SUSTAINABLE SUBURBAN DESIGN COMPETITION DESIGN THEORY NARRATIVE Our intent on the submission on the Sustainable Suburban Design Competition – Sustainable Home Renovation, is to show that sustainability, livability and community are all related. Our designs consider the macro aspects of the location and site and also delve into details of sustainability while integrating the principles into one cohesive project. Our submission for the Sustainable Home Renovation integrates with submission B-11 for Suburban Backyard Homestead. We feel a coordinated approach is the most sustainable method. We also feel that many living spaces are part of the landscape plan and that no truly sustainable design could be done without integrating the two parts. We realize that the entire concept, taken complete, would likely far exceed the budget. We see this as an opportunity to begin the discussion on the elements that make this design sustainable and hopefully inform the final outcome.
Neighborhood Connection The first element we feel should be considered in sustainable design is the connection the property has to the neighborhood. The building should not only fit in its context but should invite connections. This is done through creation of public, semi-public and semi-private outdoor elements and spaces. An inviting approach from the street leads to a large porch that can serve as a semi-private outdoor living space. Plantings and hardscape elements such as fences can enhance the esthetics and help create a pleasant and livable space to greet neighbors and entertain.
Ergonomics of Building and Site How each space and elements within the program connects is extremely important in making the plan efficient. Making the plan efficient is extremely valuable in the goal of creating a working homestead. The kitchen is the center of living and working in a modern home. For a home that produces a significant amount of food and home products, the kitchen is a very active space. Connecting the kitchen to other spaces, particularly outside spaces, without sacrificing working space to circulation, is challenging. The kitchen needs direct access to the parking area, to the gardens and if a family with children inhabits the home, the kitchen should also have visual connection to play yards and other areas where the children would be.
Thinking through the likely daily activities to develop our program is an important first step. Locating important elements such as the kitchen in the most efficient position is how we can achieve the best functionality. Outdoor Spaces as Living Spaces Creating outdoor spaces that serve as living spaces serve many purposed that help create a sustainable home. It helps to connect the people with the neighborhood but also helps to connect people with the environment. They also help to expand the living space to allow for a smaller built home. 9/3/2013
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Outdoor built spaces include a patio, screen porch and second floor deck. These spaces offer private spaces to enjoy the outdoors during warm weather, and reduce need for cooling and afford additional work space.
Indoor Utility Areas Some of the most important spaces are often the least appreciated. The utility areas of the home will enhance the ability for the owner to produce food, make products and help maintain a clean environment. A mudroom between the parking and the kitchen is essential. This provides storage and helps to prevent dirt from entering the home. The spaces that support activity in the kitchen include: the pantry, dining area, sunroom and root cellar. These should be directly connect or easy access. The sunroom and screen porch can act as additional work or dining space. The sunroom is intended to be a three season space with possible use year-round due to passive solar heat. This space could be closed at night to reduce heat loss and opened during the day to allow heat in the main building. The sunroom could also support the activity in the greenhouse by having a space within the home for growing food year-round.
Living The living room is relatively small and open to the kitchen. By having it open it allows family members in the kitchen to stay connected to those in the living room. The living room is connected to the street through the front door. It also has views to flower gardens. A woodstove located in this space would add ambience. Nearby is a desk for work or homework.
Laundry/Work Laundry can consume large amounts of time and energy. By locating on the second floor we reduce the effort in transporting the clothes up and down stairs. We located the laundry machines off of an open work area. With the laundry closet doors closed, this space could be used as a reading area, homework area or a play space. There is also a second floor deck that this opens onto. This could be used for air-dry clothes, including in the winter.
Bedrooms The bedrooms are small but functional. The can be a place for having privacy but are not meant for activity other than sleeping. Participation in work and family activities is an important part of the homestead environment.
Bathrooms The bathrooms are also small but very functional. Bathrooms can be a bottleneck of activity at the beginning and end of every day. Instead of creating entire additional bathrooms we can improve efficiency by allowing more occupants. The bathrooms are compartmentalized to allow multiple occupants while affording the privacy each individual needs.
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Heating & Ventilating One of the most efficient heating systems currently is air-source heat pump. There are more efficient systems but the benefits of relatively low installation cost make it a logical choice. A woodstove would provide a renewable energy supplement or even be the primary heat. The sunroom would act as another supplemental heat source. The large windows would provide solar thermal heat gain and the floor would be a dark colored concrete and tile material to hold the heat. Under the kitchen would be root cellar made of concrete block and earth sheltered to store vegetables at a cool and constant temperature.
Plumbing All fixtures would be efficient. Technologies that could be used include dual flush toilets and efficient shower heads. Hot water could be supplied through several techniques or a combination. Solar hot water is a possibility and so is condensing instant water heaters. All fixtures are located in close proximity to each other to reduce the amount of hot water left in the pipes when not in use. Supply pipes would be engineered to be as small as possible to further reduce the amount of hot water lost. Gutters would supply a rainwater catchment system. The water from this system would be used for irrigation. Also a gray-water system would filtered and use water from sinks to supply water in the greenhouse.
Electrical There several locations on the property that solar collectors could be installed. Our suggestion is to cover the car-port with photovoltaic panels and connect these with a reverse metering panel.
Technology is changing rapidly but there are many energy saving opportunities for this project. Lights such as LED’s and motion sensor switches can help dramatically reduce usage. Construction We chose to design new construction instead of renovation for two reasons: 1) The value of the existing structure is not significant and does not support some energy saving technologies; 2) By building new on the existing footprint we are free to change the plan to be more efficient. One technology we would suggest if not reusing the existing building would be building with structural insulated panels. These reduce the amount of thermal bridging and create a very efficient thermal envelope. The existing building materials we would reuse in other places such as the greenhouse, shed and tree-house. As suggested at the beginning of the narrative, the cost of the complete design would likely far exceed the budget. However, the basic home could be built for near the cost and many of the rest of the plan could be developed over time. Our hope is that these ideas can be helpful and excite the interest in sustainable design. Thank you.