KENNETT SQUARE, PA, December 2008: The United States Green Building Council has awarded its LEED For Homes Silver designation to a home in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The USGBC is the nation’s preeminent authority for green and sustainable construction, and its Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design program is its official certification program that awards designated status and recognition to homes that meet its stringent design and construction criteria. By using environmentally acceptable and reclaimed and recycled products, LEED-certified homes offer significantly lower operating costs in terms of energy usage and maintenance as well as increased health benefits. They also minimize site disturbance and support communities where they reside by using local materials and labor.
Design and construction of the home was a collaborative effort amongst homeowners Vicki and Avrim Topel, Hugh Lofting Construction Management, Lyman Perry Architects and Sustainable Solutions Engineering, all from southeastern Pennsylvania. MacGrann and Associates of Moorestown, New Jersey, served as the USGBC’s LEED For Homes Provider (inspector), providing third-party testing and verification of the criteria and construction components.
LEED criteria for municipal construction have now been mandated by at least sixteen cities across the nation. More people are recognizing the benefits to be realized by occupants, communities, and the environment.
As the seventh LEED-certified home in the state of Pennsylvania, the project is unique as it is the first LEED-certified home here to utilize timber frame construction and prefabrication on a green and sustainable certified homebuilding project in the state.
Homeowners Avrim and Vicki Topel will soon be releasing a book detailing their experiences in the construction of their new, green home.
For more information on this home, see www.greenbeginningsconsulting.com and www.hughloftingtimberframe.com.
Source: Vicki Topel - leedsilver@yahoo.com
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USGBC AWARDS LEED SILVER CERTIFICATION FOR HOME IN SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA
