JUST BIG ENOUGH
GREEN HOUSING FOR ALL
The winning entry for a design competition initiated by The City of Northampton to promote small, affordable and sustainable homes.
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Shift Homes are driven by simplicity. Their forms emerge from small strategic moves that respond to climate, site and the inhabitants. The burden of excess is eliminated by smaller, smarter, more space efficient design, reducing environmental impact and making room to interact with our environments in rejuvenating ways. Living small is the most sustainable way to live. The homes are built from natural, non-toxic, non-petroleum based components, making them more healthy and beautiful. These Homes help shift the mentality towards small living, which goes hand in hand with energy efficiency and sustainability.
Burt’s Pit Road, and Florence are characterized by smaller, modest homes, with a mix of styles. Shift Homes take on classic forms, but are detailed and clad in a contemporary, minimalist style.
DESIGNING FOR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity’s mission of opportunity, inclusiveness and innovation is an inspiration for the movement of small living. Good sustainable design is not out of reach, and must be available to all. Shift Homes are designed with Habitat’s approach in mind. The Design is accessible and easily replicated but still flexible, so it can stay contextual to its location and fitting to its user. It implements many money-saving design strategies to make the homes as affordable as possible, while still making a Net-Positive energy building. Details and building methods are kept simple and straightforward so homes can be constructed with the help of unskilled or low-skilled volunteer labor. Implementing Passive House strategies helps keep the homeowners warm and healthy with reduced mechanical systems, making the buildings and inhabitants more independent.
MONEY-SAVING DESIGN STRATEGIES
• Simple forms: Rectangular forms without special features and a single gable roof are easier, faster and cheaper to build, but also perform better.
• Keeping it small: Smart layouts and space efficiency minimize circulation and maximize the most lived-in spaces, allowing us to build smaller and save on costs.
• Advanced framing: Faster build, uses less wood and allows for more insulation in the wall. Windows can also be sized to fit exactly between 24” o.c. studs, to reduce framing further.
• Standard components: Sizing the building to be built with standard sized building components and using standard size windows and doors.
• Centralized utilities: Running less plumbing piping and ventilation air ducts saves time and money.
• Cellulose insulation: Most affordable and sustainable insulation option, and can be blown-in by the builder.
• Vaulted ceiling with loft: Extra usable space above that requires little extra work.
• Recycled materials: Recycled wood, siding, flooring, finishes and more can be used to save money.
• Building up: Saving on the cost of the foundation and roof by building two stories.
• No basement or garage: Building only the necessary amenities.
• Energy efficiency: Building a well performing house saves money for the regular operating cost, and keeps systems small and affordable.
PASSIVE HOUSE PRINCIPLES
1. Super Insulated Building Envelope
The 12” double stud wall filled with dense pack Cellulose will create a R-46 super insulated wall. The slab will be insulated to R-30 and the roof to R-76.
2. Thermally broken wall assembly
Connections are detailed to minimize thermal bridges to reduce heat loss through the building components.
3. Continuous Airtight Boundary
Careful air sealing will aim to achieve an airtightness of 0.6 ACH @ 50 Pa. This combined with the ERV creates a draft free but very comfortable space with high air quality.
4. Optimized Solar Gains and Shading
Optimized solar shading will allow low winter sun into the space to keep the space warm, but prevent high summer sun from overheating the rooms. With the help of triple pane windows with high Solar Heat Gain Coefficients and Low U-Values.
5. Energy Recovery Ventilation
The Energy Recovery Ventilator has a high 96% efficiency, which means incoming fresh air is heated by outgoing air to at least 50°F, even when the outside air temperature is below zero. This allows for significant energy savings.
6. Photovoltaic Renewable Energy
A grid-tied PV system on each unit will allow for financial and carbon payback for the homeowner. Solar hot water will significantly reduce the Domestic Hot Water Load.
