Anthony Pidgeon / www.anthonypidgeon.com
Staffer Andrew Morphis performs a blower door test on a renovati…
Green Philosophy: “If you break green building down to its core elements, it’s doing things responsibly from an environmental, economic, and social perspective. … If you just chase down one theme, I think you miss the opportunity to integrate all of them.”
To Stephen Aiguier, one’s motivation for becoming a green builder is just as important as the act itself. “When you have responsible social, environmental, and economic management as your core value, it’s easy to make decisions,” he says. “But if you don’t have that paradigm, you’re chasing one green marketing thing after another.”
Since its founding in 2002, Aiguier’s design/build company, Green Hammer of Portland, Ore., has embraced sustainable practices in a holistic way. In doing so, it’s grown into a top green builder in this eco-friendly region. “They were open to exploring ideas and didn’t just want to throw money at a problem,” notes Jaynelle Nash, a recent custom home client.
Along with using green products and systems on their projects, Aiguier and his team have helped make environmental materials more available to the public. In 2005, they started a division called Urban Timber Works, which recovers Portland’s felled trees and mills them into products such as flooring, furniture, and cabinetry. And Green Hammer boasts an in-house painting contractor, Green Paint, which specializes in low- and no-VOC applications.
When the housing bust began to affect Green Paint, Aiguier invested in Building Performance Institute (BPI) energy efficiency retrofit training for the paint staff. The move paid off, especially now that the federal government is providing tax credits for energy-efficient home systems and products. “Now that’s the busiest part of the company,” Aiguier says.
He and three other employees have become certified Passive House consultants, and in-house designer Jesse Schwartzberg is LEED-accredited. Aiguier also leads the Portland chapter of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, and co-founded the Build Local Alliance, which connects Portland-area wood users with local sustainable forests.
Aiguier and his team have made it their mission to educate themselves and their clients about green building, never losing sight of that triple-pronged social, environmental, and economic approach. “Our values show in our projects,” he says.
Green Hammer, Portland, Ore.
www.greenhammer.com
Years in business: 8
Employees: 21
2009 volume: $1.9 million
2009 starts: 56 (including small remodels and weatherization projects )
Years of focusing on sustainable building: 8
