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Creating affordable and sustainable, nature-integrated homes for independent living


   Links
   Island Quarterly Archive.I.Alternative Housing - Background.I.Industry
   Government.I.Vashon Energy Project.I.United Nations - Human Settlements Program
 
1.   Island Quarterly Archive 
1970's alternative community founded by Robert Bornn on an island in Maine
http://www.buildingcircles.org/IslandQuarterly.htm
2.   Alternative Housing - Background
Examples of Nature Integration

Malcolm Wells
underground buildings, earth sheltered architecture,
energy efficient houses, passive solar 
(http://www.malcolmwells.com)

Hockerton Housing Project, United Kingdom
http://www.hockertonhousingproject.org.uk/

Green Home Building
http://www.greenhomebuilding.com

Earth Houses by Vetsch, a German Architect
http://www.erdhaus.ch/web/index.php?lang=en

Rocky Mountain Institute
http://www.rmi.org

Raven Rocks - Underground Building at "Locust Hill"
http://ravenrocks.org/What_is_RR/overview.htm

 

Living Buildings and Living Neighborhoods

"Living Buildings," The World and I magazine, October 1999
LivingBuilding-World_and_I.pdf(1.1 MB)
or
http://cascadiagbc.org/resources/living-buildings/LivingBuilding-World_and_I.pdf

Pattern Language
http://patternlanguage.com

Building Living Neighborhoods
http://www.livingneighborhoods.org
 

Water Purification

Ocean Arks International -
founded by Dr. John Todd (1981), a visionary in ecological water purification
(http://www.oceanarks.org)

        About Ocean Arks International
         (http://www.oceanarks.org/about)

Oasis Design  - 

      "Designs for managing water, wastewater, energy, money and other resources"
         http://oasisdesign.net

      Misinformation about greywater treatment
      (http://oasisdesign.net/greywater/misinfo/index.htm) 
 

Alternative Lighting - LED lighting - AC adapted

The LED Light, Inc. 
http://www.TheLedLight.com
Select #1 on their catalog for information about the technology. 

LED Lighting Fixtures, Inc.
http://www.ledlightingfixtures.com

EcoBusiness Links
http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/lighting_led_light_solar.htm
 

Alternative Insulation

EMEGA Technologies - soy-based spray foam insulation
http://www.emegabuild.com/
 

Community Building and Independent Living

The Cohousing Association of the United States - 
"Building a Sustainable Society, One Neighborhood at a Time"
(http://www.cohousing.org/faq.aspx)

     Elder Cohousing
      (http://www.cohousing.org/elder-cohousing.aspx)

The Center for Universal Design
(http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/)

Age-in-Place Planning 
(described in an interview with Ms. Taylor, a specialist in aging and long-term care)
"A Final Nesting Place" by Rebecca TeaGarden, Seattle Times, Pacific NorthWest Magazine
(http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw09032006/2003238041_pacificpnwl03.html)

The Small House Movement http://www.lime.com/planet/story/4091/small_house_movement_takes_on_mcmansion?utm_source
=adwords&utm_medium=plm&utm_campaign=additions&utm_term=sustainable+housing

The International Council on Active Aging
www.icaa.cc
 

3.   Industry and Standards
The U.S. Green Building Council - LEED Certification
http://www.usgbc.org

     16 ways to green your home
      https://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=2121

Natural Resources Defense Council (LEED description)
(http://www.nrdc.org/buildinggreen/leed.asp)

The "Living Building Challenge" from the 
Cascadia Region Green Building Council
http://www.cascadiagbc.org/lbc

Ferrocement Educational Network
(http://www.ferrocement.net/)

American Shotcrete Association (ASA)
(http://www.shotcrete.org/)

     ASA FAQs
           (http://www.shotcrete.org/ASAfaqs.htm)

Amercian Concrete Institute (ACI)
(http://www.aci-int.org)

      What is Concrete?
      (http://www.aci-int.org/pubs/sp001.htm)

Washington Aggregates and Concrete Association (WACA)
(http://www.washingtonconcrete.org)

      Why Build with Concrete? 
      (http://www.washingtonconcrete.org/consumer/concrete_homes.html)

Portland Cement Association (PCA)
(http://www.cement.org)
Concrete Thinking for a Sustainable World (sustainability fact sheet) 
(http://www.cement.org/concretethinking/sus_facts.asp)

