He often pairs traditional materials and techniques with modern innovations, developing a body of work that “empowers and transforms communities through the process of architecture.” Even more importantly, Kéré’s work is designed to serve those who will use it with the utmost respect and consideration.

“I am hoping to change the paradigm, push people to dream and undergo risk,” Kéré says. “It is not because you are rich that you should waste material. It is not because you are poor that you should not try to create quality. Everyone deserves quality, everyone deserves luxury, and everyone deserves comfort. We are interlinked and concerns in climate, democracy, and scarcity are concerns for us all.”

Among Kéré’s most celebrated works are a stunning sculptural timber pavilion called “Xylem” at the Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana and the 2017 Serpentine Pavilion in London, which mimics the shape of a tree with an indigo-blue light steel framed trunk and a timber brise soleil canopy sheltered by clear polycarbonate.

But just as notable are the structures he has built in Africa, including the Gando Primary School in Burkina Faso and the Benin National Assembly. These structures are tailored specifically to the local climate, material availability, traditions, and skills. They’re infused with the regional architectural vernacular and thus feel well-suited to their environments, but they certainly aren’t lacking for decorative flourishes or comforts.

“Francis Kéré’s work is, by its essence and its presence, the fruit of its circumstances,” reads the Pritzker Prize jury statement. “In a world where architects are building projects in the most diverse contexts – not without controversies – Kéré contributes to the debate by incorporating local, national, regional, and global dimensions in a very personal balance of grass roots experience, academic quality, low tech, high tech, and truly sophisticated multiculturalism. His simultaneously local and global perspective goes well beyond aesthetics and good intentions, allowing him to integrate the traditional with the contemporary.”

Drawing inspiration from the simple, one-room structures he grew up using in Burkina Faso, Kéré aims to create spaces imbued with quiet dignity. He has devoted much of his career to designing primary, secondary, and postsecondary educational facilities as well as medical facilities, therefore stabilizing the future of the communities where they’re built.

Sustainability is another major factor in Kéré’s work. Addressing unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, the architect, educator, and social activist considers factors like potential reuse of the building materials in the future, and the use of indigenous clay to add thermal mass to his structures, thereby helping them retain cooler air inside naturally. This kind of passive cooling is essential to maintaining the comfort and low operating costs of Kéré’s built works in Africa.

“Francis Kéré is pioneering architecture – sustainable to the Earth and its inhabitants – in lands of extreme scarcity,” said Thomas Pritzker, chairman of the Hyatt Foundation. “He is equally architect and servant, improving the lives and experiences of countless citizens in a region of the world that is at times forgotten. Through buildings that demonstrate beauty, modesty, boldness, and invention, and by the integrity of his architecture and geste, Kéré gracefully upholds the mission of this Prize.”

The post Francis Kéré Becomes the First Black Architect to Win the Pritzker Prize first appeared on Dornob.

Concrete manufacturers run advertisements in these countries professing the superiority of their product, one bearing the tag line “concrete is a strong material for strong men.” Occasional collapses of mud walls during heavy rainfall have influenced opinions as well. But even as villagers express new preferences for concrete over mud, some architects, tribal chiefs, and government officials are working to preserve the use of traditional materials, especially in the face of climate change.

With its high thermal mass, mud is capable of keeping interiors cool even in the hottest desert temperatures. Concrete blocks, on the other hand, allow heat to pass right indoors, where it’s trapped even after outside temperatures cool at night. The materials used to build mud structures are also plentiful, locally available, mostly biodegradable, and virtually free. An annual application of a waterproofing mixture consisting of motor oil, clay, and cow dung keep rain from penetrating the walls, which can be up to three feet thick. Plus, patterns and drawings can be carved into the mud before it cures for a decorative effect.

Some of West Africa’s most stunning vernacular architecture is made of mud. That includes the Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s largest mud brick building, which was designed in the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style. The first mosque on the site was built around the 13th century, and the current one dates to 1907, built by Djenne’s traditional guild of masons. The walls are decorated with bundles of rosier palm sticks, and ceramic half-pipes extend from the roofline to direct rainwater away from the structure.

Other significant mud buildings include the Grand Mosque of Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso, a series of mud tower houses in northern Togo called Koutammouko, the gate to the Emir’s Palace in Kano, Nigeria, Dogon mud houses tucked into the Bandiagara Escarpment in Mali, Larabanga Mosque in Ghana, and traditionally decorated Hausa structures in Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Benin, as well as other West African countries.

Architect Clara Sawadogo is among those working to make mud popular again, demonstrating through her projects how the traditional materials can be applied to contemporary designs for those who want a more modern appearance. And in cities like Koudougou and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, brand new mud structures are showing off what’s possible. The Burkina Institute of Technology by Francis Kéré (2020), for instance, is made of poured clay and features a secondary facade of eucalyptus for additional passive cooling.

These structures serve as great examples of how vernacular architecture made of sustainable local materials can and should be prioritized over homogenized developments lacking aesthetic and cultural connections to their settings, even in the midst of the global housing crisis. They’re beautiful, inexpensive to build, rooted in local traditions, and well equipped to withstand climate change without the addition of high-cost, energy and resource-intensive modern technologies. There’s a unique version of this kind of architecture almost everywhere on the planet, or the potential to adapt traditional knowledge and skills into new but similar ideas.

The post West Africa’s Traditional Mud Architecture is a Low-Cost Sustainable Marvel first appeared on Dornob.

Last month, temperatures climbed to as high as 115 degrees in typically cloudy places like Seattle, wreaking havoc in the region. Sudden deaths, wildfires, infrastructure damage, and heat-related emergencies were just some of the side effects of this uncharacteristic and dangerous heat wave. Sadly, temps like these will most likely become the norm as climate change continues to cause extreme weather patterns, such as the ridge that centered itself over the region in June.

