Team Sees Green Design Come Alive

This month a team of NC State University students attended the dedication of their award-winning green home – taking their design from paper to reality.  Architecture students, Emily Axtman, Katelyn Baird, Maria Hill, Will Lambeth and Josh Wheeler with the guidance of faculty advisor Adjunct Associate Professor Randall Lanou, won the 2007 NC Sustainable Design Competition. The grand prize for this competition was having their design built, along with $3,000 and a trip to Chicago, IL to participate in the national, Natural Talent Competition, hosted by the Emerging Green Builders.

The home, located at 1020 Kent Street in Durham, was constructed by BuildSense, Inc. for Self-Help, a community development lender and real estate developer. The team utilized green practices such as building on an infill lot, passive solar design, drought-tolerant landscaping and third party certification by SystemVision and the Triangle’s Green Building Initiative.

The NC Sustainable Building Design Competition challenges students across North Carolina to design a sustainable home that includes approaches such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, building science, indoor environmental quality, water conservation, universal design, materials selection, affordability and more.