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Suburban Green Home Rising in Raleigh, NC

Construction slated for completion early 2007.

Chrysanthe Tenentes -- Interior Design, 11/24/2006 12:00:00 AM

Sustainability is possible in even the most standard suburban home, say Cherokee Investment Partners and Lutron Electronics. To create a model for environmentally friendly living in traditional American neighborhoods, the investment firm, which revitalizes environmentally impaired properties, and the lighting control manufacturer have joined forces to build the National Homebuilder Mainstream GreenHome in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Billed as the first known green home constructed in a residential subdivision, Mainstream GreenHome is designed to consume 50 percent less fossil fuel and water than conventional homes, and recycle or reuse 90 percent of all organic waste on site. Lutron supplied the dimmers, lighting controls, and automated shades—all designed to reduce energy consumption and decrease solar heat. Currently, only two other homes in the country meet the National Association for Home Builders (NAHB) guidelines for environmentally conscious construction, neither of which is in subdivisions. The design team expects to earn certification through the Environmental Protection Agency/US Department of Energy's Energy Star Program and through the North Carolina Solar Center's Healthy Built Homes program. Architect and author William McDonough, founder of sustainable design firm William McDonough + Partners, lauds the project saying, "The GreenHome represents a new milestone in mainstream green construction...[it] provides the average homebuilder with a model for making a typical American home green." Tours of the home will be offered when construction is complete in early 2007.