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Green Home Designs

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Green home designs are trending in the architecture and design industries. Many of these companies and firms find it difficult to keep up with the rising demand of their customers to provide greener solutions to home building and design. To offer green home designs, it is important to locate a company that has been offering this service to architects, property developers and construction teams and have the experience to provide structural designs that contribute to greener homes design. PSE Consulting Engineers, Inc. has been providing top quality, green structural design since 1995. On average, PSE completes structural designs on over 500 projects a year in 48 states. The firm has excellent experience in new building construction, as well as seismic rehabilitation of existing buildings. Some of the green home designs that PSE Consulting Engineers, Inc. provide include:
Light Gauge/Cold-Formed-Steel framing for Greener Structures

Steel is the most recycled material in North America. There is more steel recycled every year than aluminum, plastic and glass combined. Each year approximately 10 million vehicles are recycled. This is enough to circle the earth about 1 and 1/2 times! Each ton of recycled steel saves 1400 lbs. of coal and 2500 lbs. of iron ore, with 98% of mined ore used for making steel. In fact, there is enough steel recycled annually to power the city of Los Angeles for a decade. Using light gauge/cold formed steel for structures has a variety of benefits including:

  • Light gauge/cold formed steel framing is fire resistant
  • Light gauge/cold formed steel framing repels mold
  • Light gauge/cold formed steel framing Lower maintenance costs
  • Light gauge/cold formed steel framing has Higher resale value
  • Light gauge/cold formed steel framing doesn’t rot
  • Light gauge/cold formed steel framing doesn’t invite termites
  • Light gauge/cold formed steel framing not affected by temperature or humidity.

 

Light gauge/cold formed steel framing is one material that can be used to contribute to green home designs. There are other popular materials that can be considered. Bamboo has recently become very trendy and is used to make everything from homes to clothes.

The Benefits of Bamboo Structures

Bamboo homes can have the look of complete tranquility but it’s not just aesthetics that has made Bamboo so popular. Bamboo provides many benefits to the environment: Bamboo is actually a grass and the fastest growing renewable resource known. Bamboo produces greater biomass and 30% more oxygen than a hardwood forest of the same area. Bamboo absorbs 2/3 more carbon from the atmosphere than any other plant and in turn releases 2/3 more oxygen, producing super-oxygenated, pure air. Bamboo is flexible and evergreen. It bends but does not break. Bamboo’s stronger than steel and earthquake resistant. Bamboo can replenish itself very quickly and its growth and harvest have virtually no negative effects on the environment. The harvest time takes only 3-5 years versus 10-50 for wood. Using bamboo for a home has a beautiful result that the owner can feel good about. Choosing green home designs helps businesses and their clients improve the environment. If everyone took part in greener homes, whether it is by using non-toxic building materials, not destroying the natural wildlife around the building site and by using greener materials, the overall impact would be immense. PSE Consulting Engineers, Inc. provides a variety of green home designs.