Emerald House
CERTIFICATION
The home of green initiatives…
What is ‘Emerald’ Certification?
The Planet Clark Emerald House (PCEH) is designed and engineered to be built to the highest sustainable building standards within the parameters of the available budget, land, and resources.
Emerald Certification is the most stringent certification and highest achievement in sustainable building by the National Association of Home Builders under their National Green Building Standard.
PCEH is the first NGBS-Emerald certified house to be built in Clark County. This is a leading example of how communities should build in order for their citizens to thrive now and in the future.
Certification standards within the NGBS are used to gauge building performance and environmental impacts.
A few of the better building practices include:
1. A building envelope with reduced air infiltration for more energy efficiency.
2. Low-flow plumbing fixtures for water conservation.
3. Selection of non-toxic building materials, paints and finishes for healthier indoor air quality, and more.
Target certifications for this project include:
- National Green Building Standard™ (ICC 700-2008) – Emerald level
- Earth Advantage™ New Homes – Platinum level
- Northwest ENERGY STAR® Homes
- EPA WaterSense
- EPA Indoor airPLUS
- Home Innovation – NGBS Green Partner
Where newer technologies in the past required compromise in design and/or functionality, that is no longer the case. Combined with innovative design, building to these certification requirements will result in a beautiful home that operates with reduced energy consumption, improved indoor air quality, and lower impact on the land and environment.
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of further generations to meet their own needs.”
Check out our videos of the Planet Clark Emerald House, and see examples of the certification process and the points system required to pass the NGBS Certification Requirements, below.
Featured articles
Featured Topics
Pre-Planning: Why this site was selected
An unused tax lot
An Uninhabitable & Run-down House
An energy bill showed outrageous energy costs
An Unstable Structure & Foundation
that couldn't be repaired
The Property Became Overgrown
and the house needed to be removed
Planning & Development
Emerald House illustration
Emerald House rendering
close up from the street
The completed house and dedication ceremony
Click here to watch the video
Get the lowdown on the
Construction Process
Learn about the inspiration and progressive home building project that turned an unused tax lot into a home for a family in need. This Clark County Project has won numerous awards and is the first NAHB Emerald Certified Home in Clark County, Washington. Here are a few videos that demonstrate the planning and construction process for the Emerald House. Clark County Building Safety and the teams in Community Development, along with Planet Clark Building Partners and Volunteers worked tirelessly to complete this Emerald Certified Green Home. The benefits of this green home are enormous, and with positive and lasting impact our economy, environment, community, and society as a whole.
Here are seven sample worksheets from the NGBS Emerald Certification Workbook which is based on an excel spreadsheet. These examples don't have actual scoring data for this project, but they demonstrate the point system and how points are acquired to achieve certification. While you may not be able to achieve the maximum points within one specific category, the points are cumulative and you must be able to achieve the minimal scoring requirements to achieve Emerald Certification.
Click on the houses to download the files
Benefits
What is the impact of building and why is it important? The benefits of the PCEH House are immense, and include community benefits, economic benefits, enviornmental benefits and social benefits. Read more.
Design & Features
What is a high-performance home? The five elements of sustainable building relate to energy, health, land, materials, and water. This single-family home includes a modern and stylish look too. Read more.
Construction
PCEH was constructed to meet the criteria for five complimentary third-party certification program. In particular, the National Green Building Standard (NGBS ICC 700-2008) includes five common green building practice arenas. Read more.
Certification
Emerald Certification is the most stringent certification and highest achievement in sustainable building by the National Association of Home Builders under the National Green Building standards based on budget, land and resources. Read more.