Maybe it's just the blogs I find myself subscribed to, or perhaps the proliferation of people who know how to use computer modeling these days, but the growth of Sleek Contemporary Prefab Housing Solutions (tm) on my blogroll is rivaling my tomato patch.
Laying aside the biggest sustainable problem with SCPHS (getting people to like them - a wonder drug ain't a wonder if people won't take it), I'd like to share the benefit of my professional architectural practice with whoever cares about the success of such prototypes.
[Disclaimer 1: As someone who has been through the assimilation attempt that is architecture school, I lurrrve the idea of Prefab, and the Sleek Contemporary brand of Modern is always a temptation. I maintain my grasp on reality by imagining it dusted with cat fur.]
[Disclaimer 2: As critical as this post will be, I want to applaud the folks (even Pitt) involved with this project for their initial feelings of goodwill, their obvious effort, and all the good green decisions that lie under the aesthetics. I just wish the aesthetics reflected those good green decisions in a holistic way, rather than perpetrate the International Style Myth - i.e. throw out all the historic lessons in favor of the Machine Aesthetic.]
We'll use the graphics from Global Green's Holy Cross development, since they landed in my Bloglines roll from JetsonGreen this morning, and since Brad Pitt's name is on them. (All publicity is good publicity.) I don't know where Preston got the images.
To look at these shots, Holy Cross is clearly located on the rural prairies of Southern Louisiana. Each of these houses will survey 20 acres. [/end sarcasm] The situation, to anyone who has been there, looks more like this:
(Images from The Urban Conservancy)
Which brings us to #2 on a 'Commandments of Architecture'* poster that a mentor once told me about - VISIT THE SITE. (2a is Visit the Right Site - #1 is Keep Thy Client Dry). Folks, images are powerful. Realize how sharp your weapon is - make it true.
The Holy Cross graphics show a narrow house, that might fit in an empty shotgun lot. It'd be nice if they showed other houses around it. It'd also be nice if they could 'age' the finishes - because as in the TUC southwest photo, everybody in town knows what the ordinary weather does to buildings, and that if those buildings don't look more charming with peeled paint, mildew and warped wood, they'll be regarded as slummy. Remember new and shiny doesn't last. 'Sustainable' means 'last a long time'.
As a gardening architect, who is always charmed and inspired by the veg gardens she sees in predominantly black southern towns, it'd be nice if the architects had recognized that aspect of local culture, rather than purple loosestrife, which I don't think I've ever seen this far south. Celebrate humanity - provide opportunities for human creativity and active personalization.
Onto the building. I suppose that monoslope roof w/solar panels faces south, for best solar orientation. Fine. And the next building to the north, #98, its roof will reflect light into those clerestories of #100. Is that okay? Speaking of clerestories, are they operable, to heat-chimney the famously sultry NO air through the structure? Doesn't look like it. Let the house be a 'machine for living' - don't make people live in a machine.
Cross-ventilation was all the pre-AC shotgun house had - again, windows don't look large enough to encourage this effect? I can tell you from experience that awning windows suck at letting a breeze in. How about a nice double-or triple-hung with the top sash up against the ceiling, like those oldies in the French Quarter? Examine historic solutions and benefit from generations of testing.
Daylighting - you're okay here, mostly due to the skinnyness of the form. Good. Overhang on the south side looks pretty good for summer - but your heat gain on the east/west upstairs is going to be tremendous. Better spec solar shades and maybe some sort of awning. However, that south overhang looks too deep for winter heat gain, and there isn't enough glass on that side to get it. But perhaps there's enough appliances and people to heat the house in the winter. It does actually get cold enough for central heat in NO. Plan for all expected extremes, not just the famous ones.
Landscaped roofs I have no opinion about, since I haven't had the opportunity to be a user, nor been required to detail one. I do worry about maintenance skills beyond the capacity of the average person, and about having any sort of wetness immediately above conditioned space, with little drainage slope. Keep Thy Client Dry.
Materials: All those thin horizontal slats had better not be local pine, since they'll warp beyond recognition. And if they're exotic, you've blown your green credential. Perhaps they're recycled something. Foam insulation, BluWood, PVs, water cisterns, recycled flooring, low-VOC paints = all good. Fiber-cement siding~ iffy. Great for durability and users know what to do with it (paint it! not too often!), but the Portland cement manufacturing process is hugely polluting, and the stuff is awfully heavy to cart around the country. Do they make this stuff local to NO? I don't know. At least they can bring it in directly from the port. Pursue 'technological improvements', but with skepticism.
Systems: A SEER of 10??? Hello, what year is this? Illegal in Florida, where 13 is the minimum. 20 if you can afford it (and these government programs should be financing such purchases). Tankless water heaters, good - but solar water heaters are the same initial cost, can be multi-tasked for space heating, and are not mentioned. Use money efficiently, in every direction you can think of.
All that said, I am really an optimist (surprise!). Therefore I have perfect faith that people will pick and choose lots of wonderful ideas that are featured in this program and recombine them into better and better holistic solutions, than any architect can devise by himself. Hold off the hurricanes for another couple years, and stand back - housing is finally going to change.
*If anyone is familiar with such a poster - PLEASE tell me about it. I'd love to know the other Commandments.
Gee, I went and looked at all the semifinalists and hated them all. The presentations were slick but without any warmth of appeal. And is $175k really a good price for a stacked double wide?
Posted by: Kaethe | August 27, 2007 at 12:03 PM