by Charles Hendricks | Sep 28, 2015 | architecture, Building Science, green term defined
HVAC stands for the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system in your home or business. The system should be able to heat and cool your home to create a comfortable living environment. It should also have a source for bringing in fresh air and to control humidity. An HVAC system is designed by a mechanical engineer based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer.
An effective HVAC system will keep the fresh air in your home comfortable and healthy. A proper ventilation system has air filtration that removes toxins from the indoor environment. A properly designed system should include a ventilation strategy as well as heating and cooling capacity. Ventilation includes both the exchange of air to the outside and the circulation of air inside the thermal envelope. Keeping your home green and your energy bills low starts with clean air.
by Charles Hendricks | Sep 14, 2015 | architecture, green term defined
It is a common misconception that interior design is the process of selecting curtains or paints. While it can include those items, interior design is more than just decorating. Interior design is the art or process of designing the interior of a room or building. An interior designer has extensive training and education to achieve that title.
Interior designer is a term that implies a higher understanding of the design process. Interior designers can undertake projects that include interior layouts, finish selections, and lighting coordination. In contrast, an interior decorator is skilled at picking out curtains, colors, and finishes, but to use that title need no formal training. You should ask your interiors person if they graduated from a formal accredited degree program before hiring someone to assist you with interiors.
Interior designers are creative, visionary, artistic, and imaginative. They have an understanding of function as well as flow of spaces.
If you have an interior design project, please contact and ask for our interior designer.
by Charles Hendricks | Sep 7, 2015 | Building Science, green term defined, Harrisonburg Architect
Green Term Defined: Insulated Concrete Form
Insulated concrete form (ICF) is a wall building system made of reinforced concrete and most commonly rigid thermal insulation. The forms are stack and have the appropriate amount of steel reinforcing added vertically or horizontally. The ICF’s are then filled with concrete.
Insulated concrete form are similar to the concept of legos. Each manufacturer has a type of interconnected system so that allow the blocks to lock in place before the concrete is poured. Insulated concrete forms can be used for any building type.
After the concrete is in place, the insulated concrete form has significant thermal properties, soundproofing, fire resistive characteristics, and durability. ICF blocks are made by many different companies and have different characteristics. Some fold for easy shipping or are put together on site and some are blocks when they arrive. There are blocks that have graphite in them to deter insects from destroying the foam layer. There are blocks that use concrete with wood fiber for the outer walls, some using rigid foam, and some use cellular concrete. Each insulated concrete form has pros and cons, but all offer a superior wall system for many building types.
by Charles Hendricks | Aug 24, 2015 | architecture, Building Science, Green Building, green term defined
Green Term Defined: Thermal Bridging
Thermal bridging is one of the biggest problems we have when trying to create a high performance home. It is imperative to find an economical solution for walls that eliminates any thermal bridging from inside to outside the home. Thermal Bridging is where heat occurs across more conductive components in an otherwise well-insulated material, resulting in disproportionately significant heat loss.
Thermal Bridging can occur when using wood studs, steel studs, pre-engineered metal building, Insulated Concrete Forms, and even SIPS. In 2012 the building code in Virginia recognized this as an issue for code minimum buildings adding new requirements. To build the least energy-efficient possible building (code minimum) you have to either add additional insulation in your walls or wrap your building in a insulation blanket such as rigid board insulation. The minimum attic insulation has also increased dramatically over the last several years to meet code minimum. There are many places where bridging happens in a home including door and window frames, studs, attic access panel, trusses, nails, and even foundation walls can have issues. There are products that perform better to eliminate these challenges, but it sometimes takes a different way than builders are used to doing construction details.
There are challenges with adding more insulation, from diminishing returns to vapor movement. A keen understanding of building science is needed to deliver the best possible solution for health, durability, energy-efficiency, and budget. The biggest challenge I encounter are builders that have always done it another way and don’t want to change for fear of it not working.
by Charles Hendricks | Aug 17, 2015 | architecture, Building Science, green term defined
Green Term Defined: Linoleum
Linoleum is a resilient flooring product that was developed in the 1800’s. It consists of cork flour, linseed oil, oak dust, and jute. Linoleum is durable, renewable, anti-static, and easy to clean.
Linoleum comes in either sheet form or tiles. It contains up to 97% natural raw materials.
by Charles Hendricks | Aug 10, 2015 | architecture, Building Science, green term defined, Harrisonburg Architect
Green Term Defined: Net Metering
Net Metering is a method of crediting consumers for the electricity that is generated on their home or business in excess of the total electricity that they have used.
Consumers that have solar or wind power on their home or business offset their electricity that they use with the electricity they are producing. If you were to generate more electricity than needed in a billing period then the electric meter turns backwards indicating net excess generation. This is how the electric company tracks your total energy usage. It is also how you take advantage of needed power at night when solar pv is not producing – you essentially are using the power grid as your battery and paying if you use more than you create.
Net Metering laws vary from area to area and the amount that the power company pays you for excess will vary.
HVAC stands for the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system in your home or business. The system should be able to heat and cool your home to create a comfortable living environment. It should also have a source for bringing in fresh air and to control humidity. An HVAC system is designed by a mechanical engineer based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer.
