The New American Home 2009 Wows Crowd During International Builders' Show

January 29, 2009 - More than 60,000 builders, remodelers, architects and other residential construction professionals toured The New American Home® 2009 during the recent International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas.
The showcase home features the latest innovations in green building, construction technology and design trends. Constructed by Las Vegas builder Blue Heron and designed by the architect firm Danielian Associates of Irvine, Calif., the 2009 home features a state-of-the-art energy efficiency package and elegant contemporary design.
“I really liked the emphasis on home technology and energy efficiency,” said Tannis Goehring, a home builder from Orlando, Fla. “And this home is so easy on the eyes. Inside and out, it is a beautiful home.”
The New American Home® is America’s premier show home and construction technology laboratory. The 2009 home was unveiled Jan. 20 as the official showcase home of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 2009 International Builders’ Show® in Las Vegas.
Goehring, who was part of the team at Goehring and Morgan, Inc. that built the 2005 New American Home in the Baldwin Park community in Orlando, Fla., said this year’s home gives visitors a high-impact first impression that never disappoints as they move from to room.
“The outdoor living spaces are so well done,” she said. “The moment you walk in the front door you see the waterfall going from ground level to the sunken courtyard. And behind the waterfall, a waterway takes your eye to the back of the home. It is very clear that outdoor spaces and the water features are central to this home.”
As beautiful as the home is, it is the energy efficiency package that really wowed builders in Las Vegas, said Bill Nolan, chairman of The New American Home Task Force. “The New American Home has been a leader in green building for years, but this latest edition is built to be the most energy-efficient home in the history of this series,” he said.
“Builders, architects, engineers – anybody with an interest in housing construction – will be fascinated by the natural gas-powered heating and cooling system, the photovoltaic cells and the solar water heating,” said Nolan, who runs The Nolan Group, a housing industry consulting firm in Altamonte Springs, Fla. “Even the insulation in this home is exciting. The whole package of energy-efficiency products work together to make this a near-zero-energy home.”
The New American Home benefits from a comprehensive design approach to achieve extraordinary energy efficiency. A proprietary gas-powered heating and cooling system with a SEER rating of 18 combined with other energy-efficient features such as low-E windows, advanced insulation, vertical and horizontal solar overhangs and window louvers enabled the home to achieve a Five Star-Plus HERS rating of 57. This is before factoring in the installation of a 12,000+ khz solar panel system striving for a net-zero level of electrical consumption.
Insulated concrete forms (ICF) were used predominately for the basement and structural walls, which have R-values up to 50 and provide exceptional insulating properties.
“The design concepts, construction techniques and materials used in The New American Home 2009 can be adopted for use in any home,” Nolan said. “In a sense, this showcase home is a collection of ideas for the industry to take away and put into any new or remodeled home.”
Builder Blue Heron, architect Danielian Associates, and interior designer Robb & Stucky Interiors have created a home that is elegant, functional, efficient, and green; the home scored at the gold level under the NAHB National Green Building Program.
Goehring said that as a builder, she most appreciated the energy efficiency that is built into the home. As a consumer, Goehring said she liked the design features that let you enjoy “privacy and seclusion throughout the home, inside and outside.”
Sponsored by the National Council of the Housing Industry (NCHI) – The Leading Suppliers of NAHB and Builder magazine, The New American Home is one of NAHB’s most successful and visible programs. NCHI is made up of the leading product suppliers of the residential construction industry, and the show home provides an excellent way for NCHI members to highlight their products.
The address of the home is 6755 Agave Azul Court, Las Vegas, NV, 89120.
For more information about NCHI or The New American Home®, please contact Tucker Bernard, NCHI Executive Director at 800-368-5242, ext. 8519, or tbernard@nahb.com. For more details, visit http://www.tnah.com/.