Circular design and trusses that radiate from the center and distribute forces evenly are among the features that have allowed houses by Deltec Homes to stand up to powerful storms, the home builder says.
Cool-roof material choices have expanded from reflective paint to vinyl sheeting, light-colored gravel, and other roofing products designed to reflect 90 percent of sunlight.
A district judge has ruled invalid the fire ordinance of Helena, Mont., adopted in 2008 to restrict exposed wood building materials and require fire-resistance roofing materials on new or extensively repaired structures.
During National Homeownership Month in June, the National Association of Home Builders is telling young people the time is right to buy a house, and that the nation's builders are building the homes they want.
The city has already awarded three vacant city-owned sites on streets lined with old-line two- and three-family homes in the Roxbury and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods to teams of developers and architects.
At Living Future's annual conference this month in Seattle, Jason McLennan and architecture firm BNIM founder Bob Berkebile launched the JUST label, an extension of the Declare label that addresses social justice and equity issues.
