Passive solar construction takes root in Northwest Arkansas

By The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

LITTLE ROCK — Sustainable architecture involves building with locally available and recycled materials that cut down on costs and lessen a structure's environmental impact, as Tracy M. Rogers reports in Saturday's HomeStyle section

Architect Albert Skiles and his wife, Lisa Knemeyer Skiles, have incorporated these building principles into the concept of passive solar construction. Skiles built his first passive solar house in Madison County's Forum community in 1976. Since then he has built passive solar and solar-oriented houses throughout Northwest Arkansas, including a house in Madison County for NASA Skylab astronauts Jerry Carr and William Pogue in the 1970s.

Lisa Knemeyer Skiles is a 2005 graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Architecture who worked on Fayetteville's Underwood Plaza under architect Robert Sharp. She also works on projects with the Arkansas chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. Together, the Skileses design projects ranging from historic preservation and renovation to new suburban and rural housing - most of which incorporate passive solar and green building strategies.

Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

Thank you for coming to the Web site of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. We're working to keep you informed with the latest breaking news.