As I launched my home construction project and began preparing for my LEED Green Associate exam, I read countless books and articles, attended trade shows, and met with as many green building professionals as I could. Through networking, I was introduced to Frank and Roy Dalene, brothers and partners at Telemark Inc., a luxury custom home builder on Long Island. Frank and Roy spent quite a bit of time with me, and gave me both information and encouragement. Frank also directed me to an article he had written, which I found did a great job of bringing to life - through a single project example - many of the strategies I had been reading about.
HGA House under construction
In his article, Technology and Information Management for Low Carbon Building, which was published in the American Institute of Physics, Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy in July 2012, Frank Dalene describes the "how" of a LEED Platinum certified luxury custom home he built for a Long Island family, whose house had been damaged in a fire. The project was sponsored by the Hamptons Green Alliance, a non-profit association of green building professionals, and was called the HGA House.
Among other topics, the article covers:
- How the home's energy consumption was reduced by 70% and its CO2 emissions by 40%
- How its embodied greenhouse gas emissions were measured and managed, and how its carbon neutrality was certified
- How the project achieved LEED Platinum certification
Although the article appeared in a peer-reviewed academic journal, it is highly readable and provides food for thought for anyone who is interested in building a sustainable, energy efficient home.
Happy reading!