But how can areas like the Pacific Northwest rethink their infrastructure to better prepare for such devastating weather patterns?

The answer is a new approach to architecture that departs from the standard, combined with a few more familiar design concepts previously used in the region.

Currently, most homes in the region are designed for much cooler weather, with appropriate ventilation and insulation meant to regulate temperatures and cool them more effectively, rendering standard air conditioning mostly unnecessary. However, in light of last month’s record-breaking temperatures, architects in the Pacific Northwest are focusing on ways to depart from the region’s previously successful strategy of little or no-effort temperature control.

Mike Fowler, a Seattle-based architect at the firm Mithun, is just one of many architects who’s looking toward new ways for architecture to evolve – and design approaches historically used in more extreme climates may provide the answer.

These strategies are already being employed in other areas around the world, as architects are forced to rethink design concepts in response to ever-increasing temperatures. Some of these methods, including using new construction materials; employing advanced heat modeling techniques; and incorporating other, more traditional (and even ancient) architectural and design principles, are proving effective in keeping homes cooler, all without the need for air conditioning. That means less energy consumption and a more sustainable way of living and keeping cool.

Another such approach that’s proven successful is the building standard known as Passive House. With (official) origins in 1990s Germany, the Passive House concept has since been modified to accommodate varying climates in countries across the globe. The standard essentially turns homes into sealed energy efficient “envelopes” with extremely high insulation, making them more impervious to the temperatures outdoors. To accomplish this, homes are built with windows that are triple-paned, contain heat pumps that are extremely energy efficient, and have highly insulated wall systems. This idea of “passive building” is nothing new – it’s been used for centuries in hotter climates all over the world. However, with temperatures rising in places like the Pacific Northwest, architects are turning to these concepts for new ways to stay cool while also becoming more energy efficient.

Fowler, for one, is on board with Passive House standards, and works with groups like Passive House Northwest to encourage architects and builders to employ these principles. He says that “the pitch [involves] one chance to invest in your building envelope — the windows, roof, and walls. Do it right so that something you build now is going to be resilient into the future.”

Even without meeting “the official standard,” Passive House design concepts are influencing other architects around the world, including the firm Studio Ma in Phoenix, which focuses on designing elements right into their buildings to keep them passively cool. The use of shading, overhangs, and cantilevers also keeps buildings cool in the desert heat. Combined with lighter materials on the outside of the building that have better insulation (versus heavier stone and masonry), the houses’ temperatures can be managed much more effectively.

Christopher Alt, a co-founder of Studio Ma, says that “some people call it ‘outsulation’ because the insulation is on the outside, but it’s very dependent on the climate you’re in.” He feels that though the solution is different in Arizona, the same kind of thinking applies in regions like the Pacific Northwest. Though the two areas have very different climates, the Passive House standard can still be modified and adapted accordingly to incorporate architecture that addresses any region’s specific cooling needs.

Other architects have found that incorporating passive cooling methods into design concepts from the ground up can be both more affordable and energy-efficient. Marlene Imirzian, who runs an architectural firm with offices in California and Arizona, has been using passive cooling elements in many of her projects, and has found that these practices can significantly cut energy consumption – and costs. “It’s not about highly specialized systems. It’s about using natural flows…and designing [spaces] to allow for air movement,” she says.

In many cases, this means implementing practices from the ground up, and building with the goal of reducing energy use while keeping cooler, as part of the initial design strategy. Imirzian’s firm, who had the winning entry in Phoenix’s zero net energy home competition, proved just that, incorporating passive cooling concepts into a 2,100-square-foot home that would cost about the same as an air conditioned home, but requires way less energy to cool. “If we start doing these single family homes well,” Imirzian says, “we can significantly reduce energy use.”

With temperatures on the rise and predictions that, because of climate change, we can expect more extremes in the coming years, architects and designers are rethinking long-held ideas about how homes are built – by looking to the past. With an eye toward less energy consumption via cooling methods that don’t involve air conditioning, these innovative processes could have long-term implications that extend beyond extremely hot climates. As Imirzian says, “[They could be] very, very transferable around the world.” And that’s great news for our warming planet, which needs sustainable solutions now more than ever.

The post Could This Ancient Design Technique Help Keep Homes Cooler Without A.C.? first appeared on Dornob.

Though climate change objectives are getting more serious government attention these days, innovative ideas are still needed to help reach carbon-emission reducing targets within the next 10 to 30 years. HPZS took on the challenge by transforming a client’s 1890’s Ravenswood neighborhood property into an energy-neutral build for the future.

Called the Yannell PHUIS+ House, the renovation meets all the strict requirements for the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS 2018+) certifications. In contrast to many of the energy upgrades being included in construction today, the passive home concept is all about building materials into the design that save energy without any extra effort. This means that most of the changes are made within walls and structures rather than with more visible systems like solar, smart thermostats, and Powerwalls.

For the Yannell PHUIS+ House, HPZS gutted the century-old residence down to its studs and sheathing boards. Some may wonder if simply demolishing and building fresh would have been a better idea (especially considering the project’s cool $1.4 million price tag), but in many areas, and especially with historic domiciles, there are less fees and red tape involved for renovation applications than for new structures. Plus, it preserves at least some of the original material.

The HPZS team added 500 square feet to the two-story-plus-basement abode, for a finished product of 3,884 square feet, five bedrooms, and three bathrooms. They started by super-insulating the walls with R-48 graphite-infused expanded polystyrene exterior insulation, which adds internal reflectivity and reduces radiant transmission. The internal walls were similarly foamed in with closed-cell polyurethane insulation, while the roof got 36 inches of R-100 blown-in glass mineral wool.

