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Presentation for the
Introduction to
Housing textbook

Small Homes

 What is a small home?

1,200 to 1,700 square feet

Advantages for young families buying their
first home, busy career persons, or mature
adults wanting to downsize
Require less cleaning, painting & routine
maintenance
More easily negotiated & higher energy
efficiency
Require fewer resources to build

 Mies van der Roheless is more

QuestionHow do you either create or

recreate qualitative space which is limited

in square footage (reality) but looks larger
than it actually is (illusion)?
Do it through craftsmanship (best that can
be afforded), materials (high quality) &
design
Hans Hollein (Pritzker Prize winner)
combines the costly with everyday
materials

 Key is to create illusionary spacespace

which appears to be more extensive &
desirable that what actually exists
Some possibilities:
glass & skylights
mirrors
curves
wall-to-wall floor coverings
multi-purpose, small scale furnishings

 Interior-exterior connection
roof overhangs
porch & deck
courtyard
Smooth transition from & exterior to interior
glass doors
lots of windows
interior plants

Sustainable Design

 Sustainable design is defined as

design that meets the needs of the

present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet
their own needs

The U.S. Green Building Councils

Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design
(LEED) Program

LEED-Home Criteria

Location & linkages

Sustainable sites
Water efficiency
Indoor environmental quality
Materials & resources
Energy & atmosphere
Homeowner awareness
Innovation & design process

 Frank Lloyd Wrighthouses should grow

from and work in harmony with their

surroundings
Emerging goal is to create
environmentally conscious homes that
remain functional & aesthetically pleasing

 Holistic approach that includes:

solar orientation
daylighting
healthy ventilation systems (IAQ)
environmentally friendly components
such as recycled materials
energy efficiency
Rug made from
recycled plastic
Bamboo floor

Strategies

Interior designtaking advantage of

natural sunlight for lighting; minimizing

interior space
Architecture envelopeadopting climate
responsive design
Culturedesigning to reflect local culture
Sitingacknowledging interrelationships
between humans & their environment
Alternative building materialsselecting
local and/or resource efficient materials
Energy efficiency

Energy Efficiency

Why focus on housing?

Accounts for a major portion of total energy use

(20%)
Heating (38%) is largest consumer in home
Easiest sector to target
A great deal (perhaps 50%) of energy is wasted
Most homes are not adequately built for energy
efficiency & older homes are typically not efficient
High energy prices can create financial burdens
for homeowners and renters

 Energy programs:
Built Green (Colorado)
Energy Star (U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency)
Many minor modifications can enhance
energy efficiency (including appropriate Rlevel & site plan)
Compact fluorescent
lights
Efficient ceiling
fan

Earth-sheltered housing

Uses the earth as a barrier & as a

moderator of temperature
Not a new idea
sod homes
earth berming
homes built into hills

Geodesic dome
Uses 30% less surface area to enclose the
same amount of volume as a box type
structureless area for heat to escape or
outside air to penetrate
Spherical shape provides for natural and
efficient interior air circulation

Solar housing

Activeuses collectors, pumps, & tanks to

collect & distribute the suns heat
Passivewhere the shell of the house &
living space collect & distribute the suns
heat
Photovoltaic cellsconvert sunlight
directly into electricity

Components of a passive solar house:

Direct gainsunshine enters south-facing
windows; absorbed within living space;
stored in mass within home
Indirect gainenergy from sun collected
at one place, such as a solar greenhouse

Wind-powered housing
Wind power is the worlds fastest growing
energy source
US wind turbines produce over 3 billion
kilowatt hours of electricity
Wind turbine generators harness the
energy of moving air to generate electrical
power