Teach Your Parents Well
Imagine this: You’re a professional couple who, having just bought a condo in Manhattan, wonder whether to flip it or renovate it. You’re finally thawing from winter and your son, fresh from a school lesson about global warming, suggests you not use air-conditioning this summer. You try it; it’s not so bad. So you decide, with a limited budget and an architect found on craigslist.org, to renovate in an environmentally friendly way in the middle of New York City.
Sounds unlikely, but it’s a true story. In May 2005, Susan Bodnar and David Schatsky asked architects Normal Projects to green their prewar apartment and their contemporary lives. Encouraged by the enthusiasm of eight-year-old Ronen, whom Schatsky calls “a militant environmentalist,” and six-year-old Binah, they did the research that enabled them to go green without going into the red.
Architects Kari Anderson and Michael Chen began by looking for ways to minimize demolition and avoid waste, replacing damaged wood in the parquet floor, for instance, instead of scrapping the whole thing. By creating a corridor running the length of the apartment and a series of sliding doors that divides the space for privacy or opens it to the circulation of air and people, they amplified existing light and eliminated the need for air-conditioning. Potential finishes include carbonized bamboo and reclaimed hardwoods, recycled plastics (3form ecoresin), recycled paper (Richlite, paperboard, and wheatboard), and ceramic tile made by local, small-scale producers. Other products are being selected to foster a clean environment inside the apartment without hurting the one outside: Gaggenau’s ventless kitchen hood will filter cooking fumes, and a ductless condenser dryer by Miele will use minimal energy. “There is going to come a time,” Bodnar says, “when a lot of people will have to make little decisions like this.”
Little decisions made by a lot of people can change the world.
Comments
Be the first to comment.
Add a Comment
Related Articles, Products, and More
Articles
-
Creative Commons
Craving not just a home but a proper piece of architecture, a handful of design- and business-savvy Dutch families banded together, hired an architect, and set about forming the community that…
-
Tenancy-in-Common
You’ve heard it thousands of times on TV, the radio, and in junk mail—spurious ads delivered with forehead-vein-popping enthusiasm by robot-faced dudes in shoddy suits. Bad credit…
-
Waverly Lowell on Greenwood Common
Last week I posted about three new books from William Stout Publishers, one of which is Living Modern: A Biography of Greenwood Commons by Waverly B. Lowell.
Products
-
Green Cone System
If you wince every time you toss a banana peel into the trash and think, I really need to compost, let your guilt evaporate (or decompose). The Green Cone offers a simple, tidy alternative to the…
-
Fountainhead Integral Laminar Faucet
This ADA-compliant faucet, with its single-control joystick valve, has a solid brass construction. This piece is part of the Fountainhead Suite and comes equipped with installation hardware.
-
Splat Green Bamboo Modern Wall Clock
This is a green and graphic piece created by Minneapolis–based graphic designer Keith Moore of pilotdesign. It's constructed of bamboo laminate atop MDF (medium density fiberboard) with a shaped…
Dwell Collections
-
Building Green in Harlem
-
A Look at Kitchen Renovations
A collection of some of our favorite kitchen renovations from our archives.
Tips
-
Green Table Materials
Try to get something that can be flat-packed and made of reclaimed or FSC-certified wood. Take a look at the finishes used to be sure they don’t off-gas and contribute to indoor air quality…
-
Stick Around during a Renovation
I learned during our kitchen renovation that it really is a full-time job. If you want it done right and according to your vision, and not that of your contractor, be available. Make sure every…
-
How to Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint
My trick is to broaden the boring palette of traditional black and green to any color you choose for chalkboard paint. I have covered two walls in my studio to expand my idea surface when needed. …
Videos
-
Building Green in Harlem: A Green Brownstone?
In this video series, Dwell follows a New York couple with a passion for building green through the challenges—and triumphs—of renovation, from finding the design-build team to…
-
Building Green in Harlem: It's Not Easy Being Green
In this video series, Dwell follows a New York couple with a passion for building green through the challenges—and triumphs—of renovation, from finding the design-build team to finalizing the design.
-
Building Green in Harlem: Home Sweet Green Home
In this video series, Dwell follows a New York couple with a passion for building green through the challenges—and triumphs—of renovation, from finding the design-build team to finalizing the design.
Events
-
Opportunity Green
This coming Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8, Opportunity Green will be hitting Los Angeles for its third consecutive year. The two-day conference brings together entrepreneurs and innovators…
-
What Is Green Architecture? with Werner Sobek
The Goethe-Institut New York presents What Is Green Architecture?, a series of conversations, lectures, and events exploring the cutting-edge developments in the field and their impact on…
-
West Coast Green Conference
Join 14,000 thought leaders to reinvent business, make connections, and create positive change. Includes education and networking sessions, a green building expo and presentations by noted green…
-
