<body><div><h2>Hardie siding and trim include climate-specific engineering.</h2><p>Peter Pfeiffer and Alan Barley of Barley|Pfeiffer Architecture in Austin approach every custom home they design with a sustainable, site-specific mindset. At the VISION House Austin, built in partnership with Green Builder Media, the house is situated to minimize solar heat gain, capture breezes and to be as resilient to fire hazards as possible. </p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1Ezh2J_0wJC4jpW00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1Ezh2J_0wJC4jpW00" width="1200" height="717" ></figure><p>One more element that will provide resilience and durability for this new net zero, healthy, connected and sustainable home: Hardie siding and trim. </p><p>“The VISION House Austin’s climate responsive design is a good fit for us,” says Jill Kolling, Chief Sustainability Officer for James Hardie, a global manufacturer of building products. “Homeowners want long-lasting beauty and protection from climate impacts.”</p><div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4HDLETl-yBU?feature=oembed" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div><p>Homeowners Robert and Judi George and their architects chose Hardie® Artisan® Siding products from James Hardiefor the VISION House Austin for their distinctive design and to meet their goals for a resilient, low maintenance home.</p><p>“Hardie Artisan siding has extra thick boards that deliver deep shadow lines for a distinctive design, and the fiber cement provides durability and resilience,” Kolling says. “This product offers lots of curb appeal and personality, with plenty of options to match the desires of custom home buyers.”</p><h2>Resilience to Climate Change</h2><p>Homeowners Robert and Judi George have a lifelong commitment to environmental causes. Among their goals for their custom home is to feel safe and secure, able to gracefully age in place and reduce their maintenance needs. The Georges are not alone in their desire for a home built to withstand the increasingly intense storms and extreme temperatures that impact the Austin area along with the rest of the planet. </p><p>Resilience can refer to multiple aspects of a home including financial resilience and energy independence, but the most common factor consumers consider as part of resilience is a home that will not be damaged in a storm, according to Green Builder Media’s COGNITION Smart Data. </p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3oRwoO_0wJC4jpW00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3oRwoO_0wJC4jpW00" width="1200" height="518" ></figure><h2>Climate Specific Engineering</h2><p>James Hardie’s customer research found that homeowners and builders value resilient, durable materials, Kolling says.</p><p>“They’re particularly concerned about firewise design in areas that are prone to wildfires,” Kolling says. </p><p>Hardie products are known for their longevity and durability and are built to withstand the harshest weather conditions. The siding and trim resists damage from natural disasters including wildfires and floods.</p><p>“We formulate products for specific climates with the Hardie Zone System that creates a substrate engineered to resist cracking, shrinking and swelling,” Kolling says.</p><p>For example, at the VISION House Austin, the homeowners and architects can use HZ10 products that are designed to stand up to brutal heat, humidity and storms. Buyers in other climates such as Minnesota can choose the HZ5 siding and trim products that are specifically designed to adapt to extreme cold and to withstand frequent freeze/thaw transitions.</p><h2>Sustainability at the Core</h2><p>Since James Hardie entered the U.S. market in the 1980s, durability and sustainability have been core to the company’s mission. Their commitment to reduce their carbon footprint contributes to their recognition as a 2024 Eco-Leader by Green Builder Media.</p><p>The company has already made progress on their plans to reduce their scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2030 compared to 2021 baseline and send zero manufacturing waste to landfills by 2035. Additionally, they recycle water used during their manufacturing process.</p><p>More than 80% of the raw materials used by James Hardie are sourced locally. </p><p>“The raw materials we use – cement and sand – are heavy, so we strategically locate our manufacturing sites near sources of those raw materials,” Kolling says. “This lowers our supply chain risk and lowers the transportation impact on carbon emissions.”</p><p>More than 90% of James Hardie products by revenue have an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), Kolling says. EPDs are third party verified certification to provide transparency and an easily understood mechanism similar to a nutrition label for products. The EPDs follow the full lifecycle of Hardie® products from the raw materials through manufacturing to delivery, installation and end of use.</p><p>EPDs provide transparency to homeowners, builders, designers and architects, as well as data that James Hardie uses internally to track the environmental impact of their products. The data helps the company make progress on their sustainability goals and identify areas for improvement.</p><p>James Hardie collaborates with universities and researchers to develop improvements and alternatives to reduce the environmental impact of fiber cement siding. In the meantime, Hardie® siding acts as a carbon sink because it absorbs and holds carbon emissions from the atmosphere.</p><p>“Durability is sustainability,” Kolling says. “We back up our products with a 30-year non-prorated warranty that provides a greater sense of protection.” </p></div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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Resilient Siding Provides Climate Conscious Protection

Hardie siding and trim include climate-specific engineering. Peter Pfeiffer and Alan Barley of Barley|Pfeiffer Architecture in Austin approach every custom home they design with a sustainable, site-specific mindset. At the VISION House Austin, built in partnership with Green Builder Media, the house is situated to minimize solar heat gain, capture breezes and to be as resilient to fire hazards as possible.