zHome is fully sold out and is now a real community, full of residents.  However, we still have one unit which serves as the zHome Stewardship Center, operated by Built Green.  So, we are still doing full tours of the project!  The next free zHome tour will be on May 9, from 3:00-4:00.  Meet on site. Please contact Aaron Adelstein of Built Green at 425-460-8230 or aadelstein@mbaks.com to RSVP.

There’s so many cool things happening in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the Seattle Center, but my personal favorite is the energy fair, happening each day this weekend from 10-5.  Located in a big tent in the heart of the fun forest, there’s going to be a big top tent full of the latest, greatest energy ideas for your home.  zHome will be on display there.  Make sure you check out the House of the Immediate Future - sponsored by Seattle Habitat for Humanity, showcasing deep green energy technologies – it’s being built on site and will be transported to a site in Greenbridge later in the year. 

Come on out for a tour with Brad Liljequist, the zHome manager, or one of the other core team members and learn about all nitty gritty of how zHome works and what it means.  Here is a link to how to find zHome - come learn!

Organizations or groups are invited to take an in-depth, behind-the-scenes tour of zHome.  Learn about how we achieved our deep green environmental benchmarks including details about the technologies used in zHome.  To set up a tour, contact Brad Liljequist at bradl@ci.issaquah.wa.us.

Organizations or groups are invited to take an in-depth, behind-the-scenes tour of zHome.  Learn about how we achieved our deep green environmental benchmarks including details about the technologies used in zHome.  To set up a tour, contact Brad Liljequist at bradl@ci.issaquah.wa.us.

The Future Energy Conference, an unmatched forum for learning, networking and business development, is October 18-19, 2011 in Seattle. Brad Liljequist, zHome Project Manager has been invited to participate in a disucssion about Buildings of the Future. Roughly 40% of America’s energy is used in buildings, and much of it is wasted. Speakers will discuss how pioneering energy efficiency techniques and practices can be brought into widespread use and how can they be made more cost-effective.
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11^th Annual Green Halloween Festival, Saturday, October 29^th, Noon – 4pm, Shops at Issaquah Highlands

This outdoor, family-friendly festival is an autumn tradition in Issaquah, and this year zHome joins the fun.  The festival is a partnership with Greenhalloween.org with a goal of making Halloween safer and healthier for our children and the environment.  Located in and around the Shops at Issaquah Highlands the event, Saturday, October 29^th from noon until 4:00pm will feature a haunted house, a 4D Mobile Theater, carnival rides and games, pony rides, inflatables, great food and music, lots of giveaways, and a hay ride to zHome!  Tickets will be $1.00 each or purchase a $20 bracelet and enjoy 4 hours of unlimited festivity (food not included).  Visa and Mastercard will be accepted for ticket purchases over $10.00.  Plan to come in costume (adults too!) and bring a trick or treat bag for all the giveaway goodies.

zHome is nearing completion and getting ready for action! We will be open Saturdays from 10-5 and Sundays 11-5 from September 17 until October 30th. We have put together an amazing free tour experience, with great videos, signage, and expert tour guides to show you the future of building – come see how we can deal with climate change, ocean acidification, and deforestation today – not decades from now! You can either walk through on your own or take a tour, which will leave every thirty minutes starting at the top and bottom of the hour.

zHome is located on High Street in Issaquah Highlands, just east of the intersection with Highlands Drive. Take exit 18 on I-90, head north on Highlands Drive, and look for the homes with the solar panels! Lots of free parking is available on adjacent side streets around the project.

The presenters have been selected for this year’s 10×10x10, and zHome is one of them!  Hosted by the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild’s Seattle Chapter, and emceed by Patti Southard of the King County GreenTools Program, the 10×10x10 Annual Green Building Slam is a chance for architects and builders to showcase their deep green construction projects as they quickly show behind the scenes accounts of their successes, lessons, or surprises with each 10 minute, 10 slide PowerPoint presentation.   Brad Liljequist, zHome Project Manager will discuss how zHome was brought to life by a public and private partnership.  Find out more at http://www.ecobuilding.org/guild-chapters/seattle/10-x-10-x-10.

