Thomas Brown, an architect from
Stevens Point, Wis., won the best
wall design at the 1991 Quality
Building Conference held in
Springfield, Mass., and sponsored
by the New England Sustainable
Energy Association. Brown's entry
for an energy-efficient strapped
wall was judged by an architect, an
engineer, and a builder for "energy
efficiency, buildability, simplicity,
and innovation."
Brown's design combines conventional
framing methods with
several energy-conserving construction
practices (see illustration).
Brown claims his design "is
very forgiving…and allows flexibility
in the completion of the project."
Most of the energy-conserving
measures have been added to a
standard 2x6 wall, he explains, and
don't require a whole new method.
"In fact," he adds, "it is possible to
revert to more standard practices if
budget or other constraints prevail."
The