Introducing Lisa Pickert

We've added a new associate to our team. Lisa Pickert will be hosting our open houses as well as providing education about what we do and why we do it. She comes from a background of sustainable building practices and materials. Hit her with your toughest questions and I'm sure you'll find her expertise impressive.

Lisa will also be contributing to our blog on a regular basis. Below is Lisa's first post of what will be an ongoing series.

It's all about the "green", but what exactly is "green" building anyway?

Many years ago, my soft heart and worried mind gave me a sense of urgency about how to protect the environment when building. I've studied "green" building for a number of years now and it is complex. So here it is in a nutshell.

Green Building encourages a "whole-systems" approach, through design and building techniques, to minimize environmental impact and reduce the energy consumption of buildings while contributing to the health of its occupants. It evaluates the impact of construction, the impact of the building's use for its entire lifespan and the impact of its disposal at the end of its lifespan.

I told you it was complex!

So just what is a "whole system" approach? It is the premise that a building is more than the sum of its parts. Only by understanding how each part of a house functions in relation to the other parts can you understand how to build the highest quality house. At Miranda, this means engineering every aspect of the building process and making important decisions about the products that go into it.

How can builders minimize their environmental impact? At Miranda, one example of how we minimize impact is by forming 100% recycled steel studs in our plant to the exact measurements needed. The only waste created is from the punched holes for electrical and plumbing service. The small amount of waste we do create is sorted and recycled. At the end of its lifespan the steel we use is 100% recyclable as well.

Reducing the energy consumption of the final product is another huge driver at Miranda. By using our processes and products like insulated concrete forms, spray foam insulation and energy saving windows we are able to cut the home-owner’s energy use by an estimated 40%.

So, now that you know what Green Building is, you should know this: I think Green Building is important. That's why I've joined Miranda Homes.

Lisa Pickert - Miranda Homes