LEED for homes, managed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is an initiative designed to promote the transformation of the mainstream homebuilding toward more sustainable practices. LEED for Homes is targeting the top 20% of new homes with best practice environmental features.
Everyone deserves to live in a truly affordable home. An unhealthy home with high operating costs due to inefficiency in energy and water consumption is not affordable. A home that is not durable and constantly requires material replacement is not affordable to maintain either. GLI Advisors recognizes the challenges faced by affordable housing providers and recently completed The Rice Camp project. Rice Camp is part of a new and innovative pilot program within LEED for Homes. The intent of this Pilot for homes in mild climates is to provide opportunities for buildings in these mild climates, like Kauai, to use alternative methods from a typical heating or cooling system that still allow a prescriptive pathway through LEED for Homes. The Pilot program is not public at this time and Rice Camp is one of the projects that will be used for input, feedback and likely updates to the final program prior to release. The ventilation strategy relies mostly on passive methods through a series of jalousie windows throughout the homes. The kitchens do not include gas appliances and do include a recirculating hood above the electric stove for smell. Projects like this help push forward new and inventive ways to achieve Certification in the LEED-H program.
Time and effort was spent addressing the impact these homes will have on the homeowners pocketbook from efficient use of water and energy, the home’s interactions with local and regional eco-systems, and the home’s potential impact on the local economy through locally sourced materials. They also addressed the health and quality of indoor air in a manner that was place-specific and also allowed for thoughtful design to take advantage of the breezes and temperatures found in Kauai.
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