Continue Planting the Seeds

Landscape work continues. As you will note in the plan, the landscaping on this project is quite extensive…and…extensive means labor. It has been quite a process planting the various grass, shrubs, and trees, but the vision is slowly becoming more apparent and will most certainly be worth it in the end.

You can start to the number of plugs that have already gone into the ground. We have planted much of the prairie dropseed, purple love grass, serviceberries, and redbuds, just to name a few. As previously mentioned, the intention was to maintain a native plant palette, as this is quite important in connecting with our local environment and utilizing plants already adapted to this region. It’s honestly a really great way to feel a stronger connection to your locale and to the environment in which we live. It actually serves as a reminder to the beauty that exists within our own landscape.

Much of the Shelby Street side is now planted. Next will come the Fletcher side and the backyard. This will include construction the raised beds for vegetables and hopefully we will see the construction of the deck and fence extension in the near future. Look for more updated pictures in the next few days.

Interior Painting

This past weekend we started to paint the interior of the house. We have opted to go with a warm white for the house, minus the master bedroom where a light green will be used. The white serves as a nice complement to the warm wood pallet ceiling and the concrete floor.

Additionally, as we have often mentioned, environmental responsibility is important to us and to the design. We chose a paint that met this desire, DuraSoy. DuraSoy is a bio-based paint paint that goes beyond just using low-voc or no-voc paint. It contains a rewewable resource material, recycled content, contains no V.O.C. and is low odor but still is a high performing paint. The most interesting thing to note is that because it contains very little water, it is extremely thick…the thickest paint I have worked with. However, it goes on smooth and we have been very happy with it so far.

Check it out.

Living Room

Loft

Stairway

Progress Update Photos

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Quick Update…SIPs

After pouring the slab last week, the next step is the fabrication of the Structural Insulated Panels.  We are currently tying up some loose ends, with the focus being on final decisions on windows and doors.  We are also awaiting final shop drawings from the SIP manufacturer Thermocore, a local company based out of Moorseville, Indiana.  Here is a quick blurb from their website describing the benefits of SIPs over traditional framing:

Thermocore’s next generation of stud-less framing eliminates thermal breaks and air leaks associated with traditional stick-frame construction. The result is a wall system with twice the insulating power of traditional exterior walls. Thermocore’s structural insulated building panels slash energy demand and shrink monthly energy bills.

What makes Thermocore structural insulated panels different from other SIPs? Only Thermocore’s patented 4-inch insulated wall panels accommodate standard building materials, eliminating the need for costly window and door jamb extensions. In addition to cost savings through energy efficiency, Thermocore’s wall and roof SIPs provide:

• The highest insulation value possible with heavy-duty polyurethane foam
• Customization for each building design
• Virtually waste-free production
• Faster installation
• Better air quality and noise reduction

After we receive the final drawings we will review them, approve them, and then Thermocore will proceed with fabrication of the wall system.  Currently, we are not aware of the lead time for fabrication but should find out in the near future. The wall panels will be fabricated off site and will then be brought to the site and will go up rather quickly.  So the time waiting for the walls to be fabricated will be made up for in the time it takes to erect the panels on site.

It is a busy schedule upcoming, involving meeting with various trades to ensure all things run smoothly.  Next week involves meeting with a local steel fabricator for the railing systems, meeting with a roofing company to ensure proper roofing installation for future green roof application, and a meeting to discuss countertops and tiling.  It is an exciting time and I will make sure we share all of our decisions with you.

Stayed tuned for updates on the status of the wall system and for more information on the various upcoming decisions.

Solar Decathlon, New Zealand

I thought I would feature a few of my favorite moments from the 2011 Solar Decathlon:

1. First Light: New Zealand’s House

New Zealand finished the competition in 3rd place, and for good reason.  They finished 1st in engineering, 2nd in architecture, and 3rd in market appeal.  Their house was beautifully crafted, consisted of a simple, yet multi-functional floor plan, and a strong connection and flow between interior and exterior spaces.

The design for their home was centered around the concept of the Kiwi bach (for us non Kiwis…it’s pronounced batch).  The bach is a vacation home in New Zealand.  The design features three primary zones in the house which include the living zone, the bedroom zone, and the central kitchen/dining zone with an awesome concrete countertop as the centerpoint of the home.  This zone serves a variety of functions and feeds into the Kiwi bach notion of social space.  The counter becomes the gathering place in the home, from which both the living space and the bedroom space feed into.  It can function as an extension of the kitchen, a dining space, a work space, or simply a space for gathering. Further, this space is flanked on both the north and the south by bi-folding doors and a skylight above to maximize the connection to the outdoors.  Finally, the table is further defined by a custom pendant light fixture above, reminiscent of a boat-like form.

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In the end, it’s a fairly simple plan but just done really well.  The spaces flow nicely from one to the other and the home definitely boasted the best craft in the competition.  The natural wood tones throughout the house create a warm, welcoming environment and work really well with the contrasting concrete surfaces.  Oh…and it didn’t hurt that the Kiwi’s were a great group of teammates and appeared extremely humble throughout the competition.

