Midtown Green House in Southern Building Show

“Going Green” is a huge trend in the home building industry and, just as previous years, is a focus for this year’s Southern Building Show. There will be a specific area of the show floor devoted to green products as well as green building forums and educational sessions. Yet, the best way to get a real feel for the green building movement is to see these products in action. For this reason, you cannot miss a tour of the Midtown Green House, the 2010 Southern Building Show Showcase house. EarthCraft, LEED and ENERGY STAR certified, as well as meeting the NAHB Green Building Standard, this house is intended to illustrate sustainable living in Atlanta.

Even from the very beginning, pouring the concrete and laying the foundation, this home has been constructed with the environment in mind. The foundation was built off site, which saved time and money, but also, by building off-site, they were able to use less concrete and add insulation.

Other green aspects of the home include water conservation. Rainwater lands on the roof and drains into the downspouts, where it is piped through a filter and then into a tank to be reused.

The home is nestled in dense and diverse neighborhood, but has many drastic differences from the surrounding house. The biggest difference is clearly the fact that it is a vertical house on a sloping lot. The design is essentially planes of material (glass, stacked stone and stucco) arranged in an asymmetrical layout. The home is truly amazing and a can’t-miss aspect of the 2010 Southern Building Show.

The best part is that once your tour concludes, you will no doubt be inspired to incorporate eco-friendly features into your own home, and you’ll be at the perfect place to get more information about where to begin. There are immediate advantages to going green, like lower energy bills and resale values. Learn more about energy efficient homes at the Southern Building Show, May 13-15 at the Georgia World Congress Center.