You can see the GreenSteel Homes story from Metal Architecture Magazine,
“Green, Safe and Reasonable” by Ben Brown, by metal-architecture.pdf

GreenSteel Homes gratefully acknowledges компютриMetal Architecture Magazine for their permission to reprintDe nos jours, le progrès incroyable des innovations électroniques et des languages à programation facilite d’un grand degré la distribution des sites de jeux de poker game sur Internet. this article.

Who wants a flooded home, with a roof to repair and damages to fix?

Not many, finds a new survey by Harris Interactive.

People are waking up to realize not just the environmental advantages of using steel for their homes but also the advantages to the economy and their wallets.

The survey, conducted by the global research firm Harris Interactive, also found that 42 percent of consumers say that steel is the roofing material they would prefer if living in an area that could be affected by hurricanes. These findings indicate that consumers recognize the important role that steel plays in protecting their homes and families.- Modern Trade

photo courtesy of Tallahassee Magazine

 Recently, Tallahassee Magazine came out to the very first GreenSteel Home located in Tallahassee, Florida at the K2 Urban Corp Site, Evening Rose.

To say the least, we were very excited when they pulled out all the stops and wrote a multi-page article complete with glossy photos!

Our thanks go out to the staff there and we wish them a successful 2008!

But now , an excerpt of their fine article

Standing Steel

GreenSteel Homes and K2 Urbancorp Lay the Foundation for a New Housing Phenomenon in Tallahassee

By Ashley Kahn 

Cheaper, stronger, faster, greener – it’s a house that defies all notions of conventional modular homes and could revolutionize the housing and construction industry.

Loaded onto trucks and shipped directly to the heart of K2’s Evening Rose neighborhood off Capital Circle Northeast, the brand new model, named the Katrina Cottage, took little more than a month to build. An award-winning architect designed it, the U.S. Green Building Council will certify it, and GreenSteel Homes ordered it from parent company Hexaport’s factory more than 3,300 miles away.

Yet no one ever would know that the 1,100-square-foot home was manufactured off site through an intricate conveyer system of patented steel-forming procedures. It is as skillfully crafted as a custom-built home, from its charming exterior accents to its fine interior finishes.

No mobile home, the Katrina Cottage features granite countertops and gleaming hardwood floors. It is hurricane-rated, environmentally sound and resistant to mildew and mold. With wiring and plumbing installed on the assembly line, it needs only to be hooked up to the electrical grid and water system upon delivery.

All this, and it costs an average of just $100 per square foot to build.

From Prefab to Fabulous
According to Lawton “Bud” Chiles, chief executive officer of GreenSteel Homes, steel has been used in commercial construction for decades, only gradually crossing over into residential applications.

“Wood has been traditional, with the exception of commercial buildings,” Chiles said. “I think more of that utilization has been on the commercial side because of issues with building fortified buildings and stronger buildings with multiple floors.”

The aim of GreenSteel Homes is to bring system-built, steel-framed houses to “the working man,” with a vested interest in those who live in coastal regions. Dave Wamsley, chief executive officer of K2, asserts that the product and the process are entirely innovative.

“What is very, very new is the concept of using light-gauge steel to build a complete, system-built home in a factory setting,” he said. “As far as we know, it’s not been done.”

GreenSteel Homes was born of a collaboration between Chiles, business partner Tony Attalla and architect Bruce Tolar. After Hurricane Katrina, all three men saw a need for fortified housing suitable for building in coastal areas. With a common vision to guide their efforts, Chiles, Attalla and Tolar have developed a product they hope will fill that need.

Tolar’s Mississippi-based firm, Tolar LeBatard Denmark Architects, had a hand in designing the acclaimed Katrina Cottage floor plans, which were intended to provide a permanent housing solution for storm victims. Tolar now is the town architect for Evening Rose.

Wamsley recalls the day Chiles met Tolar in the K2 offices more than a year ago.

“Bud was on a mission to create GreenSteel Homes, and Bruce was one of the original designers of the Katrina Cottage Collection,” Wamsley said.

Chiles knew right away the designs would be an asset to his company.

“The big issue that has always hurt the modular, system-built industry is that the design was always lacking,” he said.

“If they look like trailers, they will always be trailers … If they look like homes designed by architects that are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees for custom homes, that’s a whole ’nother deal.”

Chiles likens GreenSteel’s version of the Katrina Cottage to Apple’s adaptation of the MP3 player.

“It’s kind of like what the iPod did with its good design, good interface and mass adoption,” Chiles said. “The GreenSteel Katrina Cottage has that first, really well-designed complete package that I think is going to be pretty quickly adopted.”

 To read the rest of the article, visit Tallahassee Magazine on the web here

or grab the PDF here 

It seems the tide is truly turning…

It’s funny when you start thinking about green electronics such as printers, tv’s, iPhones, PC’s or Macs.

A survey of 5,000 American adults conducted by Forrester Research found that 12% are ready to dish out extra dollars for computers and TVs that use less energy or come from an environmentally friendly company.- L.A Times

Why is this huge news?

The Power of Percents
Because 12% is a huge chunk of the American population that is not only thinking about going green but is willing to act on that notion as well. Not just greening their houses, but greening gadgets and toys as well.

The financial and economic benefits of going green in every way shape and form far outweigh the costs we would pay if we continue to overuse our resources.

An article from the L.A Times suggests that companies that have green initiatives such as Apple, Toshiba, and HP do more to educate their customers to this fact.

