What is Green Building?

Green Building is a design and construction practice that promotes the economic health and well-being of your family, the community, and the environment. A smart step toward personal economic rewards, Green Building also has positive social and environmental ramifications that assert your commitment to the future and the way we live for years to come.

How do I start?

The best green strategies achieve multiple objectives with a single solution. The earlier you decide to build green, the more opportunities you'll have to maximize the synergies in your home's design and performance. Good leadership is important to the success of any building project, but it is particularly vital in green building efforts.

At SDC, we start with a "green building team" that is committed to providing you with a "whole-building approach" at the planning stages of your home. Taking steps to enhance the communication and cooperation among team members will go a long way toward helping you meet your environmental and certification goals on budget.

Objectives

• Green Building Design Team
• Choose a Sustainable Site
• Maximize Water Efficiency
• Save Energy
• Make Smart Use of Materials and Resources
• Safeguard Indoor Environmental Quality
• Integrate the Design and Building Process


Epoch's New Green Building Program

Economic Benefits

A "green" home may cost more up front, but saves through lower operating costs over the life of the building. The green building approach applies a project life cycle cost analysis for determining the appropriate up-front expenditure. This analytical method calculates costs over the useful life of the asset.

These and other cost savings can only be fully realized when they are incorporated at the project's conceptual design phase with the assistance of an integrated team of professionals. The integrated systems approach ensures that the building is designed as one system rather than a collection of stand-alone systems.

Some benefits, such as improving occupant health, comfort, productivity, reducing pollution and landfill waste are not easily quantified. Consequently, they are not adequately considered in cost analysis. For this reason, consider setting aside a small portion of the building budget to cover differential costs associated with less tangible green building benefits or to cover the cost of researching and analyzing green building options.

Even with a tight budget, many green building measures can be incorporated with minimal or zero increased up-front costs and they can yield enormous savings (Environmental Building News, 19990).

SDC Modular can provide you with an energy efficient and environmentally friendly Epoch modular home for the Twenty First Century.