Dive summary:

• In Webster Groves, Mo., outside St. Louis, workmen from Hibbs Homes are building a 2,500-square-foot house that backers from the Active House Alliance think will meet or beat four North American standards for sustainable housing.
• The strategies for winning certification under the National Green Building Standard, Energy Star, EPA Indoor airPLUS and Building America Builders Challenge are high energy efficiency, indoor air quality and as many locally produced materials as possible as well as durable and recycled ones.
• The house is in a historic neighborhood and needs to fit in visually with century-old homes.

From the article:

St. Louis was chosen as the home's site because of its mixed climate zone, with both heat and humidity in the summer and frosty conditions in the winter. ...