TINY HOME FOR FOUR
Tiny Houses generally only accommodate individuals or couples. They are seldom designed for a growing family. Small living without a huge mortgage should be an option open to everyone, not just those without plans for procreation. The Tiny Home for Four balances the spatial needs of a four-person family with the dimensional constraints of a Tiny House. Simple geometries and a layered layout provide a living environment that is compact but still maintains a spacious feel through open sightlines and the versatility to accommodate a variety of activities.
LIVE / WORK TOWNHOUSE
This winning proposal for a competition hosted by the Boston Society of Architects addresses the challenge of designing an infill town-house on a small and awkwardly shaped site in the dense streets of the Back Bay. The program includes living space for a family as well as a separate office space. The design explores creative solutions for urban environments, where space is tight. Each floor of the design accommodates a different use, while still making room for outdoor space and vegetation on the ground and rooftop. The design provides views, natural lighting, shading and cross ventilation throughout.
URBAN BIODIVERSITY - I
A theoretical thesis to investigate the concept of Biodiversity through architecture in an urban environment.
The Problem:
The relative lack of a trees and plants in urban environments leads to environmental conditions that have a negative impact on human lives and health.
The Data:
The benefits of city flora include: temperature reduction, food and/or habitat for wildlife, erosion control, stream and river bank stabilization, nutrient absorption (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus) in wetlands, soil building on degraded land, tolerance of pollution or contaminated soil, disturbance-adapted colonizing of bare ground, CO2 sequestering and oxygen production.
The Mission:
Create a center for transitioning the city from its current state into an urban ecosystem with sufficient tree life to counter the negative environmental impacts of the urban infrastructure.
The Vision:
To foster a successful relationship between natural ecosystems and the urban ecosystem, integrating vegetation into the city to improve the quality of life within it qualitatively and quantitatively.
The Building:
An Urban Ecology Library and Research Center of vegetation that can live within the city and help the city live. Along with technological investigation and innovation inspired by local natural systems.
The Performance:
The structure itself will operate similarly to a tree; a living, breathing, purifying, organism that, to the greatest reasonable extent, utilizes on-site resources; connecting to the water, considering wind and air, and using the sun. It will incorporate an on site Marsh to cleanse water runoff into the channel, a living machine for gray and black water treatment, rainwater collecting systems to a Bioswale, passive ventilation systems, and on-site solar energy production.
The Method:
An experimental urban/vegetative ecosystem spreading through the Innovation District, introducing new durable purifying vegetation to clean polluted water and soils, and produce oxygen around industrial and residential areas.
The Impact:
Effective and positive growth of vegetative infrastructure within the Innovation District will be a starting point for expansion of the strategy into the city of Boston, creating a new type of city with bioregional biodiversity at a scale that balances a number of urban problems. A new diverse ecosystem will result that provides places for a more healthful, economically and naturally sustainable environment.
The Strategy:
The transitional nature of the site, resting as it does at the seam between two vastly different districts of Boston, gives it the conceptual potential of an ecotone. An ecotone is a threshold condition between two different ecosystems, and tends to be a zone of incredible biodiversity. It is a condition in which life flourishes. The Center should serve this same purpose, meshing vegetation spreading strategies with existing urban conditions in order to create a place for Urban Biodiversity to thrive.
URBAN BIODIVERSITY - II
The Urban Ecology Center will operate as a testing ground and resource center for the development of Boston to new ecologically diversified urban ecosystem. Through researching methods of incorporating vegetation into existing urban environments, and utilizing the benefits of flora and water management, the center will foster a healthier and more self-sustaining city. The center will be the city’s seed of growth into a living organism.
