What Is a House Plan Designs?
In general, green is based on the concept of sustainability. The most commonly accepted definition of sustainability refers to our ability to meet our needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The truth is that we are using up resources on this planet at an alarming rate, not sustainably-everything from fossil fuels to fresh water to forests and food resources – and in doing so, we are endangering the delicate balance of nature. We are impacting climate and ecosystems by overharvesting and polluting, leading to events that eventually may threaten our own survival. The effect of these practices has already devastated many important natural resources globally, including our rainforests, farmland and wildlife habitats.
The reality is that we have already begun to see the impact from overexploiting our natural resources on our health and economic well-being. With an exploding world population, it is easy to see that these issues may reach staggering proportions within our own lifetimes, some escalating at such an alarming rate we may see major impacts within only a few years. Green building is not just for future generations, it protects our own quality of life. A truly houseplandesigns.org should deliver real benefits in terms of the amount of energy and water it requires to operate over its lifetime. It should be built using durable materials and methods, so there is less maintenance and longer periods between major repair cycles. It should provide a comfortable shelter for its occupants, one with fewer environmental pollutants that affect their health. And it should place less of a burden on our community and our planet, not damaging ecosystems or requiring the creation of massive new infrastructure to support it.
A key concept employed throughout this website comes from a relatively new field of housing research called building science. Building science studies and views the house and all of its components as parts of an interactive, integrated, holistic system. The mantra of building science is: “the house is a system.” Building science recognizes that changing one aspect of how a home is built changes the entire system, and often other aspects of the home must be changed in response. The big value added is that this can be done while improving your comfort, reducing maintenance headaches and costs and at the same time putting a lot of monthly utility dollars back into your pocket. It also recognizes that the right way to build is what is right for your particular climate zone, not some one-size-fits-all approach.