Please join us, from 3:30 to 4:30 to see the progress made at zHome!  No RSVP necessary.  We recommend good shoes.

Here is a link for directions. We are in east of the High Street/Highlands Drive intersection on High Street – look for the group on the sidewalk.

For those of you coming from downtown Seattle, the site is only 200 feet from the Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride, which is served by Metro Route 218 and Sound Transit Route 554 (the 554 only has a return bus to Seattle).

We have a great group coming to these, please come and join the fun!

The Green Festival is coming up at Qwest field on: Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m. – 7p.m. and on Sunday, May 22 from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. This is a great opportunity to hear from some of the nation’s leading experts about learning opportunities designed to promote sustainability and interconnectivity within the green movement and visit with exhibitors from across the region who promote the benefits of fair trade and provide samples of products from around the globe.

Make sure to stop by the presentation by some of the zHome team members!

Want to “z” Your home, learn about green finishes from a-“z” Saturday, May 21, 2:30p.m.

Green Festival-Sustainable Home and Garden Pavillion

zHome takes into account that the source of building materials and how the materials are manufactured and harvested, have profound environmental implications. zHome materials have been selected to emphasize various aspects of sustainability and how to take green finishes mainstream. Interior designer Lydia Huffman and green building expert Patti Southard will show you how.

Please join us, from 3:30 to 4:30 to see the progress made at zHome!  No RSVP necessary.  We recommend good shoes.

Here is a link for directions. We are in east of the High Street/Highlands Drive intersection on High Street – look for the group on the sidewalk.

For those of you coming from downtown Seattle, the site is only 200 feet from the Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride, which is served by Metro Route 218 and Sound Transit Route 554 (the 554 only has a return bus to Seattle).

We have a great group coming to these, please come and join the fun!

The Pacific Northwest is an international hotbed of deep green building and community. A lot of this energy comes together at the annual Cascadia GBC’s Living Future conference. zHome is honored to be the subject of a dedicated conference session. Patti Southard of King County GreenTools is leading a conversation between Aaron Adelstein of Built Green, Tom Marseille of WSP Flack and Kurtz, and Brad Liljequist, the zHome project manager, about the public-private partnership that brought zHome together. Come find out how a diverse group of public and private organizations came together to build the country’s first zero net energy townhome community!

The colors have been picked, the cabinets are in, and zHome is quickly transforming! Please join us, from 3:30 to 4:30 to see the progress made at zHome!  No RSVP necessary.  We recommend good shoes.

Here is a link for directions. We are in east of the High Street/Highlands Drive intersection on High Street – look for the group on the sidewalk.

For those of you coming from downtown Seattle, the site is only 200 feet from the Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride, which is served by Metro Route 218 and Sound Transit Route 554 (the 554 only has a return bus to Seattle).

We have a great group coming to these, please come and join the fun!

The Northwest Eco-Building Guild is hosting a Puget Sound area Green Home Tour on April 16 and 17, from 10am – 4pm.  zHome is one of the featured projects.  This is a great opportunity to see an array of deep green homes of various sizes, budgets, and shaps.  The tour is free and will involve in depth education at each site.  The Eco-Building Guild has been doing some amazing education in recent years and I highly, highly recommend this tour – you are guaranteed to come away inspired and more knowledgeable.

When: April 16 & 17, 2011 at Eastside and Seattle tour site clusters.

Open daily 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is FREE.

Builders, architects, designers, craftsman with deep green focus will showcase their sustainable design and construction projects in public tours in Seattle and on the Eastside.

This public tour features ecologically, affordable design, construction, and lifestyle options for optimum northwest living.

• Tour sites feature design and construction professionals on hand for presentations, workshops, and individual consultations to answer all your green living questions.

• Educational signage highlights site-specific strategies, products, and their benefits.

• Efficient ideas, tips, and contacts can help you in your own home immediately.

Kick-off sites in North and South Seattle, and on the Eastside will help to provide easy carpooling locations.

