It’s a familiar criticism to any green homebuilder: Aesthetics and sustainability don’t mix.
Even Scott Adams — creator of the wildly popular Dilbert comic strip and a guy who oversaw construction of his own green home — says so. In a weekend Wall Street Journal column, Adams offers tongue-in-cheek tips for anyone who wants a green home:
As a rule, the greener the home, the uglier it will be. I went into the process thinking that green homes were ugly because hippies have bad taste. That turns out to be nothing but a coincidence. The problem is deeper. For example, the greenest sort of roof in a warm climate would be white to reflect the sun. If you want a beautiful home, a white roof won’t get you there. Sure, you could put a lovely garden on your roof, because you heard someone did that. But don’t try telling me a garden roof wouldn’t be a maintenance nightmare. And where do you find the expert who knows how to do that sort of thing?
The guy’s extremely funny, in a self-deprecating way. But is he being fair?
What a coincidence! Here’s one way to find out: Follow Green Building Chronicle’s Show & Tell feature. Better yet — if you’re a builder, architect or property owner — prove Adams wrong by submitting an attractive green home to Show & Tell (it’s incredibly easy).
We’re a new site, so there aren’t a lot of examples in Show & Tell yet (one, to be exact). But Adams’ column is precisely the reason we created Show & Tell. Maybe, after a couple of months, we’ll have enough examples of good-lookin’-and-green to counter the argument that the two values don’t mix.
