As part of a new series for GHI, I held an interview with a green architect, Doron Klein, who’s been working in green architecture in California and Israel for over 10 years. I wanted to learn more about starting the process of building a green home, and he had some useful tips and insights…
GHIstyle: Where does one start in the process of building a green home?
DK: Design is the key. Any new green building needs to be designed and sited to take full advantage of everything the site itself has to offer. Obviously, one of the biggest factors to consider is the sun: how do you harness the sun’s heat in winter, but keep the home cool in summer? How do you keep the home well-lit naturally, while ensuring not to have glare? These things can actually be done by orienting the building properly, and using natural shading [i.e. trees and landscaping]. Of course, this kind of knowledge has been around for thousands of years, but today you need an experienced professional to look at all the options and execute the plans properly.
Once you have a building that’s sited properly and performs well, then you can add features to it to help it really excel in performance. These features can include a high-performance envelop, better glazing products that will perform well throughout the year, high-grade windows and doors, rain-water harvesting, grey water recycling systems, efficient appliances and light fixtures, photo-voltaics… and on.
Remember, if you have a poorly-designed building that is fighting natural forces, the efficiency will never be great, no matter how much technology you add to it. It would be like having a hybrid Hummer…
GHIstyle: And what if someone wants to retrofit an existing home, without the luxury of being able to design their home from scratch?
DK: Even if someone is looking to retrofit, someone [a designer or architect] who’s experienced can say ‘look, you can get this far’--it’s their job to be able to look at the situation, the existing structure, the site, and evaluate how much you can do to add to the home’s efficiency. Before you start adding on new technologies, you have to make sure that the building itself is not inefficient to begin with… someone with experience can look at the project and see what the possibilities are, and where the most important immediate changes can be made.
Be careful, someone with no experience will have a hard time navigating all these options.
GHIstyle: How can we choose an experienced green architect?
DK: Basically do the same things you would do with anyone: check what you’re being told, always ask to talk to people--check the references.
There are also many kinds of certifications. If someone is a LEED AP, then you know they at least know that system. They are part of what ‘s going on [in green building]. There are other certifications as well.
Do remember that there just isn’t a huge depth of experience for green projects in America yet… It’s important to realize that it’s a learning curve, and you may not have the ‘green guru’ building your house. You have to weigh that with their level of professionalism and experience, and make a choice based on their past work and ability to partner with you. Realize that there are essentially an infinite amount of possibilities when looking at how to make a building “green”. That’s where real experience makes all the difference: someone who will design with guesswork on green features versus someone who will know how to measure the impact of all the building’s factors on its efficiency and life cycle.
The next installment, we’ll talk more about homes that make use of their natural surroundings…