BERGEN COUNTY, NJ – We continually set the energy-performance bar higher than other Engineering/Architecture firms- of any size. Metropolitan’s CEO, Raj Parikh, PE has set out to raise the bar for single-family sustainable home retrofit by creating an ultra high-performance home that is both luxurious and an alternative to the American McMansion.
The goal of this project is to demonstrate that:
- Retrofitting a 60-year old timber home to a net-zero-energy standard is both possible and attainable,
- Environmental friendliness and hedonistic luxury are not mutually exclusive.
- By harnessing the value of abundant natural resources and lowering our demand on fossil fuels, we will achieve total energy independence.
We accomplish this:
By Working WITH nature instead of against it
- We utilize the gifts of nature to make a home more comfortable and more efficient
- Sun provides daylight, electricity, and hot water for home
- Wind provides electricity
- Indoor bio-wall naturally swaps fresh oxygen with carbon dioxide
- Ground beneath home cools it in summer and warms it in winter
- Home captures and purifies rainwater for use in irrigation and laundry, WC
By Minimizing How Much Energy The Home Demands
- By building a better box
- Thermal-bridge-free construction
- Super-insulated walls
- Controlled ventilation instead of “air escaping through the cracks”.
- Creative energy reclamation and heat recovery systems.
By Making it Fun
- Have an indoor home theater that is powered entirely by renewable energy
- Have heat rejected from the wine cellar warm the sauna (virtually free exchange)
- Magnificent roof gardens are a delight!
By Reducing / Eliminating the Carbon Footprint
- Use geothermal, wind, and solar systems instead of burning fossil fuel
- Cradle-to-cradle approach with building materials (reduce, recycle, or repurpose everything)
- Reduce trips to the supermarket and food packaging by growing substantial produce onsite
- Produce more power than the home uses, and give back to the grid
By Backing it Up
- Monitor energy use & system operation with a digital dashboard
- Prove that intelligent design and smart buildings are even smarter investments