Paradise homes: 2010

First LEED Platinum Home in Virginia

This modern, award-winning abode is the first LEED Platinum home in Virginia. Located at 5803 16th Street North in Arlington, the home was built by Metro Green and designed by Kaplan Thompson Architects (the firm that also designed the popular net-zero energy Bright Built Barn). Although it's a little bigger than the ones we tend to mention -- 3,825 square feet with a tight footprint -- I think the home is worth mentioning for a number of reasons. First, annual heating and cooling costs are $180 and $125 respectively! In addition, 5803 has the following green elements:

A Liveroof green roof;
1 kW array of photovoltaics;
Geothermal wells and heat pump;
Efficient SIPs walls and roof;
Efficient spray foam insulation;
High efficiency appliances;
Energy recovery ventilation system;
Low-VOC finishes and paints;
540 gallons of rainwater cisterns;
Custom nanogel curtain wall glazing;
Double-glazed, argon-filled windows; and
Pervious paving and drought-tolerant landscaping.

5803 was designed to be efficient from the beginning. It received a HERS score of 51, Energy Star rating of 5+ Stars, and Energy Star certification for exceptional indoor air quality. Moreover, the site design features zero site runoff for a one-inch rain event. And in case you're in the market for a green home, check these links.

[+] Metro Green LEED Platinum home
[$] 5803 16th St North is for sale for $1.175k at Redfin.

Photo credits and copyright: Parker Daniell.

Oregon Shift House Seeks Passive House

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Last week, Willamette Week Online published an article called "Futurehaus," which we linked to in our Saturday Week in Review. The article describes an Oregon Passive House project in the works by Root Design Build. The house is referred to as the Shift House, which, awkwardly enough, is not to be confused with the other Shift Home that we covered recently. But that's not to take anything away from it. With construction set to begin next month, upon completion in September, it'll be one of only a few certified Passive Houses in the United States.

Of course, the media has been giving attention to Passive Houses, and the broader public is becoming more and more aware of the standard. Passive Houses require three main things: an airtight envelope, little to no heating and cooling energy, and minimal overall energy use. You can read about the more technical standards on the Passive House website.

Root Design Build's Shift House maintains a somewhat traditional design, and the necessary energy efficiency goals will be sought by eliminating thermal bridges and using super insulation, roof overhangs, triple-pane windows, south-facing windows, concrete floors for thermal mass, and waste heat, etc. And with the tight envelope, the home requires a heat recovery ventilator to keep the air fresh.

Shift House will be just over 1,700 square feet, and Root Design Build has $300,000 budgeted for construction. Although the home will have solar panels, not counting energy from the panels, the estimated yearly heating cost should be under $200, if all goes as planned. Very interesting. We'll keep you posted as the Shift House moves forward ...

As a side note ... it seems popular to couch LEED criticism in praise for Passive House. Most certainly, LEED could be more rigorous in terms of energy performance, although it should be remembered that the goal of the program is market transformation. But as has been said by others, LEED and Passive House don't necessarily need to be mutually exclusive. Moreover, while Passive House zeros in on energy efficiency and tightness, LEED has a broader focus on other important environmental aspects, such as site issues, construction activity, materials and waste, water efficiency, and environmental air quality, etc. The goals and programs are slightly different. In any event, you know we'll be the first to tell you if we see a LEED Platinum Passive House.

Modern Green Affordable Shift Home

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Inspired by the likes of Dwell and the 100k House, Deezine.ca and Shift Development came together with an idea. They thought it would be interesting to have a modern, green, and affordable home designed by an entire community online. Ideas are posted online and the community can make suggestions for changes. Their idea became the Shift Home. You can see how the design has changed in the past few months, but to be clear, this home is not just a thought experiment. Shift Development breaks ground in late-May, or thereabouts.

The Shift Home will be located in Riversdale in Saskatchewan, roughly three blocks from the redevelopment of River Landing. If all goes as planned, the home will be the first LEED Canada for Homes Certified home in Saskatchewan.

The goal is to be affordable to a household income of less than $40k a year.

In addition, the philosophy for green design is to conserve first and use green technology after everything else has been done. Standard green features include a super-insulated envelope, rainwater catchment, heat recovery, triple-glazed windows, a recycling center, dual-flush toilets, and low-flow fixtures. Green upgrades include a green roof, solar thermal, and LED lighting, etc.

The final design for the envelope will be released tomorrow, but help is still needed. The Shift Home needs community insight as to interior and product selections. So get involved ...

Paradise Valley AZ Homes

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Paradise Valley AZ Homes

The Average Home in Paradise

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The Average Home in Paradise

A stunning development of apartments arranged around a large swimming pool and beautiful sub tropical gardens form a close-knit community.

To ensure that you never lose sight of the spectacular countryside we have designed glass balconies in each apartment allowing the natural light to enter whilst offering a never-ending vista of gorgeous Cyprus. Each apartment enjoys a good-sized garden with top floor apartments benefitting from Zen roof gardens shaded by traditional pergolas.

You can also enjoy the onsite facilities of a professional gym with spa facilities, swimming pool, clay tennis court and extensive communal gardens.

The development will be tailored to the specific needs of its residents and will include 24 hour nursing assistance and wellness centre, weekly chiropodist/dental and health screenings, a club house and cinema in addition to optional panic alarms, cctv and ergonomic facilities.

Our aim is to create an oasis of relaxation and wellness in which you can truly enjoy your retirement in style.

If you would like us to send you an E-Brochure for this project Please Contact Us

Paradise home

Paradise homes

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Marina Bay villas is situated on the outskirts of Ayia Thekla, 5 minutes from Ayia Napa and 10 minutes from Paralimni and Protaras and only 250m from a secluded Mediterranean beach.

The area is fantastic for accessibility with good connection to the main highway, Larnaca international airport is only 25 minutes away.

A spectacular Marina will start construction early in 2009 at Ayia Thekla. It will offer berths for more than 650 luxury yachts and include a huge range of amenities that will be a focus for exclusive clientele eager for luxury and excellence. There`ll be great shopping, wonderful local and international cuisine, waterfront restaurants, cafes and an extensive array of entertainment.

Also within a short drive away you have the famous stunning Nissi Beach and the largest themed water park in Europe.

Each property is detached and stands on a very generous plot with open and private outdoor areas. You have your own entrance, drive and covered parking. A traditional stone patio surrounds your home and leads to the garden, which we can be landscaped to just the way you like it.

To give you shade whilst you relax or entertain by the pool there`s a distinctive and very typical Cypriot pergola, which adds that authentic Mediterranean feel all year round.

The materials and finishes of the villa have been selected for not only their aesthetic appeal to be in keeping with the style of living but also for their practicality.

Built to the highest quality the layout of the villas has been carefully considered to provide a spacious 2 and 3 bedroom accommodation with open and private outdoor areas. The interiors are designed to give a relaxed atmosphere; the minimum amount of solid walling is used to create a large open plan living, dining and kitchen space.

The interiors are stylish, but can also be tailor made to suit your individual needs.

Our properties are arranged around a private road and a communal green area. There is also a specially designed play area for children to enjoy, that is both safe and secure.