VISION HOUSE® LA TESTS A NEW SYSTEM
Improved Wood Framing 04
Boise Cascade’s new framing concept saves energy for the homeowner, has a green story you can sell, and reduces job site waste.
BY JULIE KNUDSON
What do you get when you put a new spin on a traditional concept? If you’re talking about the world of framing, then one answer is Boise Cascade’s Conditioned Airspace HVAC Framing System. It’s a long name, but it accurately describes the company’s answer to an age-old dilemma.
In conventional framing systems, most HVAC ductwork is run through crawlspaces and attics, while the air handler or furnace itself sits in the garage. That means the intake air often contains whatever odors and pollutants that might be lingering nearby—gas cans for the lawnmower, half-used paint cans, bottles of weed killer—and pumping it straight into the living area. It also means the incoming air is usually the wrong temperature; stifling in the summer when you’re trying to cool things down and frigid in the winter when occupants most want to be warm. The traditional pathways for ductwork also translate into wasted energy costs in the form of leaks of expensive conditioned air into unoccupied spaces.
Enter Boise Cascade’s new framing system. It addresses the energy-gobbling drawbacks of conventional framing methods that run ductwork in unconditioned space, while simultaneously offering builders an option with more sustainable manufacturing methods and innovative design practices that cut down on waste and lessen environmental impact.
Testing Ground: VISION House® LA
One home taking advantage of Boise’s new framing concept is Green Builder’s own VISION House® Los Angeles, a demonstration home created to serve as a research and training ground offering information to builders, architects and consumers.
Los Angeles-based Structure Home is the project’s builder, and Mark Sapiro, Structure’s co-founder, says he chose Boise Cascade’s engineered wood products because they’re certified green-engineered, a good match for this project. “I know that the products are manufactured with sustainability in mind,” he says.
Sapiro evaluated the product’s stability and potential to decrease callbacks, along with the system’s efficiency and waste reduction features. Result: He’s become a believer. “We really love the product and we hope to incorporate it, not just in this one VISION Home,” Sapiro says. “We’re hoping that Boise Cascade will be one of those manufacturers that we’ll continue to use and incorporate into future projects.”
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