Kent Brown, P.E. as the owner and managing member of Calumet Construction brings 30 years of experience including an extensive background in engineering and construction to every project. “The role of an engineer is to solve problems, the role of the contractor is to make the visions of others a reality” says Brown. “We are able to combine the problem solving and building roles through organizing Calumet Construction around an Integrated Design Process”. The integrated design process focuses on thoughtful design. The overwhelming vision at Calumet Construction is the implementation of existing Green Technologies into every construction project. The main problem in accomplishing that vision is standardizing the systems used to accomplish building Green.
The basis of Green construction at Calumet is the Energy Star certification program created and managed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Calumet has been dedicated to constructing only Energy Star certified new homes since 2003. The Energy Star certification confirms that a third party has inspected the home and that it meets all of the standards as set forth by the EPA. The Energy Star program focuses on energy efficiency, which is accomplished through the use of high efficiency exterior doors, windows, heating and cooling systems, lighting fixtures and appliances as well as upgraded insulation.
Calumet considers energy efficiency as the basis or foundation of Green building. The next step is to bring the nearly unlimited possibilities of Green to every project. One of the best ways to approach these decisions is outlined in the LEED for Homes Program, which was organized by the U.S. Green Building Council. This program creates a rating system that values Green components in order to validate the Green factors of the project. The LEED program breaks Green into the following eight categories:
Innovation and Design Process
Location and Linkages
Water Efficiency
Sustainable Sites
Energy and Atmosphere
Materials and Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
Awareness and Education
As you can see there is a lot more to being Green than the application of one technology or construction practice. The LEED program encourages the consideration of all Green issues. Decisions are then made regarding what if any attempt will be made to incorporate a technology or construction process that will address any particular Green issue. At Calumet Construction we are proud to have been the builder of a LEED rated home and we continue to apply lessons learned from that experience in every home we build today.
Calumet wants every customer to ask the question;
“How Green do I want to be?”
Calumet hopes that by offering standard Green features and a multitude of Green upgrades
in every home we can do our part to change the way we all use energy resources.