Solar Decathlon

I apologize for the lapse in posts as of late.  I was actually in Washington D.C. for the 2011 Solar Decathlon Competition supporting The Ohio State University’s entry.  We had a great run in the competition, doing extremely well in many categories and finished the competition in 5th place out of 19 teams.  For those of you unfamiliar with the competition, here is a brief description from the Department of Energy:

“The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is an award-winning program that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002; the competition has since occurred biennially in 2005, 2007, and 2009. The next event will take place at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., Sept. 23–Oct. 2, 2011. Open to the public free of charge, visitors can tour the houses, gather ideas to use in their own homes, and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money today.”

Our team consisted primarily of architecture, engineering, and construction systems management students.  Here are a few images to give you a sense of Ohio State’s entry into the competition:

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Check out the Ohio State enCORE website for a full rundown on the house’s concept and lot’s of other great information and photos:  
http://solardecathlon.osu.edu/

The Solar Decathlon is such a great experience and an awesome event to attend.  I highly recommend you go if you ever have the chance.  It’s wonderful to see the diversity in the projects and to see so many young people from around the world committed to such great design work, but with a sensibility to our impact on the planet.  I was blown away by many of the entries and equally as inspired.  Following an event like the Solar Decathlon, the ideas just start flowing.

So, stayed tuned for the next post and I will share some of my favorite moments from the other homes in the competition and also some of the highlights of my time in D.C. and New York City.

Green Features

I have not yet provided much detailed information on the house so I thought I would take a few moments to highlight some of the sustainable/green elements included in the design of the house:

SIP wall construction – SIPs are Structural Insulated Panels.  The house will be using Thermocore’s SIPs, which are produced locally in Mooresville.

http://www.thermocore.com

The panels are manufactured in the factory and will come to the site and be tilted into place.  As a result, they allow for more precise construction practices, quicker on-site construction, and less waste.  Finally, the panels allow for a much greater insulation value then traditional 2×4 framing, achieving an R-24 in a 4″ thick panel as opposed to around an R-13 for a traditional wall.

Small Footprint - The total interior square footage of the house is 1204 sq. ft.  The fact of the matter is most homes today are oversized and sacrifice quality for quantity.  A smaller footprint allows for a smaller lot, less material, and a smaller, more efficient space to heat and cool.

R-5 Windows - Windows can be a challenge when attempting to achieve a high R-value for new construction.  Thanks to a government program promoting energy efficient windows, the house is able to get R-5 windows for an affordable rate, much higher than prior affordable window insulation values.

Interior Material Finishes - Finishes often account for a large number of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and products and materials not harvested in a sustainable fashion.  The house’s flooring strategy is simple, a slab-on-grade allows for the first floor to be a polished concrete floor eliminating the need for an extra material finish.  The second floor uses stained PureBond plywood in alternating grain patterns as the finished material.  PureBond is free of formaldehyde, uses a soy-based adhesive, is manufactured in the U.S., and is cost competitive.  PureBond will also be used in a few other instances in the house.

Countertops in the kitchen will be Paperstone.  Paperstone is made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper and is bonded with petro-free phenolic resins and uses natural pigments.  It is a great solid surface countertop with a small footprint.

http://www.paperstoneproducts.com

Additionally, interior paints will be no VOCs and stains will be low VOCs.  These are small, easy decisions which can lead to a much more responsible home design.

HVAC - Systems often become energy hogs.  While the house is small and well insulated, the systems chosen are still important.  For the heating and cooling, the house uses a multi-split system, allowing for a more individualized system.  Basically, this type of system allows for control over a larger number of spaces individually, with 4 units in the house each to be controlled on their own.  Further, the systems don’t require any central duct system, so no energy is lost during transfer and no ducting required.  The house also uses a tankless water heater, allowing for greater efficiency.

Green Roof - It is also the hope that the house will have vegetated surfaces on both roofs.  The lower roof portion over the dining space is meant for more habitation but will still allow for pockets of vegetation while the upper roof portion will be almost completely plant material. Green roofs act to reduce rainwater runoff, increase insulation values, increase the life of the roof, and, honestly, are just aesthetically pleasing.

Landscaping - The landscaping strategy, while not completely designed yet (designs will be shown later) will feature a large garden and native plantings.  We all know urban gardening is the new trend, and for good reason.  It’s more sustainable to grow the food you can and rely less on outside sources.  The native aspect of the landscaping allows for plants which are already adapted to the environment in which they are situated, allowing for a landscape demanding less water and maintenance to thrive.

*I know these features listed are not the only sustainable strategies in the house but hopefully give you a sense of the goals of the house.  Sustainability should be inherent in all new construction and these features reflect that modern, sustainable design does not require lots of money but, in fact, can be quite affordable.