1. 3 hello, helio! 5 green on the inside Family
Heliodon Green Materials
THe Guide
Ever notice that in winter the sun is lower in the sky? That low angle can help heat and power
houses! In the northern hemisphere (the Earth’s top half, where the U.S. is located), heat from
low winter sunlight streams through south-facing windows. In summer, when the sun is higher
There are all kinds of amazing natural and recycled materials that
you can use for the floors, walls, counters, and ceilings in your home. green House
NEW DIRECTIONS IN SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
overhead, roof overhangs and trees block the sun’s heat. All year round, up on the roof, south-
CHECK OUT
May 20, 2006 – June 3, 2007
facing solar panels catch the sun’s power. Make a list of materials
how the different
TRY it!
In the southern hemisphere, windows and roofs must face north to catch the sun’s light. Can you in your home that are
figure out why? surfaces FEEL as AT and aren’t GREEN. Welcome to THE GREEN HOUSE, where you can
well as look.
The sun’s energy – SOLAR POWER – is a RENEWABLE power source – it won’t run out for bil- home Talk to your parents
about using some of the GREEN materials you saw
learn how to turn your house GREEN.
lions of years, and using it doesn’t create pollution. Gas, coal and other FOSSIL FUELS will run LOOK AT how very different
materials go together to create a today for a healthier home and planet. GREEN describes anyone or anything that helps to conserve the
out, and they create pollution when burned for fuel. Solar power is a SUSTAINABLE choice for
“Helio comes beautiful and GREEN home. Remember, GREEN materials: Earth’s resources. Conserving resources means protecting things
heat and power.
from ancient I are produced without harming the environment like land, water, oil, and trees.
I come from nearby
IMAGINE what materials and
WATCH how the sun hits your home Greek – it
Can’t picture why south-facing houses get the most out colors you’d pick if you were an
I don’t harm people or animals living inside the house
Green houses are designed to be sustainable. That means the resources used to
of the sun? MOVE the heliodon handle and watch where at different times of the year. means SUN.”
I can be recycled and might be made from recycled or used materials
architect designing a home. build them and run them won’t be damaged forever – or disappear forever.
sunlight hits the house at different times Could you add or remove
I help reduce energy use Start your visit in the Glidehouse™ and don’t be polite – poke in, around, and
of the year. window shades to keep
TRY it! See how south-facing walls get full sun in AT
your home warmer in through the Glidehouse™ to see why it’s GREEN!
winter and easily block sun in summer. winter or cooler in
home summer?
MEET the architect who designed
6 green videos 3 2 4 5 6
home
green home sweet Green Houses Glidehouse™.
the Glidehouse™, and get a tour
of her very own Heliodon Green Green Green Video
4 want to design just beautiful hom
es… They want to design GREEN
A super green
choice is to use
materials that
SEE how nature’s beauty is one of
Earth’s most important natural reso
Do a GREEN CHECK of YOUR
urces.
Ideas Houses Materials
EXIT
Nowadays, many architects don’t come from your to save energy and water.
HOME. Use this check list to find
ways
be nosey and get away with it
and beautiful homes!
The treasure in the
roofs, walls, window
se homes isn’t secret treasure – it’s
GREEN TREASU RE HUNT!
s, floors, and gardens of the green
the valuable GREEN features you
houses shown in this gallery. Get
can find in the
ready for a
local area so that
energy isn’t wasted
bringing materials
AT
home
I any energy (air, wind) leak
I anyone throwing out thin
I any water leaks from fau
s around windows, doors, chimney
gs that can be recycled?
cets and toilets?
flues?
1 1 Glidehouse™
t – This house looks NOTHING like
the area around it. I thermostat a degree too Glidehouse™
FIN D a house made out of old things. Hin
from far away.
summer?
high in winter or a degree too low
in
PEEK rs tode the Glidehouse’s™
insi UNCOVER
to use old things? of everything
THINK ABOUT IT Why is it GREEN see
walls and floo
the REAL cost
– This house has a bright red outer
wall. from toilets to refrigerators
FIN D a house with a “dry” garden. Hint how they’re green from
THINK ABOUT IT Why is a “dry” gard
en a GREEN choice for this house
but not for a
Once you start living green, help your friends and ENTER the inside out! TRY it! on the BRIGHT GREEN TAGS.
house built in the woods? neighbors go green too! Show them simple ways to Supporters
ide-down. Hint – This house is des
igned to I
FIN D a house with a roof that looks ups conserve natural resources and make sustainable I
The American Institute of Architects
National Association of Home Builders
R
DISCOVEhow much TURNbyON
blend into the desert. I Smith & Fong Plyboo®
ation
in the TV’s anim
comfy on hot choices every day. the lights just
med-earth” walls keep the house I U.S. Green Building Council energy people all over the world
THINK ABOUT IT How do its “ram walking into the
desert days and cold desert nights? use – and find out who’s the bathroom!
