Integrated Green Building Concepts

MATERIALS

ONE EARTH DESIGN specializes in the use of mostly natural building materials. Compressed Earth Block (CEB), Adobe, Straw Bale and Light Clay are the Green Building materials of first choice. They are the lowest in embodied energy, provide an unsurpassed indoor air quality (IAQ), and are extremely cost effective, being abundantly available, renewable and solid.

All three wall systems rank high on the list of Bau- Biology, a science which originated in Germany and deals with healthy living environments. If you think of your home as your third skin, with your clothes being your second, you would want to surround yourself with the most compatible materials for the human body. Earthen materials like Adobe, Compressed Earth Block (CEB) and mud plasters, due to their unique ability to absorb and release large amounts of humidity out of the air, would be what you are looking for. The result is an extremely comfortable living environment with a high degree of humidity and temperature stability.

The ideal wall is “breathable” which means that airborne vapor and air molecules can flow naturally (migrate) through a solid and open pore wall. This process also helps to detoxify the air and eliminate odors. Such an indoor air climate will never feel like living in a plastic bag as in standard cavity wall construction where vapor barriers are being used.

All other materials are evaluated for safety during production, during their life span and after their use. Environmentally friendly insulation materials and non-toxic paints and finishes are a given.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

High energy efficiency is another area that ONE EARTH DESIGN considers vital. Passive solar principles creatively applied take advantage of the sun’s free heat. Particularly in the Southwest, where we have well over 300 days of sunshine per year, it would be unnatural not to take advantage of these concepts. Features like sun spaces, open floor plan design, thermal chimneys, clerestories, shading devices, etc. can create spaces with amazing new purposes, break barriers between rooms, blur the distinctions between public and private, inside and outside, living and dining.

Carefully designed and sophisticated, engineered facades consisting of direct gain, Tromb walls, state of the art solar hot water collectors, solar hot air absorbers etc. are are trademarks of the new solar-adobe architecture.

Custom developed heating concepts that fit your needs and take the specifics of your particular building site into consideration will provide you with the most comfort in the winter time and save you the expense of rising fossil fuel costs, leaving your home with a small impact on our environment and an increased resale value. There is also tremendous potential in combining mass walls with south glazing. This concept brings the true qualities of solid earthen walls to full fruition. The heat taken in through south-facing windows will be stored in mass walls and floors (thermal mass), much like in a battery, and released as the outside temperatures drop trough the nighttime. If knowledgeably applied in conjunction with adequate perimeter insulation, R-50 in ceilings, and air-tight construction (but breathable wall and roof assemblies), this can save 70% and more energy compared to a conventional house.

POWER, WATER AND WASTE MANAGEMENT

Today’s solar technology is rapidly changing and offers a variety of possibilities to serve your needs without sacrificing comforts. ONE EARTH DESIGN favors grid inter-tied or net metering systems depending on the project’s location and the client’s personal motivation. Standalone systems are also available and will be designed to meet your personal needs.

Water plays an important role in high desert climates like the Southwest.
ONE EARTH DESIGN promotes Multi Use Water Management Systems. All buildings are furnished with a roof water harvesting system as a standard. The collected water is stored in underground cisterns and can be used in many different ways. It can serve for landscape / garden irrigation or it can be pumped back into the house and used to flush the toilets. In cases where well or city water is not available, it can be purified and used as drinking water.

Graywater systems are another water conserving feature. In most cases graywater is purified in an indoor planter bed and then used for irrigation purposes.

HOUSING CLUSTERS

Based on European background and training, ONE EARTH DESIGN takes the issue of Green Building into high density developments along the ideas of New Urbanism. Community planning can employ Green Building features more cost effectively and with greater impact than in single residences. It offers the chance to dampen sprawl and create integrated ecosystems.