4 weeks ago
Is Product Placement the Future of Sustainable Architecture?
Most buildings have a long lifespan, and in this age of environmental uncertainty it is more important than ever that the buildings we design are sustainable. However, many believe this change isn’t happening quickly enough. Enter Free Green, an American sustainable housing design firm, with an innovative solution which could speed up the transition to sustainable residential architecture.
Whilst many consider the role of the architect to be key in building design becoming more sustainable, the reality is that only 5% of homes have an architect involved in their design. But with 30% of homes built coming from stock plans, many of which are years old, Free Green believe that for housing design to become more sustainable, newer, greener stock plans will have a more positive impact than architects ever could.
In order to reach the biggest audience possible, and to provide the company with a unique selling point, Free Green decided to give away their sustainable stock plans at no cost. To generate income from their idea, product placement, a method normally used in film and TV, was integrated in all their plans.
Essentially, companies that produce sustainable products for housing construction can pay Free Green to have their designs featured with the hope that a percentage of those who use the plans will buy their goods. In order to qualify for a place on Free Green’s plans, all product must pass a selection of third party sustainability tests, as well as meet the company’s approval.
David Wax and Ben Uyeda, the company’s founders, believe:
Design isn’t a product or service, it’s a medium, and no one has ever looked at the house plan as a form of media.
Users can modify house plans online, with changes presented in a way that is easy understand. For example, improve a building’s insulation and you could see that the expense will increase mortgage repayments by $50 a month, but save $100 a month in energy bills, a method of presentation that Wax and Uyeda believe will encourage uptake of green housing improvements.
Since launching, over 44,000 plans have been downloaded and Free Green have become the world’s largest provider of house stock plans. Is product placement the future of sustainable architecture? It’s certainly worked for Free Green.
1 month ago
The Zero Energy Home
Have you got a spare $350,000? Specht Harpman are looking for an investor to turn their zeroHouse concept into a reality.
Compact living has a high profile at the moment (just a couple of weeks ago we blogged about a 12 foot house), and as the world urbanises it is likely to remain an important issue.
Called the zeroHouse because it is capable of generating the same amount of energy it requires to function, the building can be placed off-grid without needing connection to external utilities or waste disposal. “The off-grid model has the most challenges, so that’s the test case we designed for,” says co-designer, Scott Specht. “We think that the value is in the complete self-sufficiency, the absolutely minimal environmental and site impact, and the fact that this would be a model for what can be done — a ‘first adapter’ demonstration of the ultimate in green living.”
And the building design definitely provides for bright-green living. The roof is covered in solar panels, there are composting facilities beneath the building, and it has facilities for storing over 2,000 gallons of rainwater.
The building may only be 650 square feet, but its designers don’t consider this a problem: ”People think they need a bigger house, but they may just need a better designed one.” And the home packs a lot into its space. The ground floor contains a kitchen and living space, whilst upstairs has two double bedrooms and a bathroom. There is also potential for 250 feet of outdoor covered space, great if you live in an area with a warm climate.
Whilst no prototype has been built yet, the design of the building is fully-formed and ready for construction. Scott Specht and Louise Harpman are just waiting on that six-figure cash injection.
5 months ago
Sustainable Living in Two Parking Spaces «
Architecture for Humanity recently announced Mobius Architects as the winner of its competition to design prefabricated homes with a 20x20 foot plan, roughly the size of two parking spaces.
Their design is intended to be built on the roofs of social housing tower blocks, which are often unused and capable of holding extra weight. The rooftop location means no additional land is needed, and development costs are minimized as the building foundations and utilities already exist on site.
Prefabricated housing suffers from a bad image, but it is highly sustainable and has the potential to play a significant role in accommodating our growing cities.
Check out this article on New Scientist for more from the winning team and runners up.