Site’s Particular Environmental Impact Opportunities:
- Clean polluted soils from industrial district
- Catch rain runoff and store/collect rainwater for reuse
- Manage and clean runoff into channel
- Create new native plant biodiversity
- Reduce paved surfaces – replace w/ permeable paving & planting
- Offer shading for dwelling and temperature reduction
- Increase vegetative biomass for water and air purification
- Collect, clean and reuse gray and black water for on-site use
- Take advantage of open south facade for solar gain
- Take advantage of proximity of water for cooling
- Make green spaces for recreation for residents of the district
- Take advantage of underutilized alleyways for occupiable spaces
THE CARTER SCHOOL
The William Carter School is an educational facility for kids and young adults with profound cognitive, physical and medical challenges. The school’s main mission is to create an open and accepting environment and focus on learning that will lead to the students’ independence at school, at home and in the community.
Among the many methods used to facilitate the students’ development, Aquatic Therapy has been found to be extremely effective. An addition and renovation were proposed, which would include an aquatic therapy space, gym and assembly auditorium. The design team engaged in a comprehensive process with the school’s staff and extended community to establish solutions for the students’ unique needs, and to get to the best experience for the students and teachers. Accessibility and stimulation of motor development were high priorities for the design.
AGRI-TECTURE HOUSE
A house for an economically independent agricultural settlement. The unique importance of agriculture led us to investigate the formal qualities of agricultural buildings. The design highlights and celebrates the integrity of the simple gable structure, drawn from the concept of agricultural living. From the beginning there was a desire to have outdoor spaces that extended seamlessly from the interior, and to strongly emphasize the connection to the landscape. The form of the barn is essentially half of an A frame timber structure. The tree line serves as the conceptual parallel frame.
FLEET HOUSE
The Fleet House responds to its environment by balancing resources to enrich the lives of its inhabitants. It forms a relationship with water, the sun and the earth to foster a healthy environment inside and out, and to contribute to the health and longevity of the land itself. As initiatives like “Add On’s” allow more people to move to the Cape to enjoy the beauty of the landscape, homes like the Fleet House will help to maintain nature’s ability to support us through their sensitive interactions with natural resources and ecosystems.
The home responds to water…
… by processing grey water through a system of terraced vegetation
… by reusing grey water in the house and on site
… by minimizing waste water through efficient and minimized plumbing fixtures
The home responds to the land…
… by integrating wetland inspired landscaping that inhibits erosion and increases landscape percolation
The home responds to the sun…
… with windows designed to maximize solar heat gain in winter and minimize overheating in summer
… through use of UV as a stage of the grey water reclamation process
… through solar water heating
The home further minimizes energy use…
… through thick envelope detailing that reduces thermal bridging and increases insulation performance
… with natural cooling through window placement for cross-ventilation and vertical air movement
The home responds to the land…
… through use of reclaimed wood from the surrounding area rather than new growth
… by sourcing materials that are available locally, and minimizing the use of toxic and polluting materials
ECOTOPIA HOUSE
A concept of a ‘Ribbon’ that wraps around the house and holds the major public programmatic elements was implemented. The Ribbon follows the circulation of the house, and illustrates the use of the house to those outside. The house was designed to meet the Passive House standard. It has 18” thick walls assembled with a double stud wall. The super-insulated and airtight envelope create a comfortable indoor temperature with low energy bills.
THE TOMORROW HOUSE
In the last several decades, we have been forced to face the consequences of a long standing reliance on low cost, fossil fuel based energy infrastructure. We are using resources that cannot be readily replenished in ways that threaten our future health, economies and environment. In order to create a sustainable future we must do more than find a way to break even. We must ensure that for tomorrow, we have given more back than we took today.
The goal for Tomorrow is to passively reduce energy demand, then actively produce renewable energy. In doing this, we will contribute to a transition to an infrastructure that not only provides for the present, but for the future as well. As important as this mission is, however, if it is pursued thoughtlessly it is doomed to failure. A positive change in terms of energy and ecology must also positively affect individuals, communities and societies.
The design adheres to four major concepts
1. Make Tomorrow Passive Plus PV: By combining passive, energy efficient design strategies with renewable energy sources, we can provide for our needs without threatening the ability of future generations to provide for their own.