Contributors world’s biggest energy hog!
NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM Lead Sponsors I 3form, Inc.
FIN D the Walla Womba I saw in the Glidehouse™?
AT Can you bring home any ideas you
Off-the-grid build- 401 F Street, NW Andersen Corporation
I
ings don’t need Guest House. What fea- AT Washington, DC 20001 Brighton Cabinetry, Inc.
home You can start by replacing one ligh
t bulb with
power, water, or TRY it! tures keep this house home Using pencil and paper,
202.272.2448 / www.NBM.org I
I
Hardwood Manufacturers Association
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC a compact fluorescent light bulb… It lasts 10
energy! The Glidehouse™ lets
sewer lines – they
generate power,
collect water
“off-the-grid”?
CHO OSE TH E WEATH ER around
the Walla Womba Guest House
r
design a GREEN HOME for your env
ronment – city or suburb, mountain,
desert or seaside. Draw pictures of
i-
the
side and from above.
Presenting Sponsor
Major Sponsors
THE
NATHAN
CUMMINGS
FOUNDATION
I
I
I
MBCI
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
I The Tower Companies
2 gimme five Green Ideas
times longer and saves 66% more
in lots of air and
light in all the right
places – and less
and treat waste model. See how changing weathe house from each
in the
All five of the BIG GREEN IDEAS are at work in the Glidehouse™. Check out the BIG energy is needed to
affects the amount of power and Include the right trees and plants Patrons Art and Education Direction: Paisley Gregg IDEA explanations in this gallery. Then flip open this guide and match each GREEN
on their own! build and power
water you can gather – and use! right places.
FIBER OPTIC & LED TECHNOLOGIES
& Lisa Grossman, Tangent Pictures part of the house to the BIG IDEA that makes it GREEN.
Graphic Design: Amanda Kavanagh, Ark Design small houses. That’s
Illustration: Josh Neufeld GREEN THINKING!
Thanks to: Evelyn Polesny
© National Building Museum 2006 © National Building Museum 2006 © National Building Museum 2006

2. C Use insulation to keep heated or
air-conditioned air from escaping D Outside, solar panels collect the
sun’s energy, turning it into Make Your Home GREEN
B Plant evergreens on your
home’s north side to block
cold north winds during winter
through your home’s walls and roof. electricity. Inside, electricity from
solar energy powers everything from
refrigerators to video games.
This house might look ordinary – but it’s so GREEN, it’s
extraordinary!
A Don’t flush it away!
Water-efficient
faucets and low-flow toi-
and create shade during summer.
The left side shows how this house stays green in the
summer; the right side shows how it stays green all winter.
lets really save water. If Match each Big Idea below to one or more of the GREEN
every toilet in the U.S. were features highlighted in this drawing. (Hint: Some GREEN
a low-flow model, we’d
save almost 2 TRILLION
features match more than one Big Idea.) Write the letters of
gallons of water a year. your answers next to the matching Big Idea, then check the
answer key below to see if you're thinking GREEN!"
Big Ideas
J Use native plants in your
garden. Plants that grow
naturally in your area won’t
need a lot of chemicals or
E Leafy trees planted
on the south and west
sides of the house keep
1 Use the sun’s energy as much as
possible for a home’s heat and power.
2
extra water. They’ll also hot summer sun off the
attract wildlife to your yard. building. That means less
air-conditioning! Leaves Make sure the air inside a
fall in cold weather, letting
home is healthy and clean.
the sun’s heat back in.
I Heavy materials like con-
crete, brick and earth
absorb heat, keeping your
3
home comfortable in sum-
mer. In winter, these same Use the land on which a home is
materials store the heat from built for the most comfort with
the sun and release it at the smallest resource use.
night, helping to keep your
home warm.
H Avoid packaged
items and recycle any
packaging you do use.
Recycled materials, such as
F Smaller homes,
including apart-
ments and townhouses,
use fewer of the Earth’s
resources – both to build
4 Build homes that stay cozy and
dry without wasting energy.
5
rubber, aluminum and glass, and run.
can be used to make every- Be smart about using as few of the
Earth’s resources as you can – and
thing from countertops to
pavers for your driveway. G Ovens, stoves, heating units,
and other materials – even
kitchen cabinet doors – can release
in the least damaging way.
unhealthy gases. Use vents to pull
fresh air into your home and to push
5 – A, H, J 4–C 3 – B, E, F, J 2–G 1 – B, D, E, I
unhealthy air out.
ANSWER KEY
© National Building Museum 2006 © National Building Museum 2006 © National Building Museum 2006