Rick Schwolsky

Rick Schwolsky, construction manager for the 2015 Greenbuild Unity Home, has worked in the residential construction industry for more than 40 years with a special focus on high-performance homes. Before joining Hanley Wood in 1993 as BUILDER’s construction editor and later launching EcoHome magazine, he was president of Grafton Builders, a successful custom home building company in Vermont. 

Rick Schwolsky's Posts

• Super Solar Cells Bring Greater Efficiency

  by Rick Schwolsky

  Compared to traditional photovoltaic cells, new high-performance cells produce at greater than 30% efficiency.

• Architecture 2030 Launches Building Product Carbon-Reduction Initiative

  by Rick Schwolsky

  New 2030 Challenge for Products targets carbon footprint of building materials and calls for manufacturers to expand use of life cycle assessments.

• In Search of a Standard

  by Rick Schwolsky

  Field-based testing can substantiate your green building claims and set your homes apart from competitors.

• Green R&D: Smart City

  by Rick Schwolsky

  Regional utility company Xcel Energy chose Boulder, Colo., as its first Smart Grid City. This makes the town a test bed for an innovative energy management pilot program that will help Xcel increase its electrical distribution efficiencies and provide customers unprecedented home-energy management options and real-time data thatíll help them reduce their costs.

• Tune Up Your Crew's Scaffold Safety

  by Rick Schwolsky

  If you take your scaffold setup for granted, better think again. OSHA has put unsafe scaffolding on its "Most Wanted" list of safety violations in an effort to reduce the deaths caused by bad setups. Fall protection, access, platform construction, guardrails, and proper bracing and support are all cited as key focus areas. Here are some reminders.