Foundations of Green Remodeling

This unit introduces core principles of sustainable building and remodeling, including life-cycle thinking, material systems, site placement, and basic energy and water conservation strategies. Students will survey alternative structural and finish options, identify common health and safety hazards, and learn how to assemble a project team and cost-aware priorities to prepare for detailed design and implementation in later units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze life-cycle and cradle-to-cradle principles for common building materials (including traditional lumber, engineered lumber, SIPs, straw bale, and adobe) by comparing embodied energy, durability, maintenance, and end-of-life options in a written report.
• Evaluate structural and finish system options for residential remodeling by assessing safety risks, thermal performance, indoor air quality impacts, and suitability for local conditions and justify recommended selections.
• Apply green site planning and passive-design strategies by producing a site placement and solar-orientation sketch and estimating the relative energy or water savings from at least two selected conservation measures.
• Identify the roles of key project stakeholders, locate appropriate green building professionals and materials, and develop a prioritized, cost-aware remodel plan that includes a lifecycle cost comparison and at least three supplier or professional contacts.