What is Shotcrete?
http://www.cement.org/homes/ch_bs_shotcrete.asp

Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
http://www.mba-ks.com
4.   Government 

    Federal Government

      National Renewable Energy Labs
      http://www.nrel.gov

    County and State Standards and Code

King County, Washington 
Department of Development and Environmental Services (DDES)
(http://www.metrokc.gov/ddes/)
DDES Green Building Program
(http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/greenbuilding)
Built Green Checklist for a Single Family Project:  DDES offers free project management for single family projects achieving a 5-star (ratinghttp://www.builtgreen.net/documents/Homebuilder%20Checklist.pdf)

Built Green Checklist for multifamily structures (apartments, condos) (http://www.builtgreen.net/documents/Multifamily%20Checklist.pdf)

Built Green Checklist for Community Developments (subdivisions, cluster developments)
(http://www.builtgreen.net/documents/Communities%20Checklist.pdf)

Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP)
(http://dnr.metrokc.gov/)
Critcal Aquifer Recharge Areas
KC-II-Critcal Aquifer Recharge Areas.pdf

Vashon-Maury Island Watershed Plan
VMI Watershed Plan.pdf

Revised Code of Washington (RCW)
Accessory Dwelling Units, per RCW Title 21A.08.030.7.a, Permitted Uses
(ADUs25-Title 21A08.pdf)
Department of Health (DOH), Washington
Waste Water Management Program - List of Registered On-site Treatment and Distribution Products - DOH, Washington
 http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/WW/registered-list.pdf

Water System Design Manual - DOH, Washington
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/dw/publications/design.htm

Chapter 7.0 - Water System Design Manual -DOH - Source of Supply
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/dw/DesignManual/chapter_7.DOC
Includes 7.2.6 Rainwater Collection Systems (Cisterns)

Additional Government Links 
Access Washington - official site of Washington State
(http://access.wa.gov/)

King County, Environmental Links
(http://www.metrokc.gov/environ.htm)

King County, Executive Ron Sims
(initiatives in global warming and the environment)
(http://www.metrokc.gov/exec/environment.htm)

City of Seattle, Office of Housing 
("SeaGreen Affordable Housing Guide was developed to promote energy conservation, operational savings and sustainable building practices in affordable multifamily housing projects.")
(http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/housing/SeaGreen/Default.htm)
 

5.   Vashon Energy Project (Environmental Education by Lifesense Institute)
Vashon Island Earthfair
Project Solar Harvest Goes to Island Earthfair 2006

Island Earthfair 2006
 

Other Alternative Heating and Cooling Solutions

    Green Home Building
      http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/keepcool.htm
 

High-Temperature, Underground, 
Thermal Energy Storage (HT-UTES) at High Latitudes

International Energy Agency- Energy Conservation through Energy Storage (IEA-ECES)

Drake's Landing Solar Community (Canada)

Alternative Energy Information

Index to Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage Newsletters (Archive 1978-1993)

ASME: Journal of Solar Energy Engineering

Trends in Japan: Novel Energy Storage Systems

Solar Engineering Savings Calculations

University of Wisconsin, Madison, College of Engineering, Information re Concentrating Solar Collector

University of Ontario, Engineering and Applied Sciences, "Thermal Energy Background"

Solar District Heating with a Combined Pit and Duct Storage in the Underground


6.   United Nations - Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat)

"UN-Habitat is the United Nations agency for human settlements.  It is mandated by the General Assembly to "promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all." 

www.unhabitat.org

 

 
The Small Print:
This site is for educational purposes only.  It is not a substitute for professional consultation.  No claim is made or implied that the ideas, inventions, illustrations, and documents on this site are applicable to anyhousing, building, or land use project.  Nor does the site represent in any way consulting services of any kind.  Nothing on this site is an offer to sell, transfer, license, or use proprietary technology.

 
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Copyright (c) 2006-2007 by Robert Bornn and Laura Worth.  All rights reserved. 
BuildingCircles, LifeSense Institute, and Creating affordable and sustainable, nature-integrated homes for independent living are trademarks of Robert Bornn and Laura Worth.

Conceptual renderings and floor plans by Nancy Henderson, LEED, AP.   Photos by Robert Bornn.
Web site by Laura Worth Web Design.