material & products
We selected the materials and products for our house according to three main criteria: sustainability, cost, and performance. We scrutinized the ecological integrity and aesthetics of every product: the zero-VOC paint for the walls, the sustainably harvested cedar siding, the cork panels, and the locally quarried blue stone slabs covering our floor, to name a few. We combined high-performance imported products with local and refurbished materials to give a dynamic scale to our house.
Exterior
The house’s exterior is sided with sustainably harvested white cedar boards, finished and detailed with a custom Benjamin Moore stain that we developed and named “solar storm” (reminiscent of the cloudy skies of upstate New York). We designed the scalar variation of the boards to reflect the diameter of the steel members of the Light Canopy scaffolding. These custom powder-coated members cast continuous shadows through our solar collectors and onto the south façade of our house. To provide a rare and beautiful wood accent for both the exterior and interior of the house, we acquired refurbished American Chestnut barn boards from a donor’s silo. Cornell University students worked with the donor to remove the siding, strip it down, and finish it.
For our deck, an especially high-traffic area during the competition, we selected a composite plastic/wood lumber. This material is extremely durable, with a much longer lifespan than wood, making it more cost-effective over time. In addition, the composite will perform well in the fluctuating weather of upstate New York.
Interior:
We selected the interior finishes primarily for their longevity and low ecological impact. We chose furniture that was flexibile to accommodate the residents’ ever-changing needs. The Wicanders® cork floating floor panels were laid down without adhesives or hardware and provide a durable and attractive finish. The blue stone slabs in our sunroom and bathroom were quarried just up the road from our building site and are a vernacular material found almost everywhere on the Cornell University campus. On our walls and ceiling, we used a zero-VOC paint from American Pride. We chose products such as low-VOC-emitting paints and recycled denim insulation to protect the health of the house’s residents, as well as our student construction crew.
In our living room, the sofa bed creates flexibility for guest accommodations. Similarly, the fold-down Murphy bed in the bedroom may be stored during the day to transform the bedroom into a study. Economy of space is essential in such a small house, and we have made concessions for efficiency and compactness. One of the most eye-catching design features of our interior is a custom Corian® dining table and matching kitchen counter. We worked with a Los Angeles–based design company called NONdesigns to fabricate a table with removable trays to hold herb and fruit plantings, creating a literal “kitchen garden”. The table sits in the middle of our sunroom, creating a small greenhouse. The removable herb trays can be moved from the dining table to the kitchen counter for use in cooking and seasoning. Situated in the center of our house, this small transient garden strengthens our concept of flexible and adaptive spaces.
Furniture, Appliances, and Materials:
- Design Within Reach (DWR) sofa bed - Total Retail Cost $2,689 (partially donated)
- NONdesigns Corian dining table – Total Retail Cost $2,360
- Diva induction stove – Total Retail Cost $1,250(partially donated)
- Fischer & Paykel DishDrawer® dishwasher – Total Retail Cost $800 (donated)
- Blue Dot stacking chairs – Total Retail Cost $800
- Finger Lakes blue stone – Total Retail Cost $400
- Wicanders® Identity Cork Flooring – Total Retail Cost $168
