Civano is becoming a reality through an ambitious partnership of city, county, state, and federal governmental agencies, in cooperation with various developers and community and citizens groups. Two more builders, Doucett Homes and Contravest Properties, are just beginning to sell homes. Letting homeowners choose sustainability. Most homes in Civano are built using wood framing, but builders also use techniques to improve the energy efficiency of traditional wood frame homes. All homes include solar control glazing, which, depending upon the season, helps reduce energy loss or gain.
Some homes use structural insulated panel walls and roofs.
All homes have active solar hot water heating systems to improve energy efficiency and take advantage of Tucson's huge solar capital. Civano's developers estimate that the community's strict energy and building codes will result in enough energy savings to prevent 1 billion pounds of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere over the next 2 decades. Currently home to approximately 90 families, Civano will add as many as 2,000 residences over the next 7 years, including both rental and homeownership units. Plants salvaged from construction areas are moved to community facilities and individual lots in such a way that they provide shade in the summer and solar gain in the winter. Homes take advantage of the area's brief periods of rainfall by channeling runoff water to planted areas or into containers for later use.