Pulling solar panel wiring

Please join us, from 3:30 to 4:30 to see the progress made at zHome!  No RSVP necessary.  We recommend good shoes.  We start sheet rocking this week, so it’s a good time to see our finished wall cavities.  We’ve also been pulling/routing the PV lines from the roofs down to electrical panels.  We will also be able to look at our cool heat recovery ventilators, which provide great ventilation into the units while prewarming the fresh incoming air with the escaping exhaust air. 

Here is a link for directions. We are in east of the High Street/Highlands Drive intersection on High Street – look for the group on the sidewalk.

For those of you coming from downtown Seattle, the site is only 200 feet from the Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride, which is served by Metro Route 218 and Sound Transit Route 554 (the 554 only has a return bus to Seattle).

We have a great group coming to these, please come and join the fun!

Existing insulation in attic being supplemented with additional insulation

Did you know that up to 30 percent of a home’s heat can be lost through simple air leaks? Learn how to save money – and the planet – while making your house more efficient!

The City of Issaquah, with help from Puget Sound Energy and Gary Wood of Applied Performance Technologies, will be teaching the same class at:

• 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5
• 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6

The class covers:

• Building Science 101: How your home “breathes” and how the heating system works. What building leaks mean for comfort, efficiency, your health and moisture in your home.
• Air sealing: How and why to seal your windows, walls, doors, crawl spaces and attics.
• Insulation: How to find better insulation for your walls.
• Tips: How to limit home energy use and still be comfortable.

The classes will be held in an actual retrofitted house in Issaquah! Participants will be able to see what is involved, ask questions and learn how to do many improvements themselves. The house will also undergo a blower door test during the classes to dramatically show how and where homes leak and allow drafts.

This class is made possible through an ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) grant and EECBG (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant).

To sign up, call 425-837-3402 or e-mail Rco@ci.issaquah.wa.us and indicate your preferred class times. You will be contacted to confirm the time and class details.

Please join us, from 3:30 to 4:30! No RSVP necessary.  We recommend good shoes.

Here is a link for directions. We are in east of the High Street/Highlands Drive intersection on High Street – look for the group on the sidewalk.

For those of you coming from downtown Seattle, the site is only 200 feet from the Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride, which is served by Metro Route 218 and Sound Transit Route 554 (the 554 only has a return bus to Seattle).

We have a great group coming to these, please come and join the fun!

Please join us, from 3:30 to 4:30! No RSVP necessary. We’ll focus on plumbing and electrical rough in, as well as advanced framing to minimize lumber use. We recommend good shoes.

Here is a link for directions. We are in east of the High Street/Highlands Drive intersection on High Street – look for the group on the sidewalk.

For those of you coming from downtown Seattle, the site is only 200 feet from the Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride, which is served by Metro Route 218 and Sound Transit Route 554 (the 554 only has a return bus to Seattle).

We had nearly 40 people at our last walk through, so please come and join in the fun!

Our classes are going great – make sure to come on out and check it out.  We had a great group, about 35 people last Thursday.

Come on out on December 2, from 3:30-4:30, and join us for the latest in zHome construction.  We are most of the way through panel installation, and the site is really taking form. 

Here is a link for directions.  We are in east of the High Street/Highlands Drive intersection on High Street – look for the group on the sidewalk.

For those of you coming from downtown Seattle, the site is only 200 feet from the Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride, which is served by Metro Route 218 and Sound Transit Route 554 (the 554 only has a return bus to Seattle).

We’ve been having a great turnout of 20-30 folks to the classes, so please come and join in the fun!

Always the first Thursday of the month, 3:30 – 4:30 – put it on your calendar!

First wall panel pulled off the truck

OK, for all the excitement of the in ground stuff, we are finally going vertical – this is where stuff gets interesting!  Come on out on November 4, from 3:30-4:30, and join us for the latest in zHome construction.  We will focus on the ins and outs of our premade panels, and how on-site installation is going.

Here is a link for directions.  We are in east of the High Street/Highlands Drive intersection on High Street – look for the group on the sidewalk.

For those of you coming from downtown Seattle, the site is only 200 feet from the Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride, which is served by Metro Route 218 and Sound Transit Route 554 (the 554 only has a return bus to Seattle).

We’ve been having a great turnout of 20-30 folks to the classes, so please come and join in the fun!

