Building Green? Your Neighbors May Block You. Is It Greenfear?

Kristi and Tom Cohen of Green Point in Marin County, California wanted to build their green dream house, and chose a modular design by renowned California architect Michelle Kaufmann. The design, called the "Sunset Breezehouse," includes solar panels, recycled materials and a living "green" roof.

The upper section of the house is put together in a factory, a process that is faster and more efficient than on-site construction. The defining feature of the Sunset Breezehouse blueprint is the so-called BreezeSpace at the center, which is formed by a distinctive butterfly-shaped roof. According to the architect's website, the glass-enclosed breezeway is intended to "let the green in to your space, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior. Courtyards, terraces and decks are placed at the front and rear of the home to further integrate nature with living." The goal is to give the sense of greater space without having to build bigger.

Local Marin residents objected to that innovative style, however, claiming that the modernist home would severely clash with the more traditional feel of the neighborhood. Some dubbed it "trailer like." A petition against the home was launched. The Cohens conducted meetings and went through various redesigns. In the end, the local board voted unanimously to approve the project, declaring a victory for green builders everywhere.

Clearly, preserving the character of neighborhoods is a noble goal, but the Marin resident's unusually strong opposition makes one wonder how much of their concerns were about the look of the building itself, or if they were merely afraid of emerging green technology that they were unfamiliar with — something we at TDG call "greenfear."

If neighborhoods exhibited as much revulsion to the raft of hideous McMansions popping up across the country as they did to a smallish green house, maybe it would go a long way to protecting the flavor of our towns. The story also underscores how, ultimately, it will be important to have a diverse array of green designs to fit well into the fabric of every street.

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• Is Your Home Too Big For Its Own Good?
• Which Is More Green, Old Or New Homes?
• Will Building Green Help You Beat The Slow Housing Market?