Barry Alan Yoakum, FAIA, of archimania is a Legacy LEED Accredited Professional with more than 30 years of experience in implementing sustainable design strategies. When he designed Civitas, a home for his own family, he took the opportunity to answer a question he sees as particularly critical today: “How does a modern piece of architecture begin to solve the problems of the planet?”
This question led Yoakum to design and construct a home that earned LEED Platinum certification and is one of the first U.S. homes to meet the goals of the AIA 2030 Commitment—a full decade ahead of that effort’s target date. It is also the first single-family home in the Americas to be registered as a Zero Energy/Zero Carbon home, according to standards established by the International Living Future Institute.
For the exterior, Yoakum says, “We went through a process of energy studies and aluminum started coming in” as a favored choice. “If you install it correctly, it will last forever.” Yoakum specified Petersen for almost all the aluminum used in the project, supplying 15,200 sq. ft. of panels and sheet metal. The home also features two roof levels with PAC-CLAD metal roofing panels, which help capture rainwater and provide support for solar panels.
Whether an ultra-modern standout like Yoakum’s home or a traditional style house nestled in an older neighborhood, metal roofing and wall panel systems can meet the architectural challenges of each unique residence. A wide range of styles and colors offer endless opportunity to improve and maintain sustainability.
Architect Nate Kipnis, FAIA, of Evanston, Ill.–based firm Kipnis Architecture + Planning is a leader in sustainable design. One of the first to join the AIA 2030 Commitment, he utilizes metal roofing in his designs to add environmental function at an affordable cost. In Chicago’s North Shore area, he utilized PAC-CLAD standing seam metal roofing to provide many green features: “The roof shape is asymmetrically arranged to collect as much stormwater as possible. And the roof is sloped at two different angles—the summer angle and the winter angle,” explained Kipnis. The steeper, south-facing roof supports solar thermal panels, optimized for the low winter sun. The shallower, south-facing section includes solar PV panels, whose electrical production is maximized for the middle of the day in the summer to reduce CO2. The asymmetrical roof also funnels water onto the green roof—an outdoor space accessible from the master bedroom and the main hallway. Thanks to the roof and other sustainable design features, this house achieved LEED Platinum certification.
Kipnis also specified PAC-CLAD Snap-Clad panels when designing a farmhouse-style retreat (complete with a silo-inspired turret) in Chicago. Kipnis notes that rooftop solar panels are a standard element in many of his residential efforts and that with PAC-CLAD standing seam products, “It’s so easy to attach solar panels to it—it’s easy to clip on and it’s raised off the roof, so you get some air underneath.” Kipnis adds, “We like the color selections and the Cool Roof technology on the finish—we always want the roof to be very cool, period."
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