Green Inititiatives in Town of Islip

Who says our nation can't go green? Not Town of Islip's Councilwoman Trish Bergin Weighbrodt nor Councilman John Edwards, who are announcing a forward-thinking initiative today encouraging homeowners, builders, and architects/to meet new Home Energy Rating System (HERS) standards when building new projects in the Town of Islip. By setting incremental and reasonable guidelines, especially in an area where energy costs are the highest in the nation, it could serve as a potential model for other towns and counties in NY state. The announcement will take place today at Bouler Architecture's Oak Beach project, a zero-energy home that not only received the highest HERS rating on Long Island, it generates more energy than it uses. With its use of photovoltaic panels, a geo-thermal system, insulation, and high-efficiency windows, the home is both energy efficient and comfortable. Bouler Architecture's Nick Pfluger, client Jill Kornman, and builder Ron LaBarbera, of LaBarbera Construction, will meet with Councilwoman Bergin Weichbrodt and Councilman Edwards to celebrate the initiative.
It is especially noteworthy to me that this initiative is a bi-partisan collaboration which was approved unanimously by the Town Board. Now isn't it about time that government on the state and federal level work together for forward-thinking, environmentally responsible initiatives? I'm not usually a one-issue type of voter-- I'm more of a big picture, overall governing philosophy kind of person, but I think it is perfectly valid to look at a candidates perspective on environmental issues as a barometer both literally and figuratively in terms of their investment in our nation's future.

The Virtual and the Real

On the way out to Robert Moses on Fire Island, you pass a sweet little island called Captree, home to a state park and a small residential community. Bouler Design Group was commissioned to design a cluster of three houses on the island. What had once been a modest family compound, the new structures were designed to reflect the individual tastes and the needs of each homeowner while still relating to the others as a whole. The computer generated images give a sense of the forms and their connection to the site, which is seen below.

Oak Beach Update

With spring in the air, James and I decided to head out to Fire Island to check on the Oak Beach project. We were energized to see the progress, especially the installation of the arched windows on the west elevation. We also loved the welded steel tube column support for the staircase which had an already weathered patina on the steel. We tossed around the idea of an interior vertical garden with the client to soften the interior space, who is already invesitgating air plants from the west coast. What's that saying about great minds...?

Off The Grid

Life on Long Island can be busy, congested, expensive, and rather strip-mall ugly. The trade off? Fire Island. A beautiful stretch of beach with its own varied eco-system, it's hard to imagine a place where one can live so connected to the natural environment. The complexity of building on a barrier island, which changes literally with the tide, coupled with green technology and a forward thinking design produced this project currently under construction in a small beach community just off Ocean Parkway. Its ocean views offer amazing sunlight, but also pose issues for material wear. Wind and salt water can be a challenge to traditional materials, so every inch of this building had to be considered in several different ways. Once completed, the building will feature a geo-thermal system and photo-voltaic panels to provide most of the power for the moderately sized residential structure. This is a project that is also a testament to a collaborative process-- which includes having a client who wants better design and better materials, and a builder who supports that vision.