Additionally, HPZS used triple-pane argon-filled insulated windows, saving even more energy and providing abundant natural light inside. To provide clean, fresh air regularly, the firm installed an Energy Recovery Ventilator that harvests heat energy from the outgoing air to heat the incoming oxygen.

While solar power is not an essential part of passive construction, this home does include a 2.8 KW photovoltaic roof-mounted system that produces 25 percent of the house’s annual energy demand.

All of these design decisions resulted in an extremely air-tight edifice with a test score of 0.0596 cubic feet per minute per 50 square feet (an older home built using traditional construction techniques can test up to 120 cf/m). That ultra-low score earned the house three bonus certifications: Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) status from the Department of Energy, EPA Energy Star, and an EPA Indoor airPlus label.

The renovated passive house is currently slated to be resold on the speculative housing market for profit.

“For our team, this project was successful because of our tenacity in the face of a difficult design and building science problem: how can you transform existing buildings today to meet 2050 goals,” explain the Chicago-based designers. “But it also represents, to a greater extent, significant policy issues that we’re going to have to deal with if we want to decarbonize: zoning codes must change to allow for exterior insulation to be added within setbacks, major renovations and new construction should not be allowed new natural gas connections, homes should be blower door tested successfully in order to achieve occupancy permits. This project demonstrates that change is essential to the policy administration of the built environment. It’s just one more call to action.”

The post Chicago Gets Its First Renovated Passive House first appeared on Dornob.

After seven years of experimenting with over 100 different chemicals, researchers discovered that adding a high concentration of barium sulfate – a UV-reflecting substance already widely used in things like cosmetics and x-rays – was effective in pushing away almost all the sun’s rays, including the ultraviolet wavelengths that typically cause surfaces to warm up.

“It’s very counterintuitive for a surface in direct sunlight to be cooler than the temperature your local weather station reports for that area, but we’ve shown this to be possible,” says Xiulin Ruan, a Purdue professor of mechanical engineering and a co-author of the team’s article in the ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces journal.

By brushing their ultra-reflective white paint onto the roof of one of the campus buildings in West Lafayette, Indiana, outdoor surfaces were kept eight degrees cooler than their surroundings in direct midday sunlight. At night, the roof was a whopping 19 degrees cooler than the neighboring ambient temperatures.

“Our paint only absorbs 1.9 percent of the sunlight, whereas commercial paint absorbs 10 to 20 percent of sunlight,” Ruan explains, adding that “commercial white paints are cooler than the other, darker-colored paints, but they are still warmer than the ambient or surrounding temperature.”

“Our paint can lose heat by its own emission – it emits heat to deep space. With such little absorption from the sun, our paint loses more heat than it absorbs. This is really exciting for us. Under the sun, it cools below the ambient temperature, and that’s hard to achieve.”

When put under infrared light, a photo of the paint on a brick wall reveals the temperature to be much lower than both the paper it’s on and the wall behind it.

By expelling infrared heat away from its surfaces, the new ultra-white paint can provide the equivalent of 113 watts per square meter of cooling power. That means a 1,000 square-foot roof covered in the stuff would have about 10 kilowatts of cooling power, making it more powerful than most residential central air conditioners.

Not only does the paint’s power reduce the need for inside air control, but it also solves the “urban heat island” problems often created by those units.

“Air conditioners can cool your house, but they move the heat from inside the house to outside – the heat is still in the city, it’s still on the Earth, in our air,” Ruan says. “So even if you don’t care about the power bills you pay, it’s going to warm up the Earth anyway. Our paint doesn’t use any power but, more importantly, it sends the heat to space. The heat doesn’t stay on the Earth, so that really helps the Earth to cool down and can stop the warming trend.”

“We’re not moving heat from the surface to the atmosphere,” adds Xiangyu Li, a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who worked on this project as a Ph.D. student in the Perdue lab. “We’re just dumping it all out into the universe, which is an infinite heat sink.”

With the help of statistical models, the team estimated that hot cities like Phoenix and Reno could use as much as 70-percent less air conditioning if all buildings were painted in the new white tint, which would mean a huge reduction in greenhouse gases. And if somehow they could cover roughly one percent of the Earth’s surface in the reflective hue, it would be enough to stop the current global warming shift altogether.

The research team remains hopeful that the paint will cost no more than traditional formulas and is working to get it commercially available to the public soon.

The post Is This Ultra-White Paint the Key to Ending Global Warming? first appeared on Dornob.

A terraced community of living modules, the Próspera complex will be located on the Caribbean island of Roatán, off the coast of Honduras. Aimed at curating a population that can “prosper socially and ecologically,” the construction will feature up to 15,000 individual, personalized units using engineering techniques that harmonize with the local ecosystem.

“The design prioritizes sustainability and is integral to our vision for Roatán Próspera,” adds CEO of Honduras Próspera LLC Erick A. Brimen. “The island of Roatán is already a renowned tourist destination. Roatán Próspera will strengthen and diversify the local economy while creating homes defined by their natural environment.”

The Residences will be erected with timber from certified Honduran forests to keep the construction materials native to the region, while individual units will be configured off-site to reduce the carbon footprint on the island and protect its rich wildlife diversity.

Indigenous people from neighboring settlements will also be hired and trained to source, assemble, and maintain the residences, hopefully bolstering the local economy with more education and sanitation. And for every new Próspera residence, ZHA pledges to build a sister complex for a local community.

