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2011 Building Communities Conference on South Padre Island
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0 Comments ::  :: South Padre Island, Second Homes |
2011 Building Communities Conference at South Padre IslandHeld: September 22 - 24, 2011
South Padre Island Convention Centre 7355 Padre Boulevard South Padre Island, Texas
About the rich architectural heritage of the lower Río Grande border with a special focus on residential architecture.
The Building Communities Conference and Expo attracted architects, contractors, engineers, interior designers, planners, and landscape architects from throughout the state of Texas and beyond.
The event was hosted by the Lower Rio Grande Valley American Institute of Architects.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.”
Panels inside the model 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.
For more information visit LRGV-AIA |
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