For those of you who were at the International Builder's Show in Orlando earlier this month I hope you had a chance to stop by to chat with us or with some of the VISION House Los Angeles sponsors.

Trex had their decking products on display and proved to be an enjoyable area to take a break from walking the massive show floor (especially when you chose the wrong shoes to wear).

Kohler had a symphony of water fixtures which had a very calming effect as you walked around their display area.

Leviton was there. As well as Uponor, Boise Cascade, Kichler Lighting and DuPont.

And last, but definitely not least, I met some of the great guys at the Schluter booth who were surprised at my calling their bright orange products, sexy. Well, they are. First of all, the product itself is interesting. The unexpected color makes it exciting, highly appealing and even a bit trendy-feeling.

It was great seeing some of our sponsors and to also welcome aboard Orenco Systems and DuChateau to the VISION House Los Angeles. Keep an eye out for featured product info on all our sponsors and for more announcements on some exciting events that will be happening soon! 

Green Builder Media's Booth at IBS                                        The "sexy" Schluter products: DITRA and KERDI-BOARD.

VISION House Los Angeles will be using a spray foam spider insulation system.  This system will be donated by Johns Manville.  Spray polyurethane foam (SPF) is an insulation that provides superior performance and advanced energy efficiency.

The spray combines two liquid components at installation creating cellular spray foam that expands and fully adheres to surfaces. The spray foam offers superior insulating properties and effective air isolation. 

In addition, JM Spider® insulation resists mold because it sprays in almost dry (less moisture content than wood framing), and is treated with a U.S. EPA-registered mold inhibitor to protect the insulation against mold. 

By using JM Spider Insulation, the VISION House Los Angeles is expected to have lower energy bills, better indoor air quality, a control on moisture, a healthy home environment, superior sound control, and environmental satisfaction with at least 25% recycled content. -SH

We are extremely excited to announce Structure Home and Green Builder Media will be holding the first event at VISION House Los Angeles on Thursday, January 12, 2012. 

The event will begin with onsite tours at 1162 Via de la Paz, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 from 9am to Noon. Street parking is available. During these tours visitors will have the chance to view "in-the-wall" products that may not be visible after walls and siding are put up.

After the tours the event moves to UCLA in the J.D. Morgan Hall of Fame Press Room where attendees will hear from Glen McDonald, Director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and Ron Jones, President and Co-Founder of Green Builder Media.

If you would like to attend either event please RSVP to heather@greenbuildermag.com.

To view a full PDF of the events click here. 

Uponor AquaPex Plumbing System               An exterior view of VHLA

We have new photos of the VISION House Los Angeles up on Facebook and on our website (as well as a few in this blog) It's amazing how quickly two floor of framing can go up. We are excited to see the completed VISION House in May of 2012.

Photo Courtesy Structure Home

We are so thankful for all our wonderful sponsors who are participating in this project. Since our last blog Noritz® America has come on board and will be supplying two tankless water heaters and a tankless boiler for the radiant floor heating from Uponor.  Noritz has a vision to alter the way hot water is viewed in America and to reduce the effects to the environment. We'd have to say that's a vision. 

Another sponsor who recently came onboard is Schluter-Systems who will be providing shower line drains and waterproofing systems and Schluter-Ditra, a unique tile underlayment material made of polyethylene membrane. Learn more about this product at http://www.schluter.com/6_1_ditra.aspx.

Stay tuned for some exciting event announcements in the next few weeks!

When Mark Sapiro, co-founder of Structure Home, attended the Energy & Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) Conference in 2000 and 2003 he was looking to enhance his knowledge of sustainable building for today and into the future. After attending the EEBA conference, Mark went looking for a way to implement these new sustainable practices in to Structure Home.

“Homes that are systemically designed for durability and are responsive to current social, environmental and fiscal realities are what the world is directing all of us to observe.  At Structure Home, we are trying to be leaders in our own industry shift …doing our part to effect positive change.”

The desire to implement a green building strategy into the Structure Home culture led Mark and co-founder, Robert Kleiman, to Green Builder® Media at the Pacific Coast Builder’s Conference in 2010. 

The two companies decided to collaborate on the first West Coast VISION House® project, now known as VISION House® Los Angeles.

Structure Home is excited to integrate and establish a foundation of a more sustainable, energy efficient and healthy built environment.  For more information, visit www.StructureHome.com.

“A sustainable society is one that is environmentally viable, economically robust, and is a socially just and equitable one that meets the needs of the present without compromising the resources for future generations.” - UCLA Institute of Environment and Sustainability