“Combining the most advanced modular construction techniques with sustainably-sourced local materials, the design and planning for the first dwellings in Próspera is a tangible example of the dramatic shift in development methodologies taking place around the world,” the ZHA website says. “Roatán Próspera rethinks the whole design and conventional delivery approach to development, starting from understanding the local supply chain, logistics, energy and economical aspects as a basis to engage technologically-curious, ecologically-minded, entrepreneurial building contractors.”

The Roatán Próspera Residences will be fashioned in a modular, expanding framework, with rounded balconies and terraces and curved palapa roofs (another design feature that honors the area’s traditional building techniques). Structural care is also being taken to ensure that the homes can withstand the Caribbean’s often unpredictable weather.

The development will include passive energy-saving strategies from environmental engineering firm Hilson Moran, including a dehumidifying system that pulls water from the air and filters it for use in the units and solar-paneled shading canopies. The roof panels will also incorporate several premade holes to provide natural ventilation and “internal thermal comfort enhancements.”

Each unit, or “voxel” as the individual dwellings are named, consists of 35 square meters (about 376 square feet) of space, but homebuyers will be allowed to buy up to five, allowing for 175 square meters (1883 square feet) of total living space.

Using a digital parametric software program in partnership with AKT II, residents can personalize most aspects of their space, including the arrangement and furnishings. Buyers can select from several pre-selected furniture sets and layouts – things like conversation pits and walk-in closets – or contract with local suppliers and craftspeople to create brand new custom pieces.

Additionally, each Próspera unit is fabricated in a way that makes it quick and easy to assemble and disassemble. This should provide residents both the freedom to reconfigure their homes and the ability to recycle parts of their lodgings as desired.

ZHA is currently working with one of the world’s top hotel operators on the project, with the intention of running the individual homes much like a boutique hotel. Tourists could come for a week or buy into the property for more long-term stays. The firm expects to break ground on Roatán Próspera later this year.

The post Zaha Hadid’s Próspera Island Project Blends Sustainability with Luxury Living first appeared on Dornob.

Rosselli’s “The Great Wall of WA” was selected as a finalist in the Australian Institute of Architects Western Australia architecture awards, and won “best housing project” in ArchDaily’s Building of the Year contest in 2016. Despite being highly energy-efficient, earth-sheltered architecture still isn’t very common around the world, even in areas like Pilbara that could really benefit from the extra protection from the heat. This collective housing project demonstrates what a great choice it can be in certain climates and shows off the beauty of rammed earth, to boot.

Designed as guest houses for a 100-year-old family cattle station, the farmer residences that make up the new complex are accented by Cor-Ten steel canopies, matching the roof of an oval chapel that sits upon the new artificial dune overlooking the family cemetery. Each guest house is also stepped to maintain a level of privacy indoors and out, with only the verandahs visible from outside. The awnings keep the sun from penetrating the glass doors to the interiors.

The back end of each guest house tapers down toward an existing building used as a communal meeting area and lounge, which itself features a pergola made of old drilling pipes. The striking chapel, inspired by the Pantheon of Rome, its oriented to the east and pierced by a glass-covered oculus. Sliding curved glass windows can be opened to the air or closed to protect against dust storms.

“With their 450-mm thick rammed earth facade and the sand dune to their rear and forming their roofs, the residences have the best thermal mass available, making them naturally cool in the subtropical climate,” says the firm. “The design of the accommodation represents a new approach to remote North Western Australia architecture, moving away from the sun baked, thin corrugated metal shelters to naturally cooled architectural earth formations.”

“Rammed earth extracted from the local clay pans, pebbles, and gravel quarried from the river bed are the palette of materials that blend into the landscape. Internally, one finds a comfortable environment, cooled by the rammed earth walls and the meter-deep sand hill. The interior design by Sarah Foletta is a restrained, natural, and robust selection of materials and furniture.”

The complex blends beautifully into its scenic setting, and as always, the rammed earth has a stunning striated appearance thanks to the way it’s constructed. Framework, usually made of parallel plywood panels, is filled with a layer of damp earth and compressed to about half of its original volume with a pneumatic tamper. The process is repeated and the forms removed, revealing a strong, naturally pigmented wall.

Though it doesn’t have the best thermal performance on its own, combining rammed earth with earth-sheltering is a sustainable technique making use of abundant local resources and reducing or eliminating the need for mechanical heating and cooling systems.

The post 12 Homes Tucked Into “Great Wall” of Rammed Earth in Australia first appeared on Dornob.

The Warka village lies in a place with no roads and little communication with the outside world. Due to frequent flooding, the territory can be totally inaccessible during the rainy seasons. The innovative new micro-town incorporates several features to support the life and livelihood of the Pygmy culture all year round.

Two Warka Towers provide an alternative source of drinking water for residents by gathering moisture from rain, fog, and dew. “It is a passive structure, it functions only by natural phenomena such as gravity, condensation, and evaporation,” the company website explains. Built from 100-percent recyclable and biodegradable components, the towers should yield between 10 and 20 gallons of potable water each day, depending on atmospheric conditions.

“Warka tower is demonstrating that we can harvest water from the sky, so water doesn’t only come from the ground,” Vittori says. “This not a new invention but an ancient knowhow that we have lost. Looking back, several cultures have been adopting different strategies to collect water in a sustainable way from the air. Warka will also help to rediscover some of these lost traditions, inspiring a new generation of architects to incorporate these techniques in contemporary design.”

The community housing was inspired by ancestral African huts and assembled with native Cameroonian construction methods, employing only locally-sourced wood, bricks, and fibers. Even better, the new dwellings improve upon tradition by adding insulated floors, natural ventilation, and rain-proof roofs.

Before the erection of the Warka village, there were no toilets in the Mvoumagomi range and disease could easily spread through unhygienic practices. Now, compost latrines have been set up to support better sanitation and furnish sustenance for the environment. The liquid human waste is diluted for natural fertilizer, while the solid waste is mixed with soil and dried to create nutrient-rich manure for the Warka garden.

