Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2004

 

The New American Home 2005 blends universal design with mediterranean splendor

Once a year, building industry professionals from around the country gather at the International Builders’ Show to preview and showcase what’s new in residential construction.

One perennial favorite of the convention is The New American Home, the official show home of the International Builders’ Show, which spotlights the hottest trends in construction, design and décor. TNAH 2005 provides builders with a leading edge look at elements to consider in a future home, as well as new products and designs that they can immediately incorporate into their homes.

TNAH 2005 features a distinctive design that unites luxury with evolving lifestyle needs. The builder, architect and designer team crafted an elegant Mediterranean-style home with family-friendly amenities that works in harmony with the outdoor environment. It includes a master suite, four bedrooms, library, game room, private courtyard with a pool and a spacious three-car garage. The goal was to design a home that is not only integrated with the natural environment, but that supports a lifestyle that allows families to grow and age in comfort.

Builder Goehring and Morgan Construction Inc. collaborated with architects Bloodgood Sharp Buster Architects and Planners Inc. and interior designer Saxon-Clark to build the handicapped-accessible, 9,036 sq. ft. house that incorporates home automation, new technology, energy efficiency and healthy home construction techniques. TNAH will use 47 percent less energy for heating and cooling, and 64 percent less energy for water heating, than a traditionally constructed house of a similar size in the same climate.

Other high-tech conveniences include technology that will link a dozen televisions positioned throughout the house with telephones, computers, lights, and security and audio systems, which easily can be controlled via touch-screen keypads and remotes, coupled with LCD (liquid-crystal display) monitors that allow computers and televisions to be used interchangeably. Further, the homeowners will be able to program lights, control shades, monitor the front door, activate the sprinkler system, turn on the central vacuum and chlorinate the swimming pool from anywhere in the house.

Consumers can visit TNAH 2005 online at www.tnah.com to discover these and other exciting ideas that can be incorporated into their own homes. Since its inception in 1984, TNAH has the distinction of being both a show house and a for sale product, balancing architectural freedom and the bottom line. It is a collection of ideas for the industry to take away — in large pieces, or bit by bit -— and put into millions of homes across the country each year.

(Mike Kruse, who is owner and president of Mike Kruse Contractors Inc., is president of the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia, which serves a membership of approximately 615 builders and associate members in Fayette, Coweta, Spalding, Meriwether, Heard, Pike, Upson, Lamar, Butts and Jasper counties.)