at the first house you visit.  To visit just Tonalacalli and not any of the other houses, tickets may be purchase at theTonalacalli home site for $10 per person.  Please note that this is for this home only.  To tour the other houses, a guidebook must be purchased (which are only available online or at the locations noted on the tour website).
 
Downloaded guidebooks printedfrom the website site will not be honored as your ticket.
A guidebook must be purchased (I know, this seems wasteful and I agree...but I didn't make the rules.) With any questions about the tour, tickets and guidebook matters, please contact them, not me or my office. ONLY contact us if they run out of tickets or if you have questions about the house or our services not related to this tour.
 
 
 
Tonalacalli: the House ofSun & Water
is the name of this home. In the guidebook, see page 36.
 
 

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Forgive me for wanting to share my excitement with you.  We are also attempting to confirm if this is the first platinum building of any kind produced by a Houston based company anywhere in the USA.  We are being told by Houston USGBC officials that it very well may be.  The significance of this house is was not something we were expecting and I am walking on air.  What a gift!
With your well being in mind, I am looking forward to seeing you at "Tonalacalli"the house of sun & water this Sunday.
 
Enjoy!

LaVerne
LaVerne A. Williams, AIA, LEED®AP
architect, bioneer & building ecologist, founder & ceo
Recognized as a Houston Hero for the Environment, locally & nationally
LaVerne at EnvironmentAssoc.com
Environment Associates, Architects & Consultants
Recipient of the Hershey Conservation Award and many other honors
5828 Langfield Road, Houston , TX 77092-1429
713.528.0000 
www.EnvironmentAssoc.com

30+ Years of Leadership in Healthful, High Performance Green Homes & Remodeling / Green Architecture
Design Counseling / Consulting / Design / Construction Documents / Construction Administration Services
Probably the oldest architectural practice in Texas dedicated exclusively to creating and cultivating architecture for green living & beyond
Fostering Sustainable Living Concepts & Practices since 1975
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