The town’s modular garden is devised to feed the Pygmy people and supply crops to be sold at local markets. It utilizes an efficient irrigation system that pulls water straight from the Warka towers.

Warka Water Inc. got its start after Vittori traveled to the rural high plateau of Ethiopia in February 2012. “I witnessed a dramatic reality: the lack of potable water,” Vittori explains. “…To survive here, women and children walk every day for miles towards shallow and unprotected ponds, where the water is often contaminated with human and animal waste, parasites, and diseases. They collect the water using dry carved gourds and carry the water back in old plastic containers, which are extremely heavy… I made it my mission to find an alternative solution and help these people. This was the genesis of the design of warka tower: an environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable solution for potable water.”

The Cameroonian Warka Village is already operational, with an anticipated completion date of 2022. Warka Water has also finished another community in Ethiopia and has plans for sites in Haiti, Togo, and Colombia.

The post Sustainable Cameroonian Village Harvests Water from the Sky first appeared on Dornob.

The sleek, energy-efficient mini houses, built by California startup company Mighty Buildings, can be manufactured cheaper and faster than traditional prefab homes. Using its ultra-fast 20-foot-tall 3D printer, Mighty Buildings produces the components of a 350-square-foot lodging in just 24 hours.

Of course, this is not the first business to print 3D houses. Austin-based Icon built an entire 3D neighborhood in Mexico last year, and European company Kamp C recently constructed the world’s largest 3D printed home in Belgium. What makes the Oakland-based Mighty Buildings unique is its ability to produce so many more elements than other enterprises. It prints not only the walls of its homes, but also the floors, ceilings, roofs, and overhangs, automating up to 80 percent of the building products (with the windows, plumbing, and electrical installed later on-site).

The company, a graduate of Y Combinator’s tech accelerator, also uses its own proprietary 3D printing substance, Light Stone Material (LSN), which hardens almost instantly when exposed to UV light. “It literally freezes in air,” says Slava Solonitsyn, Mighty Builders CEO and co-founder. The company also claims that LSN is four times lighter than concrete, not to mention resistant to heat, fire, and water damage.

Mighty Buildings currently specializes in accessory dwelling units (ADUs) ideal for backyard guest houses, with six models ranging from studios to three-bedrooms. Constructed in the warehouse, the small homes are then shipped to location and placed by crane. Finally, contractors take a few days to install the interior finishes. To date, Mighty Builders has installed two accessory ADUs, one in San Diego and the other in San Ramon, California, with another 15 units currently under contract. Due to permitting issues, the finished houses have traditional roofs for now, but the company expects to be able to fully print homes starting in 2021.

These printed residences start at $115,000, and while not bargain-basement priced, the one-bedroom/one-bathroom unit in San Diego cost roughly $314 per square foot, lower than the state’s $327 average. Mighty Builders says buyers could realize savings of up to 45 percent over comparable houses in the nation’s higher-priced real estate markets.

The cost savings from these 3D-printed abodes comes mostly from a reduction in labor needs. The company’s production techniques require 95 percent fewer man-power hours than conventional builds, a change that could potentially transform the construction industry. Even things like pouring insulation are done robotically in the printing process.

Best of all, the prefab houses are also environmentally friendly. “From a sustainability standpoint, by being able to print the roof and the floors as well as the walls, it allows us to create monolithic shells that increase the airtightness, reduce the thermal leakage, and increase the overall energy efficiency of the structure, making it really easy to meet California zero net energy standards,” says Sam Ruben, Mighty Buildings Chief Sustainability Officer and co-founder. “We can even go past that into Passive House and other standards that are on the cutting edge of what energy efficiency can do.”

Additionally, the edifices reduce waste by employing fewer materials. Mighty Buildings walls require just one material where a standard wall could be made up of almost a dozen.

Currently only available in California, Mighty Buildings is working with developers to expand their operations and get their 3D printed homes in urban areas all across the US.

The post California Startup 3D Prints Homes in Just 24 Hours first appeared on Dornob.

Today, their new 3,129-square-foot, 4-bedroom, 5-bath residence serves as a prime example of what’s possible when it comes to building fire-resilient structures. The couple achieved this with the help of architect Andrew Wilt, who designed the luxurious home, and Alliance Green Builders, who constructed it.

According to the home’s official website, “the homeowners, architect, and builders made fire-resistance a top priority incorporated into the architecture and material selection.” Fire-resistant construction materials, including stucco and concrete walls, metal roofing, high-impact windows, and stone and tile ground cover serve to make “Casa Águila” even more resilient.

The single-story ranch-style property, completed in 2016, is named after the golden eagles that soar through the surrounding hills, marking the first house in the entire county to be certified by the Passive House Institute US. Passive home design is a building standard that takes factors like energy efficiency, comfort, affordability, and ecological concerns into consideration — all of which are especially important in Southern California, where drought is ongoing and wildfires cause power outages that can last for days.

Fire-Resistant Architecture

The home’s shell is both energy-efficient and fire-resistant. This one-two punch was achieved with help from the Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home program (ZERH). The wood framing within was treated with borate, a naturally-occuring compound that is commonly used to protect wood from termites, though it also prevents combustion while suppressing smolder.

Additionally, the interior walls and ceilings were fitted with sheets of plastic containing bio-based, phase-changing gel packets, which themselves offer an energy-efficient way to stabilize interior temperatures. More specifically, the gel within them “phases,” cooling the home when it melts and warming it back up when it solidifies.

