Skoda | Design & Architecture, PLLC

When considering a new home or building, developers and homeowners are often confronted with a choice: whether to retrofit an existing building, or tear it down and build a new one? Which one is better for climate change?

Among building energy experts, it is commonly understood that existing buildings, even after being upgraded for energy efficiency, cannot ever perform as well in terms of energy efficiency as a new building will. Therefore it seems that it should be better – in terms of overall energy-use – to build new rather than update existing buildings.  However, due to the immense amount of greenhouse …

The American Dream has always been to become a property owner, which in modern times, means owning a home. But homeownership is increasingly becoming a challenge for the average American as the cost of new homes and new home construction continue to rise.

The average homeowner in the US pays 25 to 33 percent of their income on their home mortgage payment. Before the housing bubble burst, banks were letting homeowners buy homes with mortgages that accounted for 45 percent of their income. As a result, homeowners are having trouble paying for their homes. What’s more, other commodities used in the home …

What is universal design? The American Society of Interior Designers defines it as “design that serves the broadest range of people, regardless of levels of ability, mobility, age or gender and without the need for specialized design.” According to North Carolina State’s Center for Universal Design, it is “the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.” Simply put, universal design most often refers to design that can adapt with the user without major upgrades or renovations. This means that the design of …

Every year, more people want to live in a sustainably built home or building. At the same time, they are moving to cities. In 2010, 82% of Americans lived in cities, and by 2050 it will be 90%. In order for already space-constrained city planners to simultaneously accommodate growing populations, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and meet demand for green homes, they will have to make cities more sustainable.  These are all challenges facing city planners, but especially in densely packed New York City (NYC), so it is no wonder that some of the most advanced sustainable buildings in the US can be found …

The smart home of the future is here. Rooms detect your presence and change lighting, temperature, and airflow according to personalized settings. Smart thermostats learn our behaviors and appropriately adjust for heating and cooling. Appliances respond to signals from utilities that turn off when prices and demand are at their daily peak, saving the homeowner money. Sound like science fiction?

Smart homes are now possible because of the smart grid, a digitally updated energy grid that allows for multiple technologies and networks to operate and communicate with one another to better manage electricity. This is a big project, one that …

When polled, 89 percent of Americans say they support the development of solar energy at both the residential and utility scale. This proves true across the entire US, among all political and economic demographics. So why isn’t solar being installed on more homes?

For starters, many people have misconceptions about solar technology and the solar industry that are deterring them from installing solar systems. Below are four common myths about solar energy which continue to cause doubt among consumers:

Myth 1: Solar is too expensive

By far the biggest challenge facing the industry is educating consumers about how they can become …

Something is amiss in the US residential building sector today. People are simultaneously short on money and energy prices continue to rise. Prices are rising because of increased demand from utilities to produce more energy and the increasing demand of fossil fuel energy sources around the globe, according to the Energy Information Agency. With rising energy costs, finding cheap ways to reduce energy-use is even more critical for homebuilders.

But homebuilders do not have to reinvent the wheel in order to build homes that use significantly less energy. The technology already exists today and can easily be incorporated into home …