A FutureShack

FutureShack is a great program by the Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects. It looks at the question: How has design changed and where should it be going? Are you thinking of a new home project of your own? FutureShack provides a chance to learn about what resources are available to you and meet the professionals who can help make your project a reality. Come to the event for a glass of wine and a lively discussion about the future of residential design and how it fits into your neighborhood.

FutureShack is a new way to think about residential architecture. It’s about how it works, not just how it looks. FutureShack creates a platform for dialogue between the public and design professionals. How can architecture help improve the quality of your city? Your neighborhood? Your home? How can you share your vision of living in the future? It showcases creative responses to our changing lifestyles, across a wide range of building types, budgets, constraints and social agendas. Part debate about how we want to live, part recognition of innovative architecture, FutureShack is judged by a panel of both designers and engaged members of the public. The Seattle Times’ Pacific Northwest Magazine will publish the jurors’ selected projects on September 12. The public will also be able to choose their favorite as part of the People’s Choice Award. That winner will be announced at the FutureShack program on September 15. (Just FYI, zHome is in the running!)

Details:
5:00pm – Get your project questions answered and find resources while enjoying a glass of Salmon Safe wine

6:30pm – Jury Presentation

Location
Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion

Cost
$15 General Admission
$5 Students w/ ID
$5 Seniors w/ GOLD card
$5 People w/ FLASH card

1,800 gallon cisterns, lined up and ready for backfill

Our next monthly walkthrough will be September 2 from 3:30 – 4:30 onsite (they are always scheduled for the first Thursday of the month from 3:30 – 4:30). At this walkthrough we will turn our attention to the rainwater cisterns – we will have the plumbing complete on the pump into the units and so will be discussing that. We will also have floor slabs down, which have slab insulation and hydronic piping issues to work through, and so that will be a topic as well. Come on out and join the fun! Here’s directions to the site - look for us on the sidewalk, east of the Highlands Drive/High Street intersection.

Dennis Rominger of PSE, who has had long involvement in zHome, will be speaking to Home Performance Washington at their monthly meeting about zHome on August 10th.  The meeting is from 3 -5 pm at the Greenwood Library in Seattle.  Dennis will be talking about the ins and outs of zHome, and it is a great opportunity to get an overview about the project and get any questions you have answered.  Home Performance Washington is a great group dedicated to energy retrofits of homes in Washington State – check out their website for more details.

We will have our next monthly walk through next Thursday.  It will be an interesting class as we have a ton of things going on in the ground utility-wise (ground source manifolds, etc.), and we’ve left it exposed for folks to see.  We will specifically be discussing the manifold tie-together of the ground source wells with the mechanical contractor (Northwest Mechanical).  We’re also gearing up to pour our slabs which have a fairly complicated subgrade due to additional penetrations for ground source, photovoltaic conduit, and rainwater plumbing.  We will be going onto the site this time so will be asking folks to sign a liability waiver.  We will also do a brief project overview for those of you who haven’t been out before.

Ground source well pipe thermal fusing underway

Here is a link for directions.  We are in east of the High Street/Highlands Drive intersection on High Street – look for the group on the sidewalk.

For those of you coming from downtown Seattle, the site is only 200 feet from the Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride, which is served by Metro Route 218 and Sound Transit Route 554 (the 554 only has a return bus to Seattle).

We’ve been having a great turnout of 20-30 folks to the classes, so please come and join in the fun!

We will have our monthly site visit (always the first Thursday of the month from 3:30-4:30) on Thursday, July 1st. Since last month, we have completed most site utilities, poured foundation footings, and completed the main site retaining wall. This month, we will be discussing the complicated three dimensional underground construction we’ve had to do with site utilities, the ground source wells and manifolds, foundations, all in an incredibly tight site. We will also talk about our use of McDonald’s fryer oil for concrete form release (and even let you smell it!), as well as several recycled materials like drainage board we’re using in the project. If you missed last month, we’ll also do an overview of how the ground source well field system works. Click here for directions to the site.

Join Eastside Greendrinks on July 15th at 5:PM at Vista Park, located on 10th Avenue NE within Issaquah Highlands. Come and connect with green people, green businesses and events in your community. Jobsite tour of zHome will be included. Come check out the progress!

