Tradewinds Blow Green at IBS A high-performance home for the ages uses classic architecture and a contemporary floor plan for today's lifestyle.

By Rich Binsacca Tradewinds was carefully sited on its lot to take advantage of the sun's patterns and prevailing breezes, as well as some beautiful views. Homebuilders and design professionals attending the 2008 International Builders' Show glimpsed a real-world example of what the future holds for the housing industry at Tradewinds, the latest in a series of forward-thinking show homes produced in the host city of NAHB's annual convention and trade show. Built on a beautiful lakeside lot in Orlando's Baldwin Park urban redevelopment community, Tradewinds is truly a "performance home for the ages," with a systematic approach to energy and natural resource conservation, indoor air quality, and comfort. The 7,316-square-foot house updates traditional design elements, such as an interior courtyard, timber-columned lake view porch, and rooftop cupola, to bring a comfortable classicism to the home's contemporary feel, floor plan, and lifestyle conveniences. When the eventual owners need a little extra space for a charity fundraiser, for instance, they'll just fold back the wall of glass doors between the kitchen and the pool courtyard to create a 25-foot wide opening that completely blurs the line between the indoors and outdoors. When good friends visit for a few days, they'll enjoy a generous guest suite in a private corner of the house, separated by a half-level of stairs. On one of Orlando's famously mild evenings, the home's outdoor living area and trellised porch, warmed by a fireplace and served by a complete kitchen, provide a refuge for family and friends — with a calming and unobstructed view of the lake. Since heating a home in Orlando is of less concern that cooling it, many of the ceilings in the show home are high enough to allow hot air to rise away from the floor and flow out clerestory windows (not shown). Combining familiar forms and proven materials, architect Geoffrey Mouen fashioned classic elements into a contemporary, split-level floor plan that's easy to navigate, provides long and interesting sightlines, and affords a wealth of modern lifestyle need, including multiple (and enviable) entertainment, work-at-home and relaxation spaces. The innovative H-shaped plan places rooms on four levels, despite what appears to be a modest two-story façade. A variety of sustainable features complement the design, enabling the home and its occupants to reduce its environmental footprint as much as possible, considering the house's size. For instance, high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment, complete with the latest air-quality system, serves a network of sealed, insulated ducts in semi-conditioned space to reduce thermal transfer. Managed by touch-screen electronic controls, the system makes the most efficient use of energy resources while creating a comfortable and healthy indoor environment. Other products with a green theme include: Energy Star-qualified appliances and windows engineered wood flooring a trio of sealed combustion direct-vent fireplaces a central vacuum system that removes more than 99 percent of allergens motorized window shading on-demand tankless water heaters low-VOC-content cabinets, flooring, and coatings extensive use of daylighting and passive heating and cooling that supplement and lower demand on the mechanical systems. "This is a comprehensive approach to housing performance that sets a pretty high bar for the industry," says Charlie Clayton, president of Charles Clayton Construction, one of Orlando's premier custom builders. "The buyers of this house may not care so much about saving money on their energy bill, but they value comfort, healthy indoor air, and consistent performance." The house is destined to be replicated nationwide in its concepts, ideas, and applications. "Tradewinds is the finest example of exemplary architecture, innovative products and applications, and environmental consciousness at this year's show," says Boyce Thompson, editorial director of Builder magazine, co-producer of the annual show-home program with Home magazine since 1998. "It crystallizes the combination of transitional design and lifestyle needs that builders will need to follow to remain competitive and relevant to potential buyers." Rich Binsacca is a freelance writer frequently writes about high-performance residential construction. He lives in Boise, Idaho.