Jan 12 2006
Celebrating its 23rd anniversary, The New American Home 2006® (TNAH) was unveiled as the official showcase home of the 2006 International Builders’ Show® in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 11-14, 2006.
The New American Home is a real-world laboratory demonstrating concepts, materials, designs and construction techniques that can be replicated — in whole or in part — in housing built any place and in any price range. The New American Home has the distinction of being both a show house and a for-sale product, balancing architectural freedom and the bottom line. It is a collection of ideas for the industry to take away and put into millions of homes across the country each year.
The International Builders’ Show, taking place for the second time in Orlando, will offer the more than 100,000 attendees and building professionals the opportunity to tour the home. After the show, the house will be open to the public.
“The 2006 New American Home is unlike any other we have built in our 23-year history of the show home,” said Yvonne Rawson, 2006 Task Force Chairman and President of Pueblo Builders in Las Cruces, N.M. “The New American Home highlights the most innovative building techniques, design approaches and products to building professionals across the country to incorporate into their own projects.”
Builder Hannigan Homes, Inc., and architect WCI Architecture & Land Planning collaborated with interior designer Saxon-Clark and landscape architect Redmon Design Company to create a home that was both elegant and functional while remaining environmentally conscious. The 10,023 square-foot (7,367 square-feet of air-conditioned space) home is located in southwest Orange County on the shores of Windermere’s Lake Burden and boasts a view of the lake from nearly every room. It was designed with a mix of styles found in early Florida, particularly in the St. Augustine area. The home’s exterior design has a bit of a Caribbean flavor and uses Spanish-style architecture, coupled with vernacular lap siding.
In addition to having such amenities as an “infinity pool,” a spa, a master suite with a kitchen and laundry room, and a second-story library, the home was also built to be environmentally friendly. The home is energy-star rated through the U.S. Department of Energy Program “Build America” and uses 61 percent less energy for heating and cooling, and 50 percent less energy for water heating, compared to a similar house in this climate. The design is ideal for cross-ventilation when the air conditioning is turned off. Other energy and conservation features include HEPA filtration for clean indoor air, a roof gutter system that will collect rainwater to irrigate the landscaping, and mulch made from recycled construction materials.
“We are proud to have built a home that blends cutting-edge building design with environmental sensibility,” said builder Alex Hannigan.
With high-end amenities such as media room, a game room, a lakefront spa-room featuring practically every high-tech water fixture imaginable, as well as a massage table, the home is designed for the upscale buyer. Residents of the home have nearly all they need within the master suite, which is equipped with a morning kitchen and laundry room. In addition to the four upstairs bedrooms, the first floor of the home features a guest suite. The New American Home is designed with a young retiree in mind and boasts features that would allow the owner to stay in the home even if they required a wheel chair or had difficulty getting around. The house is nearly 100 percent wheelchair accessible and is equipped with an elevator.
“I'm as excited as I can be about the whole project," said Hannigan. “We are trying to achieve a 'wow' factor everywhere you go in the house.”
The National Council of the Housing Industry — the Supplier 100 co-sponsors the construction of this show home along with Builder magazine.
The New American Home 2006 is located at 11525 Center Lake Drive, Windermere, Fla., 34786, just minutes from the Orange County Convention Center. Registered attendees at the 2006 International Builders’ Show can tour The New American Home during exhibit hours via free shuttle buses (ticket required) that depart every half hour from the Orange County Convention Center. Shuttle bus tickets may be picked up at the TNAH booth located in “Transportation Central” of the “C” Hall Lobby, West Building during show hours.
For more details, visit www.tnah.com.