2. Make Tomorrow Contextually Contemporary: Constructing new architecture is like jumping into an ongoing conversation. If we say something completely off topic than the conversation falters. If we say the same things that have already been said then the conversation stagnates. But if we take what is already there in a new direction, the conversation becomes active and interesting. It can move forward. By designing buildings that build with intention upon the preexisting context, communities can grow and progress.
3. Make Tomorrow Happily Habitable: With the shifts that have occurred in the economy, owning a home has become increasingly difficult. Owning a safe and healthy home even more so. Our intent is to design affordable, low maintenance homes that foster healthier and happier lifestyles through encouraging alternative forms of transportation, time outdoors and interaction with neighbors.
4. Make Tomorrow Readily Reproducible: This isn’t to say that we should have thousands of carbon copy homes choking the character out of a community, but that the strategies and techniques of a particular design should be repeatable to achieve similar results. The passive strategies outlined in this proposal can be used in an infinite number of designs, but they will all perform better than a house that chooses to ignore the potentials of passive energy saving strategies.
MULTI-GENERATIONAL
URBAN ECOTONE HOUSE
The interstitial zone between two ecosystems is where life thrives, due to high biodiversity of elements. The Ecotone operates as a separator, but its boundary is vague, weaving back and forth to create overlaps of life forms, it is textured and layered, while each organism helps to nourish its local environment.
Our cities are the cultural ecotone of society, where relationships and interactions bring to development and innovation. The more heterogeneous we keep our urban environments the more it will thrive.
The diversity of multi-generational living can bring to a mutual nurturing for healthy growth.
COMPACT URBAN HOME
In an effort to promote urban in-fill in the city, and to preserve existing infrastructure, we designed this very small single family in Boston to fit on an existing slab of a former 2-car garage. The house is 2.5 stories tall, and makes use of smart built-ins and efficient space layout.
THE MEETING SCHOOL
The Meeting School is a Quaker educational community in a rural setting. On the existing campus, the experience of walking on the secondary paths behind the buildings enhances the connection to the natural surroundings. That feeling of wandering through nature is what the project tries to convey.
The project is composed of two buildings within a larger glass structure. The first building is entirely enclosed within the glass structure while the second building extends out into nature. The large transparent structure blurs the distinction between inside and out. Walking paths are continuous from interior to exterior to maintain the sensation of wandering through the woods.
SLIVER LOT HOUSE
A design of a compact Live / Work / Gallery building to fit on a very narrow lot in Somerville. An exploration of making use of urban “unusable” lots that are too narrow for conventional housing development.
SUNDIAL HOUSE
This house helps tell the time of day as sunlight and shadow move through the house. The design strategy is a simple combination of white concrete and wood with an emphasis on daylighting strategies to define space. The house is located on a hill, where it receives maximum direct sunlight during all times of day.
CLIFF HOUSE
This house symbolizes the layering of the earth. The design strategy uses natural materials that relate to these layers, variations of stone assembled with simple, clean joints. The house is located on a steep, concave cliff, and is separated into four levels.
MATHEMATICIAN'S HOUSE
Organized around basic geometric shapes, this house has a systematic and symmetrical layout. The design utilizes steel beams, columns and screens, as well as large glass openings.
10 FT CUBE HOUSE
Can you fit all the needs of a household into a 10 foot cube? The 10 Cubed Living Unit creates a spacious environment in a compact area by rotating the cube on its tip to take advantage of the diagonal. Bathroom and sleeping areas are stacked to allow the main living space to be as open as can be. A large skylight “slices” the tip, breaking the feeling of walls converging toward the center.
MUSIC PAVILION
Accessible out door music performance space
FENWAY BOATHOUSE
Water, soil composition, vegetation and circulation were the main design drivers for the design of a Community Boat House in the Boston Fens. The structure was situated to maximize connections between walking paths and protect the wetland ecology.
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