Tag Archives: eco construction

April 21 at #KBtribechat – An #EarthDay Conversation

Our KBtribechat questions:

1.) How can we make daily choices that reduce our negative impact on the environment?

2.) Why is it important to protect the Earth?

3.) Is zero waste attainable? Share tips to help reduce waste.

4.) What home building and design trends have helped make homes more sustainable?

5.) How can smart/connected products help homeowners save energy and water?

6. ) How are you incorporating environmentally-driven solutions into your projects?

Join this Twitter discussion

at 2pm ET on Wednesday, April 21

by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!

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March 18 at #KBtribechat – Fix-a-leak Week + Energy Efficient Options for K+B

A design discussion!

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Our KBtribechat questions:

Q1) What changes have you seen in sustainable home design in the last decade?

Q2) What products do you find to be the most eco-friendly and energy-saving?

Q3) What “green” features do you find essential in the kitchen? What energy savings trends do you see in the home appliances industry?

Q4.) How about manufacturing?  Does how a manufacturer manages its environmental impact matter in your decisions? How are companies with energy saving appliances and environmentally friendly practices recognized? Do you look for this information? Where?

Q5.) How can water be saved in the kitchen?  Please share good design tips, habits and products that save water.

Q6.) What about the bathroom? How can you save water in the bathroom?

Q7.)  In what other ways can you save this vital resource? #water

The Facts on Leaks

  Join this Twitter conversation

on Wednesday, March 18

from 2 to 3pm eastern

by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!

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May 8 at #KBtribechat – Designing With Health in Mind

A design discussion.

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We will be pinning to our Healthy Kitchens and Baths group Pinterest Board.

Our KBtribechat questions:

Q1.) In the design process, what details do you focus on when designing with health and safety in mind? Please share solutions you like!

Healthy material choices not only affect indoor air quality but it’s important to know how they affect the environment and if they are made from renewal resources .

Q2.) Are your clients asking for sustainable (healthy for the earth) and healthy products and design choices? Do these healthy building materials and design choices cost more?

Q3.) How can technology help us address health and safety concerns in the kitchen? What about in bathrooms?

Q4.) What features can help the end user make healthy choices in the kitchen?

Q5.) What features can offer healthful benefits in the bathroom?

Q6.) Do you take ergonomic principles into consideration when designing kitchens or bathrooms? Does this include the reasoning behind cabinet pull-outs and other cabinet features?  What about appliance considerations?

Q7.) In what ways can we plan for client safety in the kitchen and bath spaces we design? Please share important tips for designing spaces that work for all stages of life.

The reduction of clutter in our homes has not only been shown to reduce stress but simplification is a current design trend. How does this apply to designing healthy kitchens and bathrooms? 

Q8.) What are your go to design tips for reducing clutter in kitchens?

Q9.) What are your go to design tips for reducing clutter in bathrooms?

Share pictures of designs and ideas you like!

Join this Twitter Chat conversation

on Wednesday, May 8

from 2 to 3pm eastern time

by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!

Here’s a link to read the transcript for this KBtribechat.

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April 19 at #KBtribechat – A Sustainability Discussion in celebration of Earth Day

A kitchen and bath industry conversation!

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This week we will be pinning to our Earth Day group pinterest board, a compilation of favorite sustainable and green designs and products. Let us know if you’d like to be added to the board!

Our KBtribechat questions:

1.) What eco/green/sustainable building tips do you suggest for kitchens and baths?

2.) How can we make kitchens and bathrooms more energy efficient?

3.) What remodeling choices affect indoor air quality? Please share good solutions.

4.) What user habits in the kitchen or bath can help with environmental responsibility?

5.) What eco-friendly products are on your list which can reduce the impact of construction on the environment?

Join this Twitter Chat discussion

on Wednesday, April 19

from 2 to 3pm eastern time

by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!

Here’s the transcript for this #KBtribechat.

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723 Spring Street, Ann Arbor

 

 

Join guest host, Mark Johnson FAIA, on Wednesday, June 6, 2012, for #kbtribechat LIVE from the 723 Spring Street LEED Platinum home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mark will be talking with Scott Phillips, green expert and owner of the home. Scott’s extensive background in the building products industry will inspire our discussionabout the home’s kitchen and bath products that optimize water savings, reduce and monitor energy use, contribute to LEED points, and have led to his family’s adoption of a green lifestyle. This #kbtribechat will incorporate a multimedia offering of resources including videos, photography, a Pinterest board, and downloadable Google SketchUp 3D models of the home and interiors.

