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Sustainable Home Design

A career in sustainable home design involves the design and construction of residential structures with three primary objectives in mind: enhanced energy conservation, improved indoor air quality, and better resource conservation. Along with these primary objectives, optimum year-round comfort and limited environmental impact complete the vision of green homes.

The career outlook for a sustainable home designer is excellent. They make on average $40-$50 thousand a year.

Green Homes

With green homes, the emphasis is on a holistic approach where each component interacts with the other parts of the residential structure to form an integrated system. Applied building sciences and green design strategies, which employ energy efficient materials and systems, are combined to make green homes.

Professional and Personal Qualities

With this career, individuals must possess technical capabilities like a working knowledge of energy efficient materials, technologies and systems, with the passion for keeping up with the trends in the industry; basic know-how in designing and building new structures using green methods as well as in retrofitting old structures to conform to green standards; and knowledge of government regulations on building structures.

Personal qualities necessary to succeed in the field include, but are not limited to, the ability to work professionally with various types of people from suppliers to clients; flexibility in meeting new challenges; capacity to adapt to new situations; aptitude to envision final results; and managerial talent to successfully supervise the various aspects of the design commission.

Educational Requirements

In terms of education, associate and degree courses related to building design and construction like architecture can be an advantage in a sustainable home design career. Nowadays, these degree courses integrate green design methods with applied building sciences, which form the backbone of the career.

However, training and courses are available in online websites and in trade/technical schools and colleges for those who desire to enhance their knowledge of the industry. With knowledge gained from them, an individual is better equipped to enter and succeed in the field of sustainable design.

These trainings and courses can involve instructions on building science, new window technologies, energy efficient technologies, sustainable heating systems, solar energy systems, indoor air quality, practical building techniques, and natural building materials. In most cases, fieldwork and tours of working green homes are also offered to strengthen classroom instruction.