“Bulletproof” Windows and Doors

You might think that a building’s exterior would be the first thing to catch during a wildfire, but because Southern California’s fierce Santa Ana winds are capable of lifting up debris and breaking windows, embers can actually spark up inside of homes, too. For that reason, Casa Águila has been equipped with Passive House-rated, German-manufactured Unilux windows and doors. The glass on these windows is tempered and protected by a laminated “bulletproof” outer layer, the likes of which should be able to withstand rocks and other wind-blown debris.

Self-Sufficient Means Natural-Disaster-Ready

Casa Águila’s average annual savings compared to that of a standard new home (due primarily to energy efficiency) is $11,700. All California DOE ZERHs are evaluated using the California Energy Design Rating (EDR), and this home received an incredibly low EDR of -92.

A 360-square-foot solar thermal collection system on the roof provides the home with radiant floor heat and hot water. With climate change in mind, two backup systems have been put in place to provide air and water heating and cooling. Builder Jeff Adams explains: “the system has been designed for a climate that could be dramatically different in 100 years or more.”

Drought-resilience and water self-sufficiency were achieved using five 10,000-gallon rainwater-collection tanks. Four more 10,000-gallon tanks collect storm water, while a fifth additional tank collects graywater from the washing machine, sinks, and showers. This water is filtered and reserved for irrigation and fire-suppression purposes. Blackwater from the kitchen sink and toilets is released into a septic tank before being aerated, filtered, and pumped into a final 1,000-gallon tank (also for irrigation use).

474 square feet of photovoltaic panels have been employed for electricity, each of them maximizing efficiency even on the rare cloudy days. The hill above Casa Águila is the site of the home’s other energy-collector, a helical, 45-foot-tall, 3.2-kW wind turbine. In total, the residence runs off of twenty twelve-volt solar batteries and can generate power for over twelve hours a day.

In 2016, the home gained LEED Platinum status and won the 2017 Department of Energy’s Housing Innovation Award. The homeowners continue to innovate and educate their community through home tours and workshops.

The post Casa Águila: A Resilient, Self-Sufficient Solution to Wildfires first appeared on Dornob.

The owner of a 1938 brick townhouse in Washington D.C. wanted to put solar panels on his roof, but the city’s Historic Preservation Office refused. Board member and architect Chris Landis said that he “[applauded the owner’s] greenness and desire to save the planet. And I realize that we are in crisis, politically as well as sustainably. But I just have this vision of a row of houses with solar panels on the front of them and it just — it upsets me, as somebody who’s supposed to protect the architectural fabric of the neighborhood.”

This stance isn’t uncommon, and as efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change ramp up, battles like this will probably only increase. Some people may find it jarring to see solar panels on full display atop historic structures, but there isn’t always an easy way to disguise them. And, with the planet in the state it’s in — why should we?

This new development of prefabricated row houses certainly isn’t historic, but it proudly puts solar power front and center. The more we see this kind of design in action, the more ridiculous protests against installing them on any type of building will seem. Created by Street Monkey Architects, these custom-designed houses in Örebro, Sweden feature angled roofs that place solar panels in a visible location to capture as much sunlight as possible.

The point of these houses is to make them as environmentally friendly as can be, including off-site fabrication that reduces waste and impact at the construction site. Even better, each module arrived at the site with fully finished walls, bathrooms, and kitchens.

The firm explains that: “Our first row-house project was within commuting distance to Stockholm in a city called Upplands Väsby. The project is composed of seven row houses, and they sold out in less than two weeks. It was built with passive house principles and solar panels, which make it extremely energy efficient and, as a result, it won a sustainability award from the municipality. So it is not surprising that the client wanted to duplicate it in another location.”

“The other location turned out to be Örebro, Sweden, and it was more urban site than the one in Upplands Väsby. It was also a corner lot in contrast to the Upplands Väsby site, which was flanked by a park and a forest. We wanted to design for this change without changing the construction of the prefabricated modules. We did so by customizing the roof and by using the same facade materials in different ways. The result gave us three versions of the same house. In the park setting, we lowered the roof to soften the volume, and we used white plaster and wood ribs over steel for the facades… [therefore] the benefits of off-site production and repetition are reaped but the project is still contextualized.”

Obviously, there’s a huge contrast between these modern row houses and the historic ones found in places like Washington D.C., and preserving historic structures is certainly important (and usually, much more sustainable than demolishing them to build something flimsier). It’s also important to remember that preservationists help prevent design atrocities like Victorian houses with hideous 1970s retrofits. But on solar panels, at least, it’s in the best interest of everyone to soften our ideas of what’s “too ugly” or “too contemporary” to include.

The post These Modern Prefab Row Houses Were Made for Solar Power first appeared on Dornob.

Inside the old part of the house, you’ll still find the original finely crafted crown molding and millwork, though now its complemented by contemporary elements and furniture. But when you look out the windows, you’ll find the view has changed dramatically thanks to the addition of a curving backyard volume full of arches and round windows. A new courtyard containing an appropriately circular swimming pool separates the two structures. It’s been imagined for year-round use: swimming pool in warm weather, and beautiful decorative water feature in the winter.

The main house used to be highly compartmentalized, fitting all of the necessary functions into a small footprint. Now, all it contains are two generously sized bedrooms. The new addition offers an open plan living space complete with sitting area, dining area, and kitchen on the first floor, and a master bedroom and study upstairs. The courtyard-facing wall of the addition arcs to embrace the shape of the pool, with tall windows gazing out at the reflective water. Inside, custom wooden furniture wraps itself to fit the curves of the wall.

The architects say they wanted to take a “whimsical formal approach” to creating a balanced relationship between the interior and exterior spaces. This is clear in the contrasts glimpsed within the addition, like a green stairway that cuts a diagonal line across a wall of square windows, and the curving facade looming in the foreground.

