Trends: Tipping TopBuildingGreen Announces the Year's Best Green Building Products

Alex Wilson noticed a recurring theme when he talked to participants at the West Coast Green Conference last September. "'We've reached a tipping point,'" he recalls them saying. "Homeowners are all of a sudden very excited about things like linoleum or cork, natural flooring materials. Across the board it's becoming more popular."

That means that when Wilson, co-editor of Green Building Products, GreenSpec's guide to residential building materials published by BuildingGreen, went to work with his fellow editors to choose this year's Top 10 Green Building Products, he had a lot to choose from. More than 250 products were added to the GreenSpec database in the previous year, and even more products finally are starting to prove themselves with real-world success.

Wilson says his team looks for particularly exciting products that present the breadth of green product offerings, as well as a wide range of environmental benefits. But he says builders will see a tangible benefit from using each of the products chosen for the list. "In some cases, they can make their homeowners happier because they're spending less money," he says. "In other cases, they get a more durable or more attractive product."

The residential construction products that are on the list are highlighted here and include three products made from recycled waste, one that saves energy, and one that saves water.

Composite surfacing
Used for everything from countertops to toilet partitions, exterior rainscreen siding, and skateboard ramps, PaperStone certified composite surface material from KlipTech Composites is a water-resistant solid-surface composite material made from paper fiber and a non-petroleum resin derived in part from cashew shells. While the product's recycled material construction is great, Wilson says it's also important that natural enzymes can break it down. "Because it's a bio-based material, any residue will be biodegradable," he says.

Yet PaperStone's durability is what really impresses designers. Roger Stocker, director of quality control at LMN Architects, used the product as part of a rainscreen assembly on the south wall of his Seattle home, which faces a lot of rain and harsh weather but isn't easy to access for maintenance. He says he was sold after seeing the product last for 12 years at skateboard parks. "It has the longevity but it doesn't have a deleterious effect on the environment," he says.

Interior panels
Varia, an eye-catching interior transparent and translucent panel from 3form, is made from Ecoresin, a 40 percent pre-consumer recycled content co-polyester that is chemically similar to the material used in beverage containers. Some Varia products include plant materials collected by indigenous peoples to help occupants feel more connected to nature. "It uses biological material that can imbue a material with that natural look ... and create very attractive interior spaces," Wilson says.

Kim Parsley, an interior designer for IA Interior Architects in Seattle, says she was impressed by the company's sustainable efforts as a whole, including efforts to have the product certified by Scientific Certification Systems and Greenguard. "Too often people are chasing the credits; they don't think about what this company is all about," she says.

Recycled molding
Made in a variety of profiles from at least 90 percent recycled polystyrene--75 percent post-consumer and 15 percent pre-consumer, certified by Scientific Certification Systems--Timbron's interior molding is highly durable, waterproof, termite-proof, paintable, and fully workable with carpentry tools, according to the manufacturer. Wilson says that the very high recycled content is a nice feature, but the type of recycled material is also important because it is harder to recycle than the more common polyethylene.

John Peterson, a painter and contractor who owns Peterson Painting in Livermore, Calif., adds that the waterproof molding is particularly appropriate for wet areas like kitchens, bathrooms, and basements, and is much easier to paint because it's smoother than MDF. "The green aspect ... was just an added benefit," he says.

Water-efficient showerhead
Using H2Okinetic technology, which produces fairly large droplets resulting in good heat retention and body wetting, Delta's showerhead delivers superb performance using only 1.6 gallons of water per minute, according to the manufacturer. Wilson used one at home and says he was so impressed he had to test the water flow himself. "It was unbelievable that it gave such a satisfying shower," he says. "It shows you can get the performance with the water savings."

Because hot-water savings equate to energy savings, even big builders are paying attention. Justin Wilson, owner of Colorado-based Building Performance Solutions, has specified the showerhead for two projects, including one for a production builder. "It's probably the most advanced water-efficient showerhead I've ever seen," he says. "It was enough to make them convert."

Indirect evaporative air conditioner
Coolerado's R600 indirect evaporative air conditioner relies on the evaporation of water to cool a space, but unlike conventional direct evaporative coolers that cool air by evaporating water into it (raising humidity), the Coolerado is an all-indirect system that does not add any moisture. Calling it possibly the most innovative product on the list, Wilson says, "We're used to debating about EERs (Energy Efficiency Ratings) at 12, 13, or 14" for traditional air conditioners. "This is over 40," he says.

Longmont, Colo., builder Bill Erdkamp uses the Coolerado to reduce his clients' cooling costs to as little as one-fifth, but is also considering combining it with radiant floor heating to do away with the traditional furnace. "We're looking at not putting in a full-fledged HVAC unit," he says. "It would be a much simpler installation."

--BUILDING PRODUCTS

Contact Information:

KlipTech Composites. 360-538-9815. www.paperstoneproducts.com.
3form. 800-726-0126. www.3-form.com.
Timbron. 925-943-1632. www.timbron.com.
Delta. 800-345-3358. www.deltafaucet.com.
Coolerado. 303-375-0878. www.coolerado.com.