Download Small Homes - Housing Education and Research Association

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Presentation for the
Introduction to
Housing textbook
Small Homes
 What is a small home?
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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 Rohe—”less is more”
 Question—How 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 space—space
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 Council’s
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 Wright—houses 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 design—taking advantage of
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natural sunlight for lighting; minimizing
interior space
Architecture envelope—adopting climate
responsive design
Culture—designing to reflect local culture
Siting—acknowledging interrelationships
between humans & their environment
Alternative building materials—selecting
local and/or resource efficient materials
Energy efficiency
Energy Efficiency
Why focus on housing?
 Accounts for a major portion of total energy use
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(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
structure—less area for heat to escape or
outside air to penetrate
Spherical shape provides for natural and
efficient interior air circulation
Solar housing
 Active—uses collectors, pumps, & tanks to
collect & distribute the sun’s heat
 Passive—where the shell of the house &
living space collect & distribute the sun’s
heat
 Photovoltaic cells—convert sunlight
directly into electricity
Components of a passive solar house:
 Direct gain—sunshine enters south-facing
windows; absorbed within living space;
stored in mass within home
 Indirect gain—energy from sun collected
at one place, such as a solar greenhouse
Wind-powered housing
 Wind power is the world’s 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