Home in NorthWest Crossing Receives Central Oregon Builder's Association Green Building Award

A NorthWest Crossing home received the prestigious Central Oregon Builder's Association (COBA) "Green Building Award" on Thursday as part of the 2004 Tour of Homes. The home, built by Craftsman Homes, was one of only two homes on this year's tour to claim this distinction. This is the first Green Building award to ever be given during the COBA Tour of Homes and is also one of the first awards of its kind to ever be awarded on a home tour.

"Many of our members are environmentally conscious and work to promote sustainable building practices," said Tim Knopp, executive vice president for COBA. "We wanted the Tour of Homes awards to align with these values, so we worked with the Central Oregon Green Building Council and Earth Advantage to develop this year's 'Green Building Award'. We are proud to recognize homes that are built with these standards in mind."

The award was granted based on a points system where homes in two price categories were rated on energy efficiency, efficient building design, resource efficiency, indoor air quality and environmental responsibility. The home, located within NorthWest Crossing on NW Shields, received more points than any other home within its price category.

The winning home is the first ENERGY STAR qualified single-family residence in Central Oregon and the first Earth Advantage platinum-level house for Craftsman Homes. The platinum-level certification marks a level of performance unprecedented in the Northwest and is designed to help the house perform significantly better than those that are built to standard building practices.

All homes within Northwest Crossing are currently required to be Earth Advantage-certified for energy efficiency, healthier indoor air and environmental responsibility. In addition, earning the ENERGY STAR label represents the fulfillment of strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ENERGY STAR is a government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.

When reviewed by Earth Advantage, the 1816 square foot Shields home tested at 51 percent more energy efficient than required by the Oregon building code In addition, the house contains many progressive earth-friendly features, including:

• Formaldehyde-free cabinets
  Formaldehyde-free insulation products
• Bamboo flooring, wool carpet and natural linoleum
• Indoor paints with no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
• High efficiency gas furnace and air conditioning
• Landscaping that includes water-saving techniques, such as soil amendment to prevent evaporation
• Sterling Whole House ventilation system, which facilitates indoor and outdoor air exchanges for healthier air quality
• Dow Chemical rigid foam insulation used during framing stage to create a more insulated home and lower heating and cooling costs
• Lighting package that uses more than 50% fluorescent lighting, using less energy and requiring replacement less often
• Kiln-dried framing package that helps avoid mold problems

NorthWest Crossing is a five-star founding member and Craftsman Homes, LLC is a one-star founding member of the Central Oregon Green Building Council.