I agree wholeheartedly.

Your thoughts?

Homeowners are literally crawling all over themselves in the effort to not only save the world, but save their wallets at the same time.

Ecohomeguy reports on a new McGraw-Hill Company study that found the following data:

• The market for true green homes is expected to rise from $2 billion to up to $20 billion over the next five years.
• Standard homes are becoming increasingly green, with homeowners using green products for 40% of their remodeling work.
• Most Americans find out about green homes through word-of-mouth, followed by television and the Internet.
• Homeowners are buying green homes because they are concerned about the health of their families, as well as to reduce energy and other home operating costs.

Interestingly enough, lack of awareness is still the biggest obstacle in homeowners going green. But, not enough to stop $20 billion dollars.

For immediate release

MARATHON, FL – Design and construction innovations born in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina are coming to the Keys.

GreenSteel Comes To Paradise
In the redevelopment of his Coconut Cay Resort & Marina, owner Jim Rhyne is joining with modular housing manufacturer GreenSteel Homes to introduce a new kind of building to the Keys. It’s one of the latest in a rapidly evolving series of designs known as Katrina Cottages. The Katrina Cottages’ key attributes: Storm-ready safety, appealing looks, energy-efficient performance, and affordability.

Rhyne says the time is right: “We have enjoyed a good measure of success due mostly to our friendly staff and desire to please our guests. But time has finally caught up with some of our structures. It’s our hope that by involving GreenSteel and its talented team of architects and engineers in our redevelopment, we will be able to maintain a bit of the old flavor while we bring a whole new level of storm-worthiness and environmental responsibility to construction here.”

Katrina Cottages are the products of a team of designers chosen to help Mississippi and Louisiana “build back better than ever” following the devastation of the 2005 storms.

Surviving the Hurricane Zone
Taking advantage of the latest in construction materials and raising design standards to the level of custom homes, the team developed a series of affordable dwellings able to survive in the hurricane zone and yet feel as if they belonged in even the best coastal neighborhoods. Ocean Springs, Mississippi architect Bruce Tolar was on that original Katrina Cottage team and has developed a set of variations on the approach adaptable to cost and energy-efficient modular construction.

The new Coconut Cay hotel, designed by Tolar and produced by GreenSteel Homes, is among the first multi-family structures in the Katrina Cottage tradition.

Hurricane Testing Ground
“We can’t think of a better place to introduce this approach than the Keys,” says Bud Chiles, CEO of GreenSteel Homes. “This is the country’s prime testing ground for hurricane-ready construction. Everything built here simply must perform. This is where the need is, and it’s where the opportunity lies.”

Setting A New Standard
Combining modular steel construction with the state-of-the-art design allows for maximum energy efficiency and minimum waste. GreenSteel Homes expects the new Coconut Cay structure to qualify for LEED certification for environmental responsibility. “We can set a new standard,” says Chiles.

For more information, contact: LawtonChiles@greensteelhomes.com; 850-697-2040.

P.S. Read the article on Coconut Kay Resort and Marina & Green Steel

The Green Steel Home factory is rapidly being built.

More will follow as I can upload them.

Enjoy!

“We always had the best intentions.  We’d save the plastic bags and try to remember to take them with us the next time we went shopping.  We never did.  Or we’d try to find ways to reuse the paper bags, but they always end up being used to tote more paper and plastic to the garbage can and then ultimately on to the landfill”- EcoHomeGuy

That is from a hilarious post over at EcoHomeGuy and his article on reusable bags.

Good Intentions Don’t Equal Change

I guess we always have good intentions like getting new compact light bulbs or changing our appliances to Energy Star- but by doing something of this magnitude like GSH, we are forced to actually follow up on those good intentions!

As a society we have to put resources and plans into place that will force us to go green, to save more energy, to reuse our resources. Green Steel Homes, I think, is a step in the right direction- a direction of change.

“To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven” - The Byrds

It seems like the Byrds had it right along. Their 12 string guitars were really chiming off of wind turbine power.

Wind Power! 

Ok, no, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have wind turbine power! Just like the folks over a Renewable Energy Access have a good point.
Even though costs are rising, the world seems to want more wind turbines, more renewable, sustainable energy.

Tax Cuts Make Wind Energy Popular

In their article, they explain that in the last couple of years, 2004-2005, wind turbine development and other projects grew rapidly in size and scales- mainly because of tax benefits.

Cleaner Air, Better Economies

All in all, over at GSH, we are excited about this new energy. It seems the sooner people realize the economic benefits to a society, the sooner people can take advantage of lower utility bills and cleaner air.

Lois Swoboda over at The Emerald Coast, which covers Carrabelle and Apalachicola, wrote a great piece on GreensteelHomes and the positive impact it’s going to have on Franklin County.

The cottages are environmentally friendly and are constructed almost entirely from recyclable materials. No toxins, wood or glue are used in their construction. The houses are steel framed with foam cement insulation and a cement board roof. They can withstand 150-mph winds and are fire, mold and mildew proof.

As you might be able to tell, Greensteel Homes is really excited about all the buzz surrounding green, sustainable living in the press.

Florida Ain’t The Only One Going Green

• We feel that using materials like steel instead of energy–burning wood materials will provide Florida with the future of home–building and design, and we are glad to be along for the ride.

Even those across the pond in England are recognizing the power of sustainability, both for the environment and for the economy.

Cheers,

Lawton