Riverbend and Insulspan, along with other "green" building and awareness groups, are involved with BASF on the BASF Better Home, Better Planet Initiative Project. This project provides the opportunity for builders, architects and other parties interested in the Green Design and Building solutions to demonstrate how a healthy, energy-efficient home can be built economically, yet with high-quality materials that enhance the home's durability and beauty.

Insulspan Structural Insulated Panels are used in the second-story walls and the roof, as well as supplying the wood timber trusses, the ridge beams and the purlin.

Once construction and demonstration are complete, the home will be donated to St. Michael's Housing Corporation, which has granted it to a quadriplegic boy, Richard Sosa, and his family. The home is designed to accommodate special needs.

The educational housing project will incorporate Zero-Energy Housing (ZEH) concepts from Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and the building science principles of PATH/Build America expert, Steve Winter, AIA.

The home will be designed to achieve Energy Star certification and, with the inclusion of solar panels, will support New Jersey's Solar Initiative Program.

For more information on the Paterson, N. J., project, visit the BASF Web site.