Projects

Modular Home Earns a LEED for Homes Platinum Rating

By Allyson Wendt and Russell Fortmeyer

A sleekly modern, modular house is among the first projects to earn a Platinum rating under the U.S. Green Building Council’s pilot LEED for Homes certification program.

The house, a prototype of the first line of modular houses from LivingHomes, was designed by Ray Kappe, FAIA, and developed by Steve Glenn. The rating was formalized in August.

The 2,500 square foot prototype, assembled from 11 steel-framed modules, features a 2.4 kW photovoltaic system, solar water heating, and a graywater irrigation system. Natural ventilation provides cooling from Santa Monica’s mild oceanside climate, while large walls of low-emissivity windows offer daylighting and views while minimizing solar gain. The house makes use of radiant floor heating, which is a common design solution for contemporary houses in Los Angeles. Adjustable walls and modular millwork allow occupants to renovate the space to meet their needs, according to LivingHomes, and the steel structure is designed to facilitate additional modules.

Glenn started the project after recognizing consumers had few options when it came to sustainable living that also incorporated a high-design aesthetic. “When I started looking into the opportunities, I quickly concluded there were a lot of people like me who cared a lot about design and the environment, but who currently don’t have the time or money or stress tolerance to do custom,” Glenn says. “My values are things that have great form and functionality and are built in a way that is healthy and minimizes the ecological footprint.”

Although LivingHomes is currently offering only semi-custom houses, the company plans to unveil standard plans in the fall of 2006 and is also working on a second line of houses, designed by David Hertz, AIA. Founder and CEO Steve Glenn said the company has no plans to manufacture the houses, but has relationships with modular manufacturers in Southern California and is exploring the possibility of expansion to other parts of the country. As manufacturing expands, Glenn hopes the cost of the houses will come down from the current average of $250 per square foot, not including the costs of site work or transportation.

Asked how the company’s designs for its breezy, open houses would adjust to colder climates, Glenn replied, “Less glass.” Elaborating, Glenn said the houses could be manufactured to meet the needs of specific climates, with added insulation around the steel frame to minimize thermal bridging, for example.

Regardless of location, each house produced by the company is designed to achieve at least a LEED for Homes Silver rating, with higher ratings dependent on customer choices. “We believe in the logic of the LEED system,” Glenn said of the rating system’s flexibility, which allows homeowners to choose which points they will pursue. In the LEED system, houses over 2,400 square feet, for example, lose points as they increase in size but can gain points by having onsite renewable energy or other optional systems. The prototype, which earned 91 out of a possible 109 points, performed well in the areas of location, site work, water conservation, and energy efficiency. Many of the systems that support these points, such as the photovoltaic array, will be optional in the coming line of houses. Glenn says the company encourages homeowners to pursue the highest LEED rating but does not require them to do so.

In one area, LivingHomes goes beyond the bounds of LEED for Homes: the company plans to purchase carbon offsets for the manufacture, installation, and first year of life for each house it sells. According to Glenn, details for the program are still being ironed out. It remains to be seen how close the company can get to Glenn’s stated goal of “zero energy, zero water, zero waste, zero carbon, zero emissions.”