Most buildings have a long lifespan, and in this age of environmental uncertainty it is more important than ever that the buildings we design are sustainable. However, many believe this change isn’t happening quickly enough. Enter Free Green, an American sustainable housing design firm, with an innovative solution which could speed up the transition to sustainable residential architecture.

Whilst many consider the role of the architect to be key in building design becoming more sustainable, the reality is that only 5% of homes have an architect involved in their design. But with 30% of homes built coming from stock plans, many of which are years old, Free Green believe that for housing design to become more sustainable, newer, greener stock plans will have a more positive impact than architects ever could.

In order to reach the biggest audience possible, and to provide the company with a unique selling point, Free Green decided to give away their sustainable stock plans at no cost. To generate income from their idea, product placement, a method normally used in film and TV, was integrated in all their plans.

Essentially, companies that produce sustainable products for housing construction can pay Free Green to have their designs featured with the hope that a percentage of those who use the plans will buy their goods. In order to qualify for a place on Free Green’s plans, all product must pass a selection of third party sustainability tests, as well as meet the company’s approval.

David Wax and Ben Uyeda, the company’s founders, believe:

Design isn’t a product or service, it’s a medium, and no one has ever looked at the house plan as a form of media.

Users can modify house plans online, with changes presented in a way that is easy understand. For example, improve a building’s insulation and you could see that the expense will increase mortgage repayments by $50 a month, but save $100 a month in energy bills, a method of presentation that Wax and Uyeda believe will encourage uptake of green housing improvements.

Since launching, over 44,000 plans have been downloaded and Free Green have become the world’s largest provider of house stock plans. Is product placement the future of sustainable architecture? It’s certainly worked for Free Green.