723 Spring Street became the City of Ann Arbor’s first LEED Platinum house. It is designed to weave into the surrounding neighborhood in style and function, while showcasing many different types of green building methods that make the home ultra-efficient. In addition to ICF Construction and Geo-thermal Heating, the home also has an 8.6kW solar array and is near net-zero energy usage. Advanced building techniques and sustainable products abound in this lovely home. Don’t miss this exciting #kbtribechat.

NOTE: If you are in the Ann Arbor area on June 9-10, the 723 Spring Street home will be open to the public during MISSION ZERO FEST, along with the Mission Zero House, America’s oldest historic rehab/retrofit home to reach net-zero energy usage.

Here is the transcript for this chat.

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Designing “Green” Kitchens & Baths

We will be discussing the importance of design in building healthy kitchens and baths at our October 3, 2012 kbtribechat.  Please join us on Twitter from 2 to 3 pm eastern time.

Here are our questions:

1.) What does “green” mean to you in connection with design/construction?

2.) Is “green” too much of a buzz word? Have a better term?

3.) “Green” homes start with good design. Please share some of your design tips.

4.) Are there certain materials you specify or want to use specifically because they are sustainable and or help create healthy environments?

5.) Do you still find “green” to cost more?

Here is the transcript for the 5/16/12 kbtribechat on this topic.

Here is the transcript for the 10/3/12 kbtribechat on this topic.

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LED Lighting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hosted by: Brandon A. Smith, LEED AP
Principal    d.coop

With 13 years of experience, Brandon’s clients have sought out his services for

sustainable and budget friendly facilities solutions. Early in his career

Brandon worked with both Haworth and AIS providing systems furniture space

planning to national and international corporations. Applying his experience in

the systems industry to facilities space planning and project development,

Brandon developed corporate design and construction standards for national

companies including SAIC’s San Diego campus, Bosley Medical’s 45 offices in

the United States, and East Coast development for Accredited Home Lenders.

His experience ranges from effective space planning and standards development

to the development of critical facilities, SCIF and Classified Information spaces,

Data Centers, and other Techno-centric interiors.  Additionally, Brandon has

consulted on “Green” and sustainable projects in California & Oregon and has

provided his signature to a number of restaurant and food service facilities

through out Southern California. Lastly, Brandon’s reach has left the confines

of the building envelope, having consulted on campus development exterior

renovation. Brandon has an Associates of Arts degree from the Fashion Institute

of Design & Merchandising where he was awarded the Interior Design Award for

2001.  Additionally, he is an active member of the US Green Building Council

and is a LEED Accredited Professional. Furthermore, Brandon actively

participates in various groups on a grassroots level and provides pro-bono

services to not for profit groups such as the Ronald McDonald House and the

Phoenix House forTeen Recovery.

Education:
AA Fine Arts – Interior Design, Fashion
Institute of Design & Merchandising
Top of Class, Magna Cum Laude

Affiliations:
US Green Building Council
National Assoc. of Industrial & Office
Properties
American Society of Interior Designers
National Kitchen & Bath Assoc.
The 1% Program

Notable Projects:

BendBroadband Vault
Bend, Oregon
Tier III Crtitical Co-Location Facility
LEED-NC, pending certification

Science Applications International Corp.
San Diego and environs
Campus Spaceplanning & Renovations

Iomega Corp.
San Diego, California
Headquarters renovation

North County Transit District
Oceanside, California
Data Center & Central Communications Fac.
LEED-ID, pending certification

Carlsbad Commercial Center
Carlsbad, California
ADA & Campus redevelopment

Accredited Home Lenders
San Diego & National
East Coast facilities development

Abu Dhabi National Oil Corporation
United Arab Emirates
Headquarters Spaceplanning & Standards

Brandon also hosted the July 13, 2011 kbtribechat on Building Green.

Brandon also hosted the November 9, 2011 kbtribechat on KB Trends for Minimizing WATER Usage!

Brandon hosted the May 9, 2012 kbtribechat on LED Lighting.

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