Eco-friendly building material to be presented at conference

The one-room house made of green materials is a small model at the UTB-TSC ITEC Center, but the message it represents is much greater.

This Saturday the model, which was constructed in March, will educate architects and builders from the Rio Grande Valley and beyond in creating green homes — all part of the 2011 Building Communities Conference on South Padre Island.

The event is hosted by the Lower Rio Grande Valley American Institute of Architects.

On Thursday, the sample home was taken apart for its move to the Island. It’s been on display outside the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College’s Go-Green Assistance Center (GGAC) in the International Technology and Education Commerce Center.

The model allows people to see what they might do to retrofit their home for energy efficiency or build a green home, GGAC program director Ricardo González said.

“If they’re building a new home or retrofitting a home, or want to put in solar or wind, this place is the place to be to get that information — who to go to, how much it costs, what incentives are out there,” González said.

The GGAC and UTB-TSC architecture department partnered with the Community Development Corporation of Brownsville to create the model that shows what materials can be used to have a home that is green both inside and outside.

ExamplesAmong some of the model’s samples are panels inside that show different types of insulation. On the outside a small solar panel powers a light bulb, a flatscreen TV and a computer in the home. The siding of the home is cement fiberboard, which is more durable than traditional materials. There are also green roofing and paint samples on the model, too, González said.

Murad Abusalim, a UTB-TSC architecture professor, led the design studio class that created the model. He said his class ran concurrently with Professor Erick Diaz’s technology class, so students pursuing the school’s associate of science in architecture could see the structure through to its end.

“It is the future of architecture,” Abusalim said of going green. “This is where architects and designers are heading now to make buildings — sustainability in every aspect.”

He said through projects like this UTB-TSC students gain awareness and understanding about how to apply green building methods and materials to their professional projects in the future.

The students will serve as hosts at the conference Saturday and explain the materials used in the construction of the home.

New program

UTB is expanding its architecture department to a four-year program. As it ends its partnership with Texas Southmost College, the two-year associate degree architecture program will most likely need to be picked up by the community college.

Construction of homes using green materials and methods can be more expensive than that of traditional building, but the return on the investment is greater and it helps bring energy bills down, González said.

However, in retrofitting an existing home there can be cheaper fixes like installing energy-efficient light bulbs, installing a new water heater or caulking in certain areas, he said.

“Residents need to understand there’s a lot of things things they can do in their homes that make their homes more energy-efficient and at the same time help the environment,” González said.

Individuals can find out how to get an energy audit for their home and evaluate their water consump-tion at the GGAC so they can make an investment in going green that will deliver a return, he said.

New trend

“I see it as something that will catch on here. All these technologies, that’s where everything is going. It’s offering a higher quality product,” González said. “This is a movement. It takes time for it to peak. We’re going at a good pace.”

Eduardo Gutierrez, a 22-year-old UTB-TSC marketing student who works part time at the GGAC, said showing people how to reduce their carbon footprint in different ways, including home building, is a far-reaching benefit.

“The whole country was built on innovation,” he said. “Building houses like this could spark a boost in the economy and ultimately that would help the Valley in the long run if we start moving forward.”