GREEN YOUR HOME BY DAVID M. BROWN
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nterior designer Tanya Shively and home designer Doug Edwards think green, design green and build green.
“I am passionate about creating homes that are healthy to live in and that are also conscious of the planet we live on,” says Tanya Shively, ASID, LEED AP, who adds that she has been guided by a green directive in her projects since founding Scottsdale’s Sesshu Design Associates in 2005. She was raised in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, near Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Teton national parks. “The idea that we need to be good stewards of the land we live on and to protect that beauty is so deeply ingrained in that area that I couldn’t help but be influenced by it,” she explains, noting that the mission of her firm is, in fact, inspired by the 15th-century Japanese artist, Sesshū Tōyō, known for innovative style, passion and creativity.
including Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills; Fifth Avenue in Manhattan; and Scottsdale, Carefree and Paradise Valley here in Arizona. “Fortunately, our concerns have become less and less since the public started embracing sustainable design and building science,” Doug says, with a smile.
FIRST, FIND THE SUN Sustainable home design and construction begins with a knowledge of building science and fundamental design strategies that must be aligned with regional and site-specific environments for each project, Doug explains. Basic to the design of any new home is solar orientation: How can the home be integrated organically with the land it occupies?
“You can have any look you want and still be environmentally friendly. It is also not an all-or-nothing concept. You can make your choices according to whatever is most important to you. It’s a practical approach to design which ensures you have the healthiest home possible and benefits the community, too.”
Good passive solar design begins with knowing how the sun moves throughout the year and how that movement affects a home’s building envelope, he says. When should you block the sun from entering a home and when should it flood the interior conditioned space? This may seem basic now, but only recently has this principle been widely considered in home building, beginning with tract/production designs through luxury and estate homes.
Also in Scottsdale, brothers Doug and Kevin Edwards have been designing and building sustainably since they were in their early 20s—45 years ago, long before this was widely embraced. Their Edwards Design Group has delivered highperforming green homes throughout the United States,
“We design our homes to achieve net-zero energy use as the home relates to the utility company,” Doug says. “We calculate the energy needs of the home using 3D computer modeling software, and size the solar array accordingly to achieve netzero energy.”
Green is not a style, she explains.
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greenliving | October 2019
greenlivingaz.com