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Chapter 11 Designing for Sustainability
Next, consider how much energy will be
required not only to build a home in this loca-
tion, but also to live in the home after it has been
built. Energy use is discussed later in this chap-
ter, but during the site selection phase, try to
imagine the energy that will be needed to travel
back and forth for work, school, shopping, and
entertainment. What transportation options are
available at this site? Is the site within walking
or bicycling distance of stores and schools? See
Figure 11-5.
Although motorized transportation is
becoming more energy-effi cient, the majority
of the motorized vehicles on the road today
use nonrenewable energy sources, contribute
to pollution, or both. A truly sustainable home
would minimize or eliminate the need for these
types of vehicles. Of course, this is an area
where we are currently at the “green building”
phase. Rather than insist on true sustainability,
we try to minimize the negative impacts. This
is a large enough goal for the present, while we
work on technologies and methods that may, in
the future, enable complete sustainability.
Locating the House
The next step after selecting a site is to deter-
mine where on the site the house will be located
and how it will be oriented. This step is some-
times combined with site selection because the
two are closely related. Try to place the house in
a location that requires removal of the smallest
number of trees. Use the existing trees to your
advantage. For example, mature deciduous trees
can provide shade to help reduce the amount of
energy needed to cool a house in the summer
months. Then, in the fall, they lose their leaves,
allowing the sun to warm the house during the
winter months. See Figure 11-6.
Figure 11-5. Selecting a building site that is within bicycling distance of stores and schools helps make a
home more sustainable. (Nick_Nick/Shutterstock.com)