Hey,  I''m an architect and I really want to learn about green buildings.

So I wanted to ask if there is a college course I can take ?

Or how else  can I study the subject ?




And one more thing
what do you call architecture aimed at creating energy efficient (green) homes ?



Can anyone shed some light on this.

Thank you very much.

I dont know if there are specific programs. You can do self study through research. Take courses that an energy auditor would take. Building Science Corp has manuals on how to build energy efficient home based on climate zones. They also teach seminars around the country.

Green building has a lot of variety based on goals the client wants to achieve. You also have to have a good understanding of products in the market place and how to incorporate them in to a design. There are Zip Wall systems, ICF's, SIP's. double wall etc. You will have to understand air barriers, vapor barriers,drainage planes, rain screen wall, thermal bridging etc.

You can look at Passive house standards and see the various methods available to meet those goals.

As a designer you have to apply your knowledge to specify the type of system based on the clients objective. I dont see this as a one size fits all. It will take knowledge and versitility,

The definition of "green" is pretty squishy.

LEEDS covers some aspects that PassiveHouse does not, but for residential structures PassiveHouse is a more stringent standard for energy efficiency.

Net Zero Energy, where roof mounted photovoltaics supply more annual power to the grid than all of the combined energy uses in the house consumes is another standard with a different set of priorities. (And far easier to do in something that meets PassiveHouse energy use levels.)

But other standards such as Energy Star Homes are much lower hurdles from a design & implementation point of view, and still considered "green enough" by some, though it falls far short of PassiveHouse & Net Zero type goals.

The PassiveHouse tools are cheap, and can be a good way to figure out where the most cost-effective tradeoffs are for the primary heating & cooling energy requirements.

What part of the country are you in?
I'd recommend attending conferences and taking lots of relevant seminars. Thats the best way to get good up to date information on all aspects of Green Building. Boston Society of Architects holds two conferences - Build Boston coming up in November and Residential Design Build in the spring. The November conference this year has several seminars on Passive House; RDB has had lots of green building seminars the past few years. Other good venues are the NAHB Green Building Conference in May of 2011, the USGBC in Chicago in October and the NESEA conference in Boston in the spring. American Solar Energy Society has other conferences in other parts of the country.
Building Science Corp has an excellent website, seminars at these conferences and their own seminars.
There are a lot of aspects to "green building" so you have lots of studying ahead!

"what do you call architecture aimed at creating energy efficient (green) homes?" Smart architecture! Check out Kaplan Thompson Architecture, Zero Energy Design to name only two of many excellent practicioners.

I found some articles with site for you...

http://www.sfia.net/distance-learning/degree-programs-2/master-of-science-in-green-building/

I hope it can help you..

Posted By kimo12 on 17 Sep 2010 12:44 PM
And one more thing
what do you call architecture aimed at creating energy efficient (green) homes ?

The terms "green architecture" or "sustainable architecture" are often used. If you live in the U.S., take a look at: http://www.archschools.org If you click on Advanced search, you can select Environment/Sustainability under Curriculum. Good luck!