Over the past few years, as many other industry conferences have seen a decline in numbers, the USGBC’s Greenbuild Conference and Expo has seen healthy increases in attendees, exhibitors, and buzz. This year’s event, taking place Nov. 11-13 in Phoenix, looks like it will continue that upward trend.
Though Greenbuild has historically been a commercial-focused show, USGBC has gradually been adding more residential-focused educational sessions. This year, the conference will once again feature a Residential Summit, Nov. 12, with 15 workshops covering sustainable home building, along with an opening keynote, “Greening Our New Housing Stock.” Thursday night, EcoHome will honor architect Edward Mazria with the inaugural Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Housing. The Residential Summit’s closing keynote, “Greening Our Existing Housing Stock,” will be held the morning of Nov. 13.These sessions and events are in addition to a full slate of other educational opportunities covering a range of topics, as well as the Nov. 11 opening plenary with keynote speaker Al Gore and a performance by Sheryl Crow.
Of course, the show’s exhibit floor will be overflowing with new products from the Expo’s 1,800 exhibitors. Here are just a few of the residential introductions that will be on display. Stay tuned for additional product coverage from the show floor during and after the conference.1. Acorn Engineering. The Waterloo waterless urinal and MiniLoo toilet 2. Advanced Glazings. Solera Nanogel-insulated glass panels3. Kohler. Archer, the company’s first one-piece, single-flush high-efficiency toilet,4. Kolbe Windows & Doors. ThermaPlus low-E insulated glass, available on the company’s Ultra, Heritage, and Classic windows5. Rheem. HP-50 heat pump water heater 6. Rinnai. New condensing tankless water heater 7. Smith & Fong. Sideways, the company’s first line of hardwood flooring8. Crossville. With metal finishes but a composite bodySource: Hanley Wood