This is a FREE event but a $5.00 donation is suggested. Beer, wine and light appetizers will be served.

Twenty five folks joined us on site today to learn the latest on zHome construction – the groundsource wells, an overview of the groundsource system, working with high flyash concrete, and vegetable oil low toxicity form releaser.  Our next on-site class will be on July 1, and continue on the first Thursday of every month through construction.  Come join us!

Please join us for our first monthly on-site class and walkthrough at the zHome site. Click this link for directions to the site. We have now completed the ground source heat pump wells, and are starting to tie the wellfield together with a larger manifold. We are also starting to prepare concrete foundation work. At the class, we’ll be giving a quick overview of the project and upcoming activities. We will be talking through our work to date: The well drilling and install process generally; issues that have come up with the well drilling, which forced a reconfiguration and expansion of the ground source field; how the well field manifold tie together process works; and working with high flyash content concrete.

Mark your calendars for this monthly event, which will be the first Thursday of the month from 3:30 to 4:30 – upcoming walkthroughs will be on July 1, August 5, and September 2. This will be a great hands on way to track and understand this innovative project as it moves toward completion.

Patti Southard, King County GreenTools

Come find zHome at the Built Green booth to talk to staff about the project.  Hear Patti Southard of King County GreenTools speak about future proofing your home on Saturday, June 5, 11am in Room 4C-1.  She will use zHome as a case study as an advanced demonstration of climate neutral housing.

An overview presentation about zHome, as well as four other local green projects, will be provided at GLY Construction, 15 Lake Bellevue Drive, Suite 200, Bellevue, WA 98005 from 7:30-9:30am. Q/A to follow.

Details of time and location have not yet been finalized, but zHome will be participating in this conference at Evergreen College.  Check this interesting conference and come see us in action!

The Zero Energy Idea House, built in Bellevue by green building pioneers Riley and Donna Shirey, opens today to much fanfare.

This home, which will be the Shirey’s personal residence, is exactly what it says it is – it provides ideas to the building and home buying audiences for advanced energy saving technologies which are part of a potential zero energy strategy.  It includes such advanced technologies as structural insulated panels, (R-24 walls, R-40 roof), solar hot water heating, LED lighting, a reverse chiller for heating, a helical wind turbine, and a 2.5 kwh photovoltaic panel array.  The combination of all these technologies will most certainly help the house get much of the way to zero net energy usage – resulting in one of the most advanced homes built regionally to date from an energy standpoint.  The WSU Energy Program projects the home will have net energy bills of about $500 a year, quite an achievement.  I suspect given how green the Shirey’s are, they are likely to do even better than this in actual usage.

Installing the structural insulated panels

As wholistic green builders, the Shireys have also included a number of other cutting edge green components.  Extensive green roofs and native landscaping will help reduce the roof rainwater runoff.  A 3,000 gallon rainwater cistern provides irrigation.  Lots of neat green materials, like FSC floors, recycled plate glass counters, and concrete countertops show green homes can be incredibly beautiful.

I have had the pleasure of knowing the Shireys for a number of years.  They own and run Shirey Contracting, located here in Issaquah, WA.  They are true green building pioneers, and were some of the first builders regionally to draw the important connection between building and sustainability.  They have been builders for several decades and were early users of structural insulated panels, which can result in tight, energy efficient walls and quick construction timelines.  Donna was instrumental in starting Built Green, the green building program for King and Snohomish Counties.  In addition to the Idea House, the Shireys are also building a home in Florida which will be LEED platinum – two truly cutting edge homes.

A great 13 minute educational video of the home was made by King County GreenTools – don’t miss it.  Also, the Zero Energy Idea House will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 8 for self guided tours.  It is most definitely worth checking out – it is a truly inspiring home.

Project manager Brad Liljequist will speak about zHome at the Sustainable Connections conference in Bellingham, WA on Friday, April 17.  For more details, see the web site.

zHome project manager Brad Liljequist will speak at the Mountaineers climate change class on March 9 at 7 pm.  Please go to http://www.mountaineers.org/policy/eic/ for more details.