Design
Above all else, our house represents a synthesis of solar-energy generation and energy-efficient design. Within 800 square feet, we have incorporated remarkable flexibility to allow for a multiplicity of homeowner uses and tastes. One way we accomplished this was to emphasize openness within the home.
Our house makes unique use of space through a melding of indoor and outdoor areas. Both visual and physical connections to the outdoors are made through strategically located windows, allowing a clear view of the landscape from any location in the house. A double set of NanaWalls® on the south side of the building can be opened or closed to create a variety of configurations, including a compartmentalized sunroom, additional living room space, or an extended deck. The sunroom provides additional light during the day as well as passive heat as its stone floor stores solar heat.
The house’s flexibility is most evident in how the electrical power systems are located. Solar panels, rather than being placed on the roof of the building, are attached to an independent structure: the Light Canopy. This allows easy access to the roof and makes minimal impact on the primary structure of the house.
Flexibility also is accomplished by the multiple uses built into several rooms. The bedroom serves as a home office, and the sunroom is also a dining room. The outdoor space is a semi-climatized room when the NanaWalls® are opened. Tate® Access Floor panels allow significant adjustments to be made to wiring and ventilation systems without having to alter the walls and support structures of the house.
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Key Products:
- NanaWalls® SL70 sliding glass doors – Total Retail Cost $30,000 (partially donated)
- Tate® Access Floor - Total Retail Cost $7,500 (partially donated)
- Murus structural insulated panels (SIPs) – Total Retail Cost $15,500 (partially donated)
- Acrylabs sustainable, low-VOC acrylic roll-on membrane roofing material - Total Retail Cost $2,000 (donated)
