Foundations of Green Remodeling

This unit introduces core principles of sustainable residential design and remodeling, including life‑cycle thinking, material and system options, site orientation, and the roles of project team members. Students will assess health, environmental, performance, and cost tradeoffs to create a preliminary green remodel plan that prepares them for more detailed design and construction units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze key principles of green building and life‑cycle (cradle-to-cradle) thinking and apply them to justify whether a remodel is appropriate for a given residential case study
• Evaluate and compare conventional and alternative building materials and finishes (e.g., wood framing, straw bale, SIPs, engineered lumber, adobe, recycled-content surfaces) for environmental impact, indoor-health hazards, performance, and lifecycle cost
• Apply basic site placement, solar orientation, mechanical-system, and water-conservation strategies to reduce predicted energy and water use for a sample home
• Develop a preliminary green remodel plan that identifies required team members, prioritized sustainability goals, lifecycle cost considerations, and a sourcing strategy for green materials and professionals