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Sarasota News Leader December 14, 2012 Page 63 One of the most important characteristics of AAC, Renoux explained, is its safety. ���It doesn���t burn, it���s non-toxic when you make it, it���s non-toxic when you use it, it���s non-toxic when you demolish it and it provides great insulation. It���s very light and it���s a very good material,��� he said. only on the building���s internal temperature and the comfort of its occupants but also on the environment. The next step, Renoux explained, would be to make the building as energy-independent as possible by using geothermal energy for cooling, installing solar panels for appliances and other power needs and using LED light bulbs, among other energy-efficient, daily-use items. Second, the choice of colors used inside a space was a very important aspect of the Bauhaus concept because the architects and engineers were designing living spaces for members of the working class, who would likely be limited in the amount of room they could afford. Exposing the workers to certain colors at home, the Bauhaus designers deduced, could reduce the stress or anxiety produced by living in a small space they likely would have to share with others. Although Renoux did not make this particular connection, the technique might prove particularly useful in designing environmentally conscious living areas that also make intelligent use of available floor space, especially in urban areas. ���Why is it that we have dark roofs in Florida or in Sarasota? Why is it that people paint their houses brown?��� Renoux asked. ���The darker the color, the more it will absorb the energy, In terms of auxiliary materials, Renoux ruled the heat. It���s totally inefficient,��� he said. ���They out vinyl, especially polyvinyl chloride, better really need to be white or extremely bright known as PVC, because of its toxic effects. colors.��� Finally, the building would consume as little water as possible via the utilization of composting toilets that were not attached to the sewer system and the collection of rainwater from the roof. A building with 3,000 square feet of floor space, Renoux pointed out, has the potential to collect 80,000 gallons of rainwater per year. ���And that would be a ���green��� house,��� he concluded. ���The colors have an influence,��� Renoux said. Another environmentally pertinent aspect of ���Red is exciting. Green relaxes. Pink relaxes Bauhaus designs that he discussed in the lec- even more. Green is good on your eyes,��� he ture and subsequent interview is the deliber- continued. ate use of color to make the inhabitants of a space or the users of a product feel more RELEVANT EXAMPLES content or at ease. Renoux explained how this Renoux lamented the underutilization of these could be applied in construction in at least strategies in Sarasota, in public buildings and two ways. spaces as well as private homes, because they First, the colors of the roof and facade of a have the potential to enrich people���s lives. ���It���s building are particularly relevant in Florida hard to convince people that it is true, that it because they have an enormous impact not is the way it should be,��� he said.