WINTER HAVEN | Winter Haven's first LEED-registered home is well underway on the shores of Little Lake Otis and both the contractor and architect say the job represents a culmination of their prior experiences - and a glimpse of what their work is quickly becoming.

Earning LEED certification, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is granted by the U.S. Green Building Council, means adhering to strict standards for everything from energy savings to water efficiency to reduced emissions. Registering a project with the U.S. Green Building is the first step in earning the certification.

The home belongs to Sheryll and Carl Strang Jr. and is being designed by their son, Miami-based architect Max Strang, of Max Strang Architecture, and built by Alan L. Ulch Inc.

Situated at 1190 W. Lake Otis Drive, the house measures about 4,200 square feet, will have four bedrooms and 4 1/2 baths, a lap pool, courtyard, and all kinds of audiovisual gadgets.

It is also, as you might expect, planned to be chock full of environmentally friendly products and features.

To name a few:

The roof will be covered with a white membrane to keep it cooler than your standard asphalt-shingle roof.

Applied on top of the membrane will be peel-and-stick solar panels installed by Quickbeam Energy of Winter Haven. Carl Strang Jr., a self-described "capitalist," is chairman of the company, which designs and installs solar power systems; it is one of many businesses Strang has ties to. The membrane will help reduce energy use while the solar panels will generate much of the energy the house requires.

The house will literally be like a large, live-in cooler thanks to multiple types of insulation, including a foam spray that will ensure there are no gaps for air to enter or exit.

Energy-efficient windows.

The south and southwest sides of the home were designed with a minimal number of windows to eliminate as much heat as possible.

Sliding glass doors at both the rear and front of the home that when open will create cross-ventilation.

Geothermal air-conditioning that will use the ground and water from nearby Little Lake Otis to cool air for the home.

Concrete flooring made using fly ash, a powder created when electric power is generated, thus putting to use what would otherwise merely be a pollutant.

Equipment to capture rainwater to use it for landscaping and filling the pool.

Lumber that meets Forest Stewardship Council standards.

Using such materials as the lumber has been one of the greatest differences in this project from others he's been involved in, said Curt Ulch, vice president of Alan L. Ulch.

"You don't just go out and buy FSC wood," he said, adding that many of the details that will qualify the home for LEED certification require extra time. But time consumption aside, Ulch said it is fulfilling to build one project that incorporates many years of environmentally friendly efforts.

He recalled that his company first started using Dow Corning Tuff-R insulation, which helps reduce air infiltration, 20 years ago. The same insulation is being used on the Strang project.

For Max Strang, who graduated from Winter Haven High before going on to the University of Florida and Columbia University, designing his parents' future home has been a chance to focus on his true passion of residential design; his firm also does commercial work.

Also, the project is a chance to implement what he knows about green design - and do some learning, too. "I'm still learning. Green technology keeps changing," he said. "I take a lot of pride in advancing the sustainable concepts."

The more than $1 million house - or "until I'm broke," said Carl Strang - will be ready for occupancy later this year and the couple can't wait to call it home.

"I was an environmentalist before it was cool. I'm also cheap and don't like big light bills," Carl Strang said jokingly. But in all seriousness, he added, "We need to take care of God's creations."