special report

Participating in the Next Generation of Homes
Safe & Sound will be the theme of the Nextgen05 home to be built in Orlando for the International Builders' Show.

by Howard Shingle

Early next year, the hurricane protection industry will have a unique and significant opportunity to impress on U.S. homebuilders the important safety benefits, recoupable costs and even the aesthetic qualities of storm panels and other hurricane protection products. The Safe & Sound Home will debut at the International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Orlando, FL, in January 2005. It is the third generation in the NextGen Demonstration Home series produced by iShow, Bellevue, WA. But this year, there’s a big difference.

To be built on the grounds of the Orange County Convention Center, in the heart of hurricane protection country, NextGen05 will be the first to feature hurricane resistant opening protection and impact-resistant windows.

A growing segment of homebuyers located in severe weather prone areas of the country have a heightened interest in owning a stronger, safer home. The goal of the NextGen05 project is to demonstrate that a stronger, safer approach to residential construction does not have to add unduly to the cost of construction. In fact, it can offer creative design solutions, the highest energy efficiency and excellent livability while delivering peace of mind.

The safe aspect of the theme is self-explanatory. There are new innovative approaches to residential construction featured in the NextGen05 project that impact a home’s safety rating. The sound aspect of the theme is about choices; choices that will offer a surprising array of innovative technologies for the home resulting in lower energy bills, healthier interior air quality and smart home conveniences.

A WHOLE SYSTEM
The NextGen Series of Demonstration Homes is produced by iShow, a Bellevue, WA-based leader in creating highly visible national marketing and communications products for the residential construction industry that integrate online broadcasting, video, print and event strategy for maximum impact.

Over the past two years, the NextGen Demonstration Home has become a must-see showcase of the latest in building products and systems located at the entrance to the International Builders’ Show. It’s much more than an event. It’s the culmination of a multi-faceted public awareness campaign that consistently ranks high in visitor satisfaction—more than 15,000 IBS attendees toured the NextGen04 home in Las Vegas,
NV.

That’s because the NextGen home is more than a product showcase. True, its walls enclose some of the best-known brands in building. But its real message is about the power of quality products when installed as part of a carefully planned system.

The lessons of the NextGen home can help builders put these things within reach of the average American family. That’s because electronics isn’t its only system. The house itself is another. The NextGen home exemplifies how smart builders can create homes that use very little gas or electricity, provide clean air and water, and are tough enough to withstand some of nature’s worst furies. Their owners will pay less for power, water and perhaps even insurance.

The NextGen home provides all this within a flexible, open floor plan that welcomes visitors and encourages family communication. Opening the dining room, great room, breakfast area and kitchen does more than make the home feel spacious; it makes it easy for the parent cooking dinner to talk with the teenager studying for that math exam. After all, the most important connections in a home are those between the people who live in it.

The NextGen04 Home was on display in the parking lot of the Las Vegas (NV) Convention Center during the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show (ICES) and the 2004 International Builders’ Show in January. Upon the close of the Builders’ Show the home was donated to Opportunity Village. Opportunity Village is a not-for-profit organization that serves people within the Las Vegas community with intellectual disabilities, to enhance their lives and the lives of their families.

THE AMERICAN EVOLUTION
There is a certain tension between progress and permanence in residential construction these days. Many homeowners crave the benefits of new technologies, but they want those technologies to blend seamlessly into a traditional design that feels like home.

The 2004 NextGen Demonstration Home took its theme, The Evolution of the American Home, from this trend—specifically, the evolution of the technologies that go into the home. Although this evolution is far from complete, it has made great strides in the last few years, and NextGen04 demonstrated where it has brought us today.

The message of the 2,300 square-foot structure was that new products and building methods can make life safer, more comfortable and more enjoyable. And they can deliver those benefits without stretching the budget. They do this by working together.

This is great news. Take today’s automation systems. Being able to monitor your security cameras and turn your door alarm on and off from your bedside or your office can make you feel safer; being able to do the same with your thermostat can save you money. Using a colorful touch screen to call up music or movies from any room in the house can make you smile.

STRONGER AND SAFER
The NextGen04 home was connected in more ways than one. It was framed using Simpson Strong-Tie’s well-connected house system. This system works with virtually any building method to make the home a solid bulwark against high winds. All American Homes assembled the structure to resist wind loads of 110 mph. Other features protect the home against fire, water damage and unwanted visitors. Some of these included:

• Metal clips, connector straps and other hardware connect the roof to the walls and the walls to the foundation, so a strong wind won’t blow the roof off.

• Shear panels fastened to the framing gave the walls racking resistance.

• The roof’s wind and hail impact-resistant shingles were thicker than standard asphalt shingles, and made with enough resilience that hail will bounce off them.

• The fiber cement siding has a 50-year-plus lifespan and is more fire- and insect-resistant than most exterior treatments.

• The home’s Water Cop valve automatically shuts off the home’s water supply if a pipe bursts—which can bring real peace of mind when the homeowners are away on vacation.

• The security system can be controlled and monitored from anywhere the homeowners can log on to the Internet.

The NextGen04 house was built to meet Freedom Seal’s Design for Better Living standards. This independent organization works with the insurance industry to identify the main causes of claims in various areas. By specifying construction methods that reduce these perils, the standards qualify many homeowners for lower insurance premiums.

MEDIA PARTNER
Hurricane Protection magazine is pleased to join the NextGen05 home as a Media Partner. Hurricane Protection and the International Hurricane Protection Association (IHPA) look forward to participating in the 2005 Safe & Sound Demonstration Home at the International Builders’ Show. Together, we plan to lend our expert advice and counsel in all areas of hurricane protection products, supplies and services. For more information on how you can get involved as a sponsor, please contact Kerri Caldwell at (773) 775-9293; or e-mail at kcaldwell@lcclark.com.