Navigating the Post-Pandemic Residential Green Building Market, Part 2

by Terry Beaubois

Navigating the Post-Pandemic Residential Green Building Market, Part 2

Builders must provide buyers detailed information about their green homes.

In addition to assisting and guiding homeowners in establishing green building priorities at the beginning of a project, contractors who can provide homeowners with a valuable, comprehensive packet of information at the end of construction will have a competitive advantage in the next few years.

The responsibility and ability to do so cannot be left solely to the contractor, however. Project consultants/designers, architects, and engineers must provide data to the contractor in a way that can be easily incorporated into the information for the homeowner/building owner at the end of the project. The task of creating a comprehensive information packet needs to be negotiated into the project, if the contractor is to remain profitable.

Green Builder Magazine

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Navigating the Post-Pandemic Residential Green Building Market, Part 1

by Terry Beaubois

Navigating the Post-Pandemic Residential Green Building Market, Part 1

The ability to assist and guide homeowners in establishing priorities–and the value of their choices and decisions–will be a competitive advantage for green builders in the next few years.

The next few years will be important ones for sustainable builders. Significant technological developments and advances are being made in numerous areas that can affect green building in a positive way. At the same time, these advances can make it even more challenging for our homeowners/clients to begin their projects.

Current market studies reflect recent changes in the financial markets, and related effects on residential construction. Now more than ever, homeowners will value green builders and architects who understand how the homeowner’s choices, decisions and concerns reflect their value in the design and construction of their homes.

Green Builder Magazine

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The Future of Green Building in the Metaverse

by Terry Beaubois

Here’s what the coming of 3D internet means for green building

Here’s what the coming of 3D internet means for green building.

The ongoing digital transformation of businesses worldwide continues to affect all industries, including those of the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry…and of green building.

In 1993, AOL advanced the use of email. In the 1990s, we saw the introduction of digital cameras, CD-ROMS, and the start of the public internet and websites. The iPhone was introduced in 2007. Now, in 2022, the next big development in internet technology is underway. It is the beginning of the 3D internet, which some people are calling “the Metaverse.”

Green Builder Magazine

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A Green Building Team Approach

by Terry Beaubois

A Green Building Team Approach

Your project’s success starts with knowing all the rules.

Whether you are an architect, engineer, contractor, or homeowner/building owner, knowing what is allowed and not allowed on a specific lot, in the specific community in which a project is being built, is of paramount importance.

At the beginning of any project, it may not always be clear what building rules and requirements will be applied — what will be allowed or restricted. You may be working in a less-familiar location. There are three very good reasons to know clearly what the rules and regulations will be, when your project will be reviewed.

Green Builder Magazine

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2021 and Beyond…Leveling Up in the AEC

by Terry Beaubois

2021 and beyond…LEVELING UP in the AEC

Green Builder Magazine - July/August 2021

1. Raising Awareness about The Future of Architecture and Green Building

2. Large Scale and smaller scale Architecture projects

3. Increasing Collaboration in the AEC is a Key to Success

4. Human health and the Built Environment

5. Air Quality and Human Health

6. Remote Work / Working from Home

7. Knowledge in AEC Drawings / Knowledge in Computer Games

8. Building Manuals / Digital Twins / Increasing Value in the AEC

9. Digital Transformation — Global and in the AEC/building Industry

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Across the Live-Work Divide

by Terry Beaubois

As homeowners and office workers adjust to the pandemic, the construction industry must change its game, too.

As we move forward into 2021 in a world that is not the same as it was in years past, it is a good time to look at the direction of architecture and green building. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge to families and businesses across the U.S. and around the world. Some industries may be forever changed. The pandemic is not resolved yet. 

While it impacts various places differently, and affects businesses in different ways, the pandemic has had a considerable effect on the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) and green building industries. 

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AEC Collaboration: Crucial Step for the Building Industry

BY TERRY BEAUBOIS

THE KEY TO BECOMING A BIGGER, BETTER CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IS COLLABORATION ON ALL LEVELS.

Studies show that over the last 50 years, the building industry has lagged behind others in terms of increased efficiency and effectiveness. Why? A lack of collaboration among the various sectors of the industry.

My perspective on collaboration across the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is influenced by experience: I have worked construction jobs, in a structural engineer’s office, and for architects. I am a licensed architect who has had my own architecture firm with partners and have been a solo practitioner. I have also taught in a number of college-level architectural programs. 

“We can create collaborative team members with mutual respect for everyone’s role in contributing to one of the oldest, most important industries on Earth.”

I have concluded, based on my 40 years of experience in this field, that increasing collaboration across the AEC will improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the entire industry.

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Green Building 2021 and beyond

by Terry Beaubois

Green Building 2021 and beyond

The new year is a good time to take a look at the direction of Architecture and Green Building as we move forward into 2021 in a world that is not the same as past years.

The recent months, during the Covid pandemic, have been challenging for families and businesses all across the U.S. In some areas it may continue to change some businesses for ever. The Covid pandemic is not resolved or over yet. 

While it may be affecting various areas of the U.S. and other nations differently, and affecting various businesses differently, the Covid pandemic has had a considerable effect on the AEC industry and the Green Building Industry.

