2005 Media Releases & Alerts
Award-Winning Architect and Author Sarah Susanka to Keynote EnergyValue Housing
Award Dinner Ceremony
October 20, 2005, Upper Marlboro, Md. - As the nation continues
to face the unrelenting rise in energy costs, many consumers are looking for
techniques to assist in reducing their energy consumption. A group of 18
industry professionals who are leading these efforts will be honored for their
contributions on January 11, 2006, with the EnergyValue Housing Award (EVHA)
presented at the 2006 International Builders' Show. The EVHA program recognizes
builders who voluntarily integrate energy efficiency into the design,
construction, and marketing of their homes. It also educates the home building
industry and the public about successful approaches to energy-efficient
construction. Award-winning architect and visionary author Sarah Susanka, FAIA,
will keynote the EVHA dinner ceremony, sharing insight from her "build better,
not bigger" approach to residential architecture.
Sarah Susanka is leading a movement that is redefining the American home. As a
top advocate for the re-popularization of residential architecture, Susanka has
improved the quality of home design while countering the elitist image of
architects so commonly held by the public. Her Not-So-Big philosophy has been
embraced by homeowners, architects, and builders across the country, sparking
an international dialogue.
NAHB Research Center president, Michael Luzier said, "We are excited to have Ms.
Susanka participate in the ceremony, given her distinguished career in
architecture and innovative approach to residential design. Her extraordinary
efforts to shift conventional views of home design are an inspiration to the
industry."
A sought-after resource by industry groups and members of the media, Susanka is
regularly asked to address local and national conferences for professional
organizations, including the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Susanka has shared her insights
on big ideas for small spaces with "The Oprah Winfrey Show," USA Today,
the Wall Street Journal, and "Charlie Rose," and has received many
accolades for her books.
Her first, The Not So Big House (1998) spent two years among the top
five best sellers on Amazon.com's Home and Garden list, and Creating The Not So
Big House (2000) ranked among the top 15 books in the New York Times'
"Advice & How To" best-seller list. Through her columns in Fine
Homebuilding and Inspired House magazine, Susanka explored
issues commonly encountered in new home design and remodeling, inspiring Not So
Big Solutions for Your Home (2002) a compilation that provides
everyday design solutions for people of all skill levels and budgets. In 2004,
Susanka produced Home by Design along with a companion demonstration
Showhouse, at NAHB's 2005 International Builders' Show. Both the book and the
Showhouse illustrated principles that govern how we experience space, light,
and order in our homes, and revealed the techniques used by architects and
designers to make their creations comfortable and engaging.
Her current book, Inside the Not So Big House (2005) explores details
that bring a home to life and will be followed by future publications Outside
the Not So Big House in 2006 and The Not So Big Life in 2007.
With these, Susanka will adapt the same revolutionary principles to offer
guidelines for easing our chaotic and overcommitted lifestyles, slowing down,
and eliminating less fulfilling activities to make time for things that give
our lives a personal signature and deep satisfaction.
Prior to her work as an author and public speaker, Sarah Susanka was a principal
and founding partner of Mulfinger, Susanka, Mahady & Partners, Inc., a firm
specializing in residential architecture in Minneapolis, Minn. She spent 16
years at the company, which was selected to design the 1999 Life Dream House.
Susanka is a registered architect, a member of the American Institute of
Architects, and is a certified interior designer.
EVHA is coordinated by the NAHB Research Center in partnership with the
U.S. Department of Energy through the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, and the National
Association of Home Builders. EVHA ceremony tickets are $50 each and
available for purchase online at www.nahbrc.com/evha/tickets.html.
For additional information and details on past winners, visit
www.nahbrc.com/evha or contact Dr. Kevin Mo, EVHA program manager, at
800-638-8556, or via email.
10/05
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