Go Green NOLA

Interviews w/ Architects

Article Index Interviews w/ Architects Page 2 Page 1 of 2 Prisca Weems, Future Proof When I first started asking around about green architects in New Orleans, one name kept coming up: Prisca Weems and her firm, Future Proof. So, when I wanted to start an "Interviews with Architects" series, she seemed the perfect first interview. At her studio, we had a casual discussion about green building in New Orleans, the genius design of historic homes and how the city is moving towards a greener future. Lillian Lovich: Why should people go green in New Orleans? Prisca Weems: This region has specific climatic challenges. Building for the hot, humid zone requires a different approach to make sure that the house and occupants do not suffer the ill effects of moisture and mold problems. To us (at Future Proof) "green" means healthy, affordable and durable buildings that create a comfortable and productive environment. Durability touches on a number of important factors. Most importantly in our area it refers to using building materials that can withstand natural challenges such as high wind loads, water and termites, to name a few. Meeting these challenges has become easier with the influx of new building products that became available locally following Katrina. Designers and owners need a holistic understanding of building environment to insure that they are not encouraging moisture problems which are then going to degrade the structure or are going to encourage mold growth or termite inhabitation. And safety- when we look at green we look around at environments that make people feel safe and secure. Landscape including protection and shade provided by trees is also an important factor, as is energy efficiency. Not being able to afford running your home brings as much low level stress as the threat of hurricanes. None of these are unrelated- they all overlap and intertwine, but those are the three key words that we tend to use. LL: What makes green, sustainable design different than traditional design? PW: There are a number of layers to it. I think a lot of it is global citizenship, which is understanding the impact that you as an individual and as a family are having on your localized environment as well as a larger environment. Educating yourself and choosing the types of products that mitigate your own impact an be very liberating. Reducing your water use, not purchasing products out of industries that either have negative ecological footprint or that have high energy usage (embodied energy) in the production of the materials so large that it is not enough to offset their application are all components. It's also on the micro scale about building things into a lifestyle that support your philosophy of living. And that can be specific to trying to close your cycle - eating locally, supporting local manufacturers, supporting local initiatives and food producers and all of the rest of it. Taking a serious look at your lifestyle and trying to live within a scale that is comfortable to you but doesn't compromise your goals so that you're not using unnecessary resources but you're still comfortable. LL: In New Orleans, we have a definite shotgun architecture aesthetic and a lot of the green building is very angled and modern. Is there a way to combine those two different architectural styles? A way to take the history of building practices here and weave them into green building? One of Futureproof's projects PW: At the basis of green building is incorporating passive design features that are no or low-tech such as siting and shaping the house for natural ventilation or other solutions that bring good practice into the design to begin with. If you don't take the approach that you are working with the elements of the site as opposed to against them, and instead rely on multiple layers of mechanical and other types of technologies, then you are not taking control over your environment. For example, you can avoid heat gain by not creating too much exposure through shading strategies including trees, shutters, overhangs, etc. Katrina has given homeowners in this area an opportunity to look at the bones of their houses in order to understand how they work. In past generations the way people lived in our houses was seasonal, and they know how to use the high windows, porches, breezes for their comfort. This art of living has been lost to us. Our historic building stock is the greenest resource that we have because the energy that it takes to extract, transport and produce building material is already embedded in the house. Reworking an existing building, or reusing materials that are already on site is your greenest option. When you look at historic houses they incorporate excellent passive strategies that are all the rage in green building. Rainwater capture systems, high ceilings and transoms for natural ventilation, overhangs. The challenge for homeowners with historic houses, and I am one of them, is to understand and build on these features. The shotgun design was focused around allowing breezes to pass through the building in order to create a greater level of comfort for the inhabitants. You can take the same approach with a modern building. Incorporating green building features is usually the same as taking a common sense approach. It comes down to personal choice to whether it looks more or less invasive or modern. LL: Are there three things that a homeowner can do to make their home more energy efficient? PW: The number one thing is to do a survey of your house and find out where you're losing your conditioned air. So, if it's cracks, if it's windows that aren't seated correctly, if it's holes that were drilled for plumbing or other features that aren't being used or haven't been patched up, if you are running a leaky duct work system through an unconditioned attic space- all these things are major contributors to unnecessary energy usage in our houses. And they increase the cost of living. The purpose of green building practice is to implement common sense practice in a way that makes the houses are more affordable to run. The second thing is stopping the heat from coming in the house in the first place. You can do that with a radiant barrier in your attic or in your walls. Or doing what they called a conditioned attic by closing your attic and insulating just below the roof line, so that your duct work and everything is within a cooler space. You can significantly impact heat gain through overhangs, shutters and trees that are shading the outside of your building so you are not getting direct heat. The third one is a trade off between upgrading your mechanical equipment [but there's no point in doing that unless you are going to do the first two.] and thinking about the materials you are choosing to put in your house. Aesthetics are important, but anything that has to be replaced frequently or is contributing to asthma or other respiratory or health issues in the family needs to be rethought. Prev - Next >>