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Smart Green Building in the Age of a Pandemic

Human health has become the world’s No. 1 issue.

First of all, I hope that everyone reading this is healthy and that your family members are healthy, as well. I do know people who are directly affected by health issues currently. I reside in Santa Clara County, Calif., one of the hardest-hit areas in the U.S. and I’ve been sheltering in place since February.

Up until now, the building industry in the multi-county San Francisco Bay Area has been limited to “essential” projects, such as airports and highway construction. It has just been announced, that many construction projects will be allowed to proceed now, including residential projects.

We all are waiting to see how the recovery and return to business as usual proceeds in the different parts of the world. In the U.S., this will differ by state and local jurisdictions for your area. We all know that countries and people worldwide are well aware of the seriousness of this significant global crisis and that it is impacting all industries, including residential and commercial building…

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Environmental Insurgence

by Terry Beaubois

Here are three exciting technological developments coming for green builders out of the San Francisco Bay Area.

SPAN.io’s electrical panel can be controlled from a smartphone app that allows the homeowner to access information about energy usage.

Led by the green building movement, many advances and improvements are coming in the near future. These will the design and construction of homes and buildings that will significantly improve the built environment for all. Here are three technologies to consider in your green building projects.

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The Future of Green Buildings, Part II: Project Management, Mother Nature, Disasters and More

by Terry Beaubois

This is the second in a series of articles about upcoming challenges and advancements in green city architecture, master planning and technology.

The topic of “The Future of Green Building” is continually evolving. Even since I wrote Part 1, there have been new developments to consider and include in Part 2, to bring these important green building issues into everyone’s awareness.

Graphicsoft’s Archicad 23 software allows architects to easily create real-time, photo-realistic renderings of projects, helping them determine designs that work from ones that won’t. Courtesy of Graphicsoft

Project management: From bids to job site

A future development is the coming incorporation of computer gaming technology into serious business tools. Using the actual computer gaming software’s ability to design in 3D is being explored.

One example is the teaming of Graphisoft, the developer of Archicad, with Epic Games, the developer of Unreal Engine. Epic’s new visualization solution, based on the recently acquired Twinmotion, will incorporate state-of-the-art, real-time rendering technology in coming versions of each of the related software programs.

“The same Unreal Engine that powers the popular video game, Fortnite, has been part of Twinmotion for years,” says Marc Petit, Epic Games’ general manager for Unreal Engine. “We are now very excited to work with Graphisoft to promote the use of real-time visualization solutions to help architects and designers visually communicate.”

I saw this demonstrated at the 2019 AIA Conference on Architecture and was impressed with its potential.

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The Future of Green Buildings, Part I: The Top 5 Coming Challenges

by Terry Beaubois

This is the first in a series of articles about upcoming challenges and advancements in green city architecture, master planning and technology.

Green building has a bright future. More people every day are becoming aware of the benefits of green building. What will also develop in the future, along with this increasing interest, is the growing need for up-to-date knowledge about how to best provide green homes and buildings, so that builders can benefit directly from the coming, greener environment.

The green building industry is not alone in facing future challenges. This year, I am involved in events, classes and articles related to the futures of architecture, green building, master planned communities, smart cities and technology transfer to the building industry. I am drawing from my work in all of these areas to derive what matters most and can benefit green builders.

Here are the top five issues to consider in green building, from my perspective…

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Time to Breathe Easy

NAHB-IBS 2019 offered key lessons in healthy home design and construction. Are you listening?

by Terry Beaubois

During the 2019 NAHB-International Builders Show (IBS) in Las Vegas, one key discussion addressed the issue of the health of home occupants, and the related residential design and construction. Human health in homes is becoming a major concern globally as more people discover that the source of an illness may be in their home.

This meeting was hosted by Bill Hayward of Hayward SCORE and was co-hosted by Jillian Cooke (Wellness Within Your Walls), Robert August (North Star Synergies), Karla Butterfield (Steven Winter & Associates) and Jaclyn Toole (assistant vice president, NAHB Green & Sustainable).

Included in the discussion was the challenge of introducing improvement into home construction: “Contractors pushing” ideas and improvements into residential design; “homeowners pulling” (requesting or desiring) that homes be designed to address and reduce environmental health issues; the increase of government regulations to require improvements; and the benefits and tradeoff of each.

“Design” is often thought of as only the visible, aesthetic aspects of a home. But a true green home, or a “Healthy Green Home,” means the design and construction includes all systems that will affect occupants’ lives. It also can include understanding how to achieve well-coordinated systems, and the relative costs of how this is to be achieved in construction with value engineering considerations.

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Breathing Room

Knowing about air quality is an important part of green building.

by Terry Beaubois

As health issues become more prominent, researchers are considering approaches to improving air quality for India’s 1.3 billion residents.

As an architect, I’ve always been aware of air management in buildings. This includes heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC). It also includes humidity, fresh air ventilation and air quality. Some of my recent experiences have significantly increased my awareness of how critical this issue is becoming for every building.