They add that “the design approach of the Caroline House is best characterized by an eccentric formal quality which accommodates the complex program of a family home efficiently and comfortably. Functional aspects are not compromised by the playful forms — the courtyard is able to fulfill the conventional requirements of passive solar design: cross ventilation, north orientation to rear rooms, and multiple garden aspects. The inclusion of a swimming pool in the courtyard augments it’s function — having a decorative presence all year round, but also providing evaporative cooling effects in summer.”

“The principle curved wall allows for a layered and nuanced interior and a dramatic and compelling exterior space. The first floor is monolithically clad in charred timber as a counterpoint to the abstracted planes of white brickwork and includes a balcony using the principles of the Jali — a sequestered zone with veiled views. A meticulous and complete approach to the interior allies old rooms to the new and results in a narrative experience which provides moments of delight and discovery within a singular aesthetic. This architecture is unexpected formally and visually, playfully referencing many things in our collective memory whilst avoiding the specific so that new memories can be created.”

The post Curves and Arches Make Melbourne’s Caroline House a Visual Delight first appeared on Dornob.

First, there’s the fact that Fallingwater came close to literally falling right into the water thanks to a cantilevered design that wasn’t well supported. Erosion of the banks on either side presented a serious concern, and dampness penetrated the house on all sides. Ultimately, it’s cool to look at but not very practical. But could a different sort of design on a different sort of waterway be successful in ways that Fallingwater isn’t?

Architect Dan Brunn didn’t have Frank Lloyd Wright in mind when he designed “Bridge House” over a small natural stream in the mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles. He was actually inspired by the elongated motor court of the Breakers, the ostentatious waterfront Vanderbilt family home in Newport, Rhode Island, though you’d never guess it from the final result.

The home is true to its name, with a simple form stretching from one bank of the narrow trickling stream to the next. Sleek and modernist, it has no unnecessary frills or complicated floor plans. Serving as Brunn’s full-time residence, the 4,500-square-foot home has a rectangular shape, measuring 20 feet wide by 210 feet long, stretching from the front of the building site to the back instead of side to side like a more conventional residence.

“The idea is to do something extraordinary with ordinary means,” says Brunn.

That wasn’t his first idea, though. When he bought the property, he intended to renovate the existing home, but problems with the foundation soon emerged, so he decided to go in a dramatically different direction instead. Determined to build to zero net energy (ZNE) standards and make full use of passive solar orientation and the beautiful views, the architect saw the bridge plan as a way to have a lower impact on the site.

Usually, the opposite would be true. One good reason we don’t see a lot of residences straddling creeks and streams is all the potential for disruption and pollution, not to mention messing up the views for other people. But the lightweight modular steel structure of the Bridge House, supported by two heavy steel beams, made it possible to set the building in place without making a mess. The fact that the stream is small and flows within a private neighborhood helps, too.

Making extensive use of carefully placed glass, Bridge House gets sunlight streaming in from optimal angles all day long and focuses views on the trees and water outside rather than neighboring houses. Standout features include a Series 980 Double Pivot Door from Western Window Systems, which sets the airy, welcoming mood at the main entrance, and a courtyard centered over the stream so it can really be enjoyed to the fullest.

The post A Stream Runs Under This Modern “Bridge House” in Los Angeles first appeared on Dornob.

Passive solar design is a no-brainer — yet the conventional way to deal with building facades that will be subjected to the hot, unrelenting sun is still just to insulate them, add some blinds, and plan to use a lot of air conditioning. It’s high time more architects and builders consider the ways the sun’s energy will affect a structure, and integrate some simple features that will make its interiors far more comfortable all year long.

Often low-tech and low-cost, passive solar techniques reduce energy costs and maintenance by tailoring designs to the climates around them. Orientation of the roof, windows, and facade with the position of the sun in mind, proper ventilation and insulation, shading, and thermal mass all make a big difference in interior temperatures.

The latter comes into play in a big (and beautiful) way in a new home by Manoj Patel Design Studio. Located in Gujarat, western India, the modern home uses clay roof tiles in an unexpected fashion, displaying them along the east facade in a pleasing pattern. What’s more, 40 percent of the tiles are reclaimed from the waste of other construction projects.

Clay is known for its thermal properties, retaining much of the energy it absorbs to cut down on the need for mechanical heating and cooling. It’s also highly durable, non-toxic, long lasting, and recyclable. Clay tiles on a sunny facade can absorb a lot of heat during the day, releasing it after dark when it’s cooler.

This isn’t the first time Manoj Patel Design Studio has experimented with clay roof tiles. Previously, the designers cut v-shaped clay tiles to create a wavy pattern on the facade of a house in Vadodara, India.

The architects add: “Here the ratio of 40 percent of waste clay tiles at free cost and 60 percent of new clay tiles at 10 INR per piece were collected, cut into six to eight one-inch wide parts, fixed in with [a] chemical solution against the available perpendicular surface of wall at 45 degrees, and crafted into a customized series for obtaining an everlasting beauty… Furthermore, the layering of th[ese] horizontal and vertical clay tiles is [based on] sun’s movement from south to west throughout the day as per Indian context, which keeps the area shaded by reduction in temperature.”

“An illusionist display is casted on the uniform surface of the wall through these angular patterns, which transform the solid form into more organic mass. Thus, this dwelling carved out its own character through contrasting red-colored earthy textures and volumetric masses, becoming a distinguishing dwelling among the surrounding street.”

In 2017, Manoj Patel Design Studio won a first place RTF Sustainability Award for its modular plantable screens made of clay tiles, which can be added to surfaces outside homes in places that receive a lot of solar exposure. Not only can you establish a vertical garden within these tiles, but you can also tuck lights into them for a look that’s even cooler after sunset.

