This past weekend, EEHR provided two tours for Penn State students and alumni, we even had several alumni tour that were part of the 2015 Race to Zero student design competition and actually had a hand in designing the homes! Over the past couple weeks, Envinity has been hard at work finishing the homes. The exterior is nearly finished and casework has been installed on the inside. In less than a month, the homes should be finished for the Ribbon Cutting ceremony!
Over the past several weeks, Envinity has been installing the siding to the North home of the GreenBuild Duplex. Siding is one of the most important elements for a high-performance home. The home cladding layer is the first line of defense against the outside elements; it needs to keep out rain water, protect the other control layers from harmful UV rays, it needs to be able to dry so that water doesn’t collect behind the cladding, and it needs to look good! For the GreenBuild Duplex, Envinity chose to use two different lap-profile vinyl sidings. Vinyl siding, a petroleum-based product, may not come to mind as one of the most sustainable choices for a high-performance home. This siding was chosen for a few reasons, the profile of the siding allows for a small air-gap between the siding and the sheathing so that the siding can dry without the need for installing a rain screen gap. The siding is also affordable and durable so we know that the siding will provide the protection needed throughout the lifetime of the home with minimal maintenance. Finally, the siding chosen for this project has a high recycled content, so fewer virgin materials were used to create the siding compared to other, cheaper options.