In many ways, air handling seemed to be a more-technical aspect of architecture, as opposed to other more visible and aesthetic aspects of design. Because many of the leading indicators of problems in air quality are not visible and have no odor, measurements and testing will become an increasingly significant factor in addressing these issues completely and effectively during design, construction and post-construction. This is definitely a case of “what we don’t know and can’t see, CAN hurt us.”

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Healthy Homes, Healthy Buildings

WHAT WE CAN’T SEE AND DON’T KNOW CAN HURT US—AND OUR CLIENTS.

by Terry Beaubois

THE TOPIC OF HEALTHY HOMES AND BUILDINGS has been around for a while, but the awareness of the problem and what to do about it is being raised to a higher level with recent findings.

Home sick home. Indoor air quality may not seem to be a key point to consider when designing a house, but it can be a crucial aspect for builders and home occupants—especially if they consider working with you again years later.

Having a healthy home environment is a core element for every member of the building industry—architects designing homes for people; builders building homes; and family members concerned about their family’s health. This is an area that has been a career-long interest of mine. In the past, it was more of a background issue, but over time, research shows this to be increasingly important as we gain a better understanding and additional knowledge of the issues related to air quality. 

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In With the New

It's not easy to introduce updated concepts to the building industry, but some are making it happen.

by Terry Beaubois

In January, I spoke at the Green Builder symposium and then attended the International IBS/NAHB/NKB show. What struck me is how wonderful and diverse the building industry is—and yet how separated into silos we still are. With a few exceptions, such as the larger product manufacturers exhibiting at IBS, we do not share information among architects, designers, engineers and general contractors, let alone home and building owners. A home show I attended in San Jose in February confirmed that thought: Few manufacturers, builders and remodeling companies were there to share information with homeowners.

Tech construction firm Katerra specializes in factory-style construction of individual walls, floors and roofs for new homes. These can be assembled after arrival at a worksite, allowing for better quality control.

The reason for mentioning this siloing is because it is key in addressing how to create increasing efficiency and effectiveness in the building industry. In studies of all the major industries covering the past 50 years, the building industry has experienced the least increase in efficiency and effectiveness in the past 20 to 50 years compared to most other industries.

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Sharing Smart Knowledge

There's a lot the U.S. and India can learn from each other - if we take the time to teach it.

by Terry Beaubois

Since my last article, I traveled to India for another Smart Villages Conference reflecting the progress made to date in state of Andhra Pradesh, and then I traveled to Texas to visit an EcoSmart Community that has started construction, just east of Austin, Texas.

Often I find people in the U.S. thinking “oh, poor India” because much of the news in the U.S. from there are focused on disasters, floods, train accidents — it’s understandable that we get that impression. My last trip in India was full of reports of hurricanes in Houston, then Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin island and the earthquake in Mexico, so some in India might have been thinking “poor U.S. and Mexico” It is my hope that through common interests in the building smart communities, we can build improved international relations and learn about and teach each other more about our successes in dealing with needed community improvements globally...

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Only By Design

 'Smart Communities Thinking' helps you on multiple levels

by Terry Beaubois

With my background in architecture, NASA, a smart house project, researching small towns in Montana, and now teaching the Smart Villages module in a Smart Communities class at Stanford, I have become fully aware that multidisciplinary knowledge and collaboration are the best way forward in building smart, sustainable communities. I’ve also discovered that green builders can take a leading role.

Looking at communities through a “smart” lens helps us understand the reality of the world around us. In my experience, most people do not want to be in an isolated house, isolated town, or an isolated city. Smart communities need to be connected regionally and globally. It’s what makes them connected and smart. The Internet allows us to do this, but we should have the ability to “opt in” to the aspects of the Internet we want and stay safe and secure from what we do not want...

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An introduction to development of smart communities: homes, towns and villages, and cities.

by Terry Beaubois

“What do you mean by ‘smart’?”

Identifying and describing what “smart” is—when it applies to a home, village or a city—is important, because the term is thrown around a lot lately.

The way I use “smart” may be more inclusive than how others do. Some people limit “smart” to technology or Internet of Things (IoT) items and issues. For them, that may be appropriate. My definition of “smart” includes IoT, but is not limited to it. As an architect who approaches things using Architectural Design Thinking, I look at the entire ecosystem of the building or project to consider how we can make the built environment “smart.” This includes green, sustainable, resilient, appropriate and other categories that benefit projects seeking to maintain or improve quality for people, all while incorporating advances in technology that contribute to the human health, safety and security in smart communities...

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Cognitive Computing and the Global Building Industry

How AI and IoT are transforming where we live

by Terry Beaubois

Terry with the Architecture School at Andhra University, India

The building industry is one of the oldest: dating back at least 6,000 years as soon as we started creating settlements and communities. It is also one of the most pervasive with the global construction industry expected to be worth $10.3 trillion by 2020.

My interest in applying cognitive computing to the global building industry began with my consulting work with NASA in the late 1970’s — early 1980’s. The topics at that time included Space Station Design; Artificial Intelligence; Virtual Reality (called Telepresence at the time) and telerobotics; early Mars Rover technology (connecting video camera imagery with computer analyses) and design of a Research Lab module for the U.S. Space Shuttle...

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