Alan Hoffman, owner of Alan Hoffman Company presented to us on July 2, 2011.
Over his 17 years as a "green" home builder in the Dallas area, Alan has developed a composite system of building homes that makes them highly efficient. His ancestors are from Europe and when visiting there he made note of the massive 3 feet thick perimeter walls of his relative's home. The thick walls acted as a thermal mass that allowed the interior temperature to be moderated by the average 60 degree ground temperature. There was a kiva-style fireplace built into a wall that helped warm the house in the winter but no A/C was necessary even though the house was 400 years old.
Alan's design incorporates insulated concrete forms (ICF) exterior shell walls with a conventional wood framed roof that is insulated with open cell foam insulation. The houses are tornado-resistant, termite-proof with fire-proof wallls. The thermal mass of the walls in conjuction with the insulating form allows more temperature benefit from the ground on standard slab-on-grade foundations. Also because the exterior walls are a monolithic structure air infiltration is very low.
He built the first and second LEED homes in Dallas, both of which are LEED-Platinum.
His latest house is 2,656 s.f. requiring only a 2.5 ton HVAC unit. He incorporates locally quarried stone features into his homes as well.
Alan uses ICF products manufactured by ARXX ICF which has a manufacturing facility near the Dallas area.
His next venture is a 22-home urban infill deveopment in the Lakewood area of Dallas, TX. The development will include community greenspace that all the homes will face as well as a rainwater harvesting system that will provide irrigation water for the neighborhood xerascapes.
To find out more about Alan Hoffman Company and ICF check out: http://www.concretehomestore.com/
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