Euro stars

Green building techniques are migrating to the United States.

Greg Howes, a San Francisco–based entrepreneur, self-described “technologist” and professional homebuilder, is pioneering the use of computer-aided manufacturing in home construction on the West Coast.

Commonly found in Germany and some of the Scandinavian countries, it is much like the robot-assisted production of cars in a factory. Various machines driven by computers cut, weld and join timber and steel parts into walls and other building components that are shipped to a site where they are assembled. The process is faster, generates higher-quality workmanship, and produces less waste than conventional construction.

 Howes, who lived and worked in Europe for seven years during the 80s and 90s, in 2007 co-founded IDEAbuilder to combine the best building systems and practices in Europe with those in the United States. His five-person startup—which includes two European engineers—works with architects and developers to help them convert their designs into “production-ready digital models” for use in computer-aided manufacturing. Howes says his goal is to use as much robotic manufacturing as possible in home construction, pushing it to “ludicrous extremes” while raising the productivity of the construction industry. The result: an ability to deliver energy-efficient buildings at equal or cheaper prices than conventional construction.  

 IDEAbuilder isn’t alone in its embrace of green building practices imported from Europe. From living roofs to double-skin facades, the United States has much to learn about green building practices from the Old World, where higher energy costs, cold winter climates and stricter government regulation have spurred innovation in the construction industry. The good news is that national borders are porous, particularly when it comes to ideas, and the U.S. building industry is beginning to seriously look to Europe for inspiration. 

A growing number of U.S. companies, some homegrown and others U.S.-based subsidiaries of European outfits, are developing and marketing  products and practices rooted in European building design in the United States. Some of these technologies are more widespread than others. A handful, however, are taking off as the pioneers of the U.S. green building industry look to further push the envelope of high-performance buildings.

“They’ve been focused on low-energy design for two decades,” says Jerry Yudelson, a Tucson, Ariz.–based green building expert and widely published author on sustainable building practices. He estimates European buildings today on average consume about three to four times less energy per square foot than comparable structures in the United States. But that disparity could rapidly change if the growing number of companies working to import European building techniques to the U.S. construction industry are successful.