The post Clay Tiles Bring Passive Heating to New House in India first appeared on Dornob.

Climate control is an expensive component in relation to the infrastructure of classrooms, art studios, and exhibition halls. Most of these institutions spend a pretty penny maintaining the temperature within their confines as a way to protect the pieces and provide comfort for the artists. But one vintage warehouse in Los Angeles has implemented a sustainable way to protect the art and lower the carbon footprint, all while aiming for a prestigious LEED certification.

Once a 21,200-square-foot industrial wallpaper factory, the building now houses the Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studio, a UCLA-based gallery and art center where students study art, architecture, and design. In September, the now 48,000-square-foot campus held a grand opening to reveal all the renovations that had been made to the space.

Designed by Los Angeles-based architecture firm Johnston Marklee and led by architect Sharon Johnston, the updated campus is now open for classes beginning with fall term 2019. It boasts 42 different studios and labs where students can focus on computer-aided graphics, ceramics, photography, and more. The upstairs houses a studio apartment loft for the live-in artist’s residence. The designers planned the area to allow for both personal work space and public spaces where art can be shared and evaluated by others.

With sustainability in mind, the architects also designed the campus to be LEED Gold certified — a certification that recognizes materials and projects aimed at energy savings, water efficiency, carbon emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, stewardship of resources, and sensitivity to their impacts.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally-recognized independent green building verification organization. A gold certification means that the building’s design has earned high marks for efficient use of resources and a healthier environment for residents.

In the case of UCLA’s Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios, that meant using passive means instead of energy-consumptive technology. To achieve this goal, “innovative building systems and elemental materials [were] distilled towards a holistic and efficient structure rather than adding layers of sustainable technology.”

Starting with the exterior walls, the architects replaced the original materials with concrete, finishing them with a special technique that eliminates the need for waterproofing and insulation, and leaves a very small construction footprint, to boot. On the inside, workshops are basically open-air courtyards that allow for natural airflow under the protection of the structure. Relying on the temperate weather of southern California minimizes the need for expensive and consumptive heating and cooling systems.

The campus project was funded by alumni Margo Leavin in 2016. Her $20 million gift provided the means to not only develop a program in her vision, but also to place it on a campus that encompasses a view of both sustainable schooling and art production.

Leavin said in a recent statement: “I’m grateful that my career in the Los Angeles art world has afforded me the opportunity to support those at the very heart of this community: artists. The students, alumni, and faculty from the art department at UCLA shape the future of the arts in Los Angeles and beyond. It would be my wish that others who are passionate about the future of the arts — especially other women who have enjoyed professional success — will join me in harnessing their resources to benefit those who are still developing their creative practices. We need to remember that without artists, there would be no art world.”

The post UCLA’s New Graduate Art Studio Stresses the Importance of Sustainable Schools first appeared on Dornob.

Yes, the “O2 Haus” encompasses design elements that not only make it cozy and inviting as a vacation rental, but also net-zero in energy consumption. That’s not an easy feat to accomplish — especially when you consider the massive amounts of energy that other vacation homes burn through while heating, cooling, and supporting the overall electronic load.

Heated mostly by the sun and energy produced by daily household activities, the O2 Haus system is backed up with solar panels to gather power for the limited energy that it does consume. A heat-recovery system collects heat, filters the air, and disperses it equally throughout the home to offer a comfortable environment in every room without any hot or cold pockets, while a highly-efficient heat pump accommodates the water heating needs.

The house is built on a concrete slab installed over nine inches of EPS foam insulation (R-36). Inside, the walls are framed with 2 x 8s and packed with blown-in cellulose, though they are also insulated on the outside with four inches of rigid polyisocyanurate foam insulation (R-52). Triple-pane windows add to the insulation value for maximum efficiency, with remote-powered exterior shades further helping with temperature management. Custom exterior doors with Vacuum Insulated Panels complete the framework for this ultra-efficient space, which boasts an impressively low heating load of only 4,500 Btu/h.

Natural materials fill the house to further support the sustainable design. All its counters are quartz, while flooring materials include reclaimed hardwood and concrete. Tile backsplashes and translucent glass cabinets add to the organic aesthetic.

All of these thoughtful earth-friendly systems enhance the upscale home without sacrificing an ounce of comfort. The O2 Haus also houses three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a single-car garage, and 1,650 square feet to maneuver. The landscaped front yard features a paver stone patio surrounded by a thoughtful design incorporating native, drought-resistant plants that are watered by a rain chain. Other features include a sunset balcony, a lofted dining and living room, a modern kitchen with an induction stove, heated towel racks, a charcoal barbecue, broadband Wi-Fi, and a private backyard.

Designed by PDX Living, the Portland house sold before it was even built, and it now offers a private room for rent through AirBnB, making it the perfect solution for the sustainable traveler. The nightly rate averages $65 and includes access to the shared spaces in the house and a light breakfast.

Thanks to its reclaimed materials and solid floorplan, the O2 Haus has earned Passive House certification as one of the most energy-efficient homes in the world, having been recognized by a slew of publications for the achievement.

“The 7 Best Airbnb Rentals in Portland, Oregon” — Travel+Leisure

“10 Amazing New Homes” — Portland Monthly

“The Houses That Could Save the World” — Politico

“Net-Zero Success Story” — Solar Oregon

“15 EcoFriendly Airbnbs for under $150” — GlobeIn

“Best Portland Airbnb Rentals” — News Ledge

“Houses that Matter: Inside a Bold New Era of Portland Architecture” — Portland Monthly

“It’s Easy Being Green” — Airbnb Pick

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