Robert Balch; Owner, Chief Designer Background R. Balch:
10 years later I am still working on my thesis, which was simply stated as: "Changing the Language of Affordable Housing: A Market Based approach." After school, thesis still incomplete, I went on to re-establish my design business specializing in housing and the issues around affordablility, until 2006, at which point I realized that building Green was the solution to the problem of affordability. The green building process added explicit value to a house without a cost increase, while simultaneously increasing the low income clients expendable income. This facilitated a higher quality of life. This last facet of the Green Building benefit seemed most important as the lower income sector of this country have been, throughout history, the underserved sector, yet they are maybe one of the largest and most needed sectors of society in America – being its work force. The impact of additional income helps, hot only make homeownership more accessible, but facilitates a higher quality of life for the families of these homes. The thought occurred to me that this was an essential component for blurring the line, and the appearance of being the least desirable (and therefore alienated) sector of society (simply as implied by their name – "Low Income"). The additional funds available to spend - resulting from a Green home's efficiency - meant a lifestyle change for these families - a good meal out, tickets to the theater,… or whatever, but nonetheless, it would help lessen the feeling on non-participation and dependence on social programs which have historically distanced the lower income sector from the rest of society - exclusion within America's hierarchy . This thought process lead to the opening of The Green Home Store, in 2006, which allowed me to continue building design, but now with the emphasis on Sustainability. It gave me the resources to introduce the building industry and general public to Sustainable (Green) building products and methods in such a way that helped the builder and homeowner: 1) Understand the importance and financial value of Green building and, 2) Educate the builders and the general public as to the realities of this value from the perspectives of Health, Longevity and Strength of a Green Home – all which benefit the homeowner, the regional infrastructure as well as the global environment. This triad of benefits is what distinguishes the change in the building language from the conventional methods which have been applied for literally centuries. – Harkin back to my Thesis Statement now 10 years old-
Sustainable systems utilization is a holistic approach to building which is the basis of new building technologies found in the rising Green industry. FSEC (The Florida Solar Energy Center) refers to this methodology as The "Integrated Systems Approach", which examines the entire process of building as each element effects the other elements within the building. This is scientific methodology which can be numerically rated and has given rise to movements such as the Energy Star program. This has become the basis by which we can quantify a building's energy and health efficiency, and do things like reduce or even eliminate a power bill, or help current and older homes be more energy efficient and healthier to live in. Many things are resultant from this study, for instance: increased worker productivity, decreased sick days, all which lead to better economic development and the overall health of our nation. This is significant when the American Medical Association and the American Lung Association rates indoor air quality, in the top five health problems in the United States. The Green movement also examines things such as "The Chain of Custody" which is the basis of certifying wood products through the FSC or Forestry Stewardship Certification program. This program looks beyond the end result being healthy (No VOC's) but, as important, looks back through the many hands a wood product must go through before entering the market. FSC examines the process all the way back to the harvesting of the tree and the workers who do that work– for instance: are they insured?, are they required to wear the proper safety equipment?, does the manufacturer have proper health and safety programs in place?… and so on. This type of examination exemplifies the holistic approach and the overall impact of a product from cradle to cradle. It challenges the notion of planned obsolescence as this philosophy has earned the negative connotation it deserves. It is not a sustainable paradigm, which is what is needed of we are to move past the need for more and more primary resources. Planned obsolescence as a basis of production, become so ingrained in us, has lead to numerous questions about the world around us and its ability to sustain our constant need for more. These questions have been addressed as far back as the 30's through farsighted designers such as Buckminster Fuller, who imagined entire cites being covered in glass domes to protect us from our own waste byproducts, and books from visionaries of 60's such as Future Shock, The Population Bomb and Silent Spring, who saw the demise of the era of expansionism and consumerism from multiple perspectives which needed, and still need, to be addressed.
Our focus is global not just local. We can ship anywhere in the world, and it is the worlds problems that we are looking to help solve. No matter which side of the aisle you reside on or what country you look at, solutions to the problems at hand must have Sustainability at their core. This is a Renaissance. This is the beginning of a new age. The Green Home Store is here to be part of this transition. We are here to stay. Hope this helps with some background. There's so much more to say, I simply must stop. |
|
Bob Balch
|
I went on to become a Carpentry Contractor, apprenticing under Foster Thorpe, who is a Master Carpenter and had a degree in Architecture, as myself, from Univ. of Fla. He taught me the essence of rough and fine carpentry combined with a design sensibility which I was to later take into my own Design Build business for over 15 years. In 2000 at the age of 40, I went back to University of Florida to complete my graduate work in Architecture with a minor in Urban Planning - focusing on affordable (low income) housing issues.
The fall of the housing market in 2007, has presented unique challenges, staying in business not the least of these, but in reality, it has precipitated the perfect time to begin a discussion on how things work (in this case buildings), why the conventional language of building has and continues to fail us as a nation, and what can be done to begin rethinking the language of building. This period has given me the opportunity to show how Green Building can, not only be more efficient, stronger, and have a much more substantial and easier maintained life, but have a greater purpose, which serves not only the homeowner through lower utility bills via energy conservation, and better health through cleaner drinking water and purer air, it also gave me the opportunity to show how this process benefits the regional and municipal infrastructure through impact reduction which ultimately lightens the load on the environmental systems. This synergistic impact of Green Building is the core of its significance. It is the reason Building Sustainably or "Green" is inevitable. The challenge has been public understanding of its significance from cost benefit to environmental balance. That said, the change is here to stay. We as the general public, the building industry and municipal and regional facilities must embrace the paradigm of Sustainability, through which, we can literally evolve.
It is these thoughts which have driven me to open The Green Home Store. I wish for my reach to extend outward like a stones ripple in a pond. My projects include local initiatives such as providing housing products for county affordable housing, to prototype development of emergency management solutions such as a $1,000 housing solution, sanitation and safety products. I am also involved in developing pilot projects which will help our county move forward in their sustainability goals such as an Electric car parking pilot, addressing transportation and parking issues from a sustainable perspective.
Comments