Green as houses

DAVID HOVEY junior runs his hands over the steel beams of his home, and smiles. Tucked on a hillside in Scottsdale, Arizona that overlooks Phoenix, the property is stunning. It is made entirely of glass and recycled steel. The floor is elevated, leaving intact a 150-year-old ironwood tree. Overhangs keep out the sun. The building is environmentally friendly, but also marketable. Mr Hovey, who runs an architectural company called Optima, thinks many people will want a house just like this.

America is now enamoured of all things green. A study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) found that some 90% of home-builders are now using green ideas. In 2005 the study found a 20% increase in the number of new homes that were environmentally responsible: water-efficient, energy-efficient, built of nature-friendly materials. Last year, the figures were up another 30%.

Green building has become big business. Banks such as Bank of America are adding more green financing packages. Shops selling green building supplies are springing up, as are giant shows. The world's largest exhibition for residential builders is West Coast Green, held in San Francisco. Last September almost 9,000 attended; 4,000 more are anticipated this year. In its honour San Francisco has proclaimed next week “West Coast Green Week”. Christi Graham, the president of West Coast Green, says lower building costs are helping the movement. It used to cost at least 15% more to build using eco-friendly ideas and products, but today they add only 1-3% to the cost of construction, she says.

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