Home is anchored to the earth, hovers over the landscape

The Orcas House on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands is an intergenerational family home under construction designed by Seattle firm Allied8. The home explores how construction material use can reduce global emissions. The site was the challenge that started the project. Orcas House is located on a small lot on a ridgeline the previous owner could not figure out how to build on as it is extremely steep and half bedrock.

A cabin on a hill in the woods

Allied8 Cofounder Leah Martin purchased the land and had another go at making it a buildable site. The land’s steep slope created a challenge to locate even enough level ground to support a foundation platform. The property has views to the south toward Eastsound, views to the north of the Salish Sea, Sucia Island and downtown Vancouver B.C. And so, Allied8 set themselves the challenge to create a cabin on a building site that could barely touch the ground.

A black and white rendering of a house planted into the dirt

As a result, Allied8 decided not to create a foundation at all. The Orcas House is anchored to the earth in six spots on a steel moment frame that hovers over the landscape on three sides. The house cantilevers over one end, preserving the moss and natural landscape beneath it and anchoring the house to the ground via steel pillars.

A living room space connected to a dining room space

At least 8% of global emissions from humans come from the cement industry, which means eliminating concrete in a house’s foundation helps significantly to lower the construction carbon footprint. Allied8 decided to use steel instead of concrete on the base in order to make the home more sustainable. Designers for Orcas House also sourced 100% recycled U.S. steel to further curb carbon emissions.

A living room area and in the background is a dining table with chairs around it

Thereby, the first step of the design was to figure out where the windows should be placed to allow forest, sky and water views to be taken in all at once. The rest of the cabin design fell around the window placements.

A ladder in a hallway

The house was kept small at 1,300 square feet to keep the surrounding forest intact. Designers carefully had to fit in storage, mechanical rooms and extra sleep space for kids and guests. A loft space up in the trusses was used to maximize extra storage and sleep space. It’s a small home, but one that is beautiful and functional and located in a spot where most people wouldn’t even attempt to build. The house will be completed in spring 2023.

+ Allied8

Images via Allied8 and Matias Bervejillo

from INHABITAT https://ift.tt/oShKtlc
via IFTTT

Comentarios

imagenes del medio ambiente para dibujar

5 Benefits of Drip Irrigation Systems

If you want a stunning yard and a low water bill, a drip irrigation system could be for you. Image: Jacky Parker Photography/Getty Images If you live in one of the parts of the country that’s been struggling with drought (or you just don’t want to spend a fortune on your water bill), you’ve probably felt that you face a choice with your outdoor areas. You can either be water conscious or have a beautiful, lush yard, right? When you’ve opted for traditional irrigation systems like sprinkler heads, that’s often true. But, good news, that’s not your only option as far as types of irrigation systems go. If you want a beautiful yard without the high water usage — and resulting bill! — a drip irrigation system could be just what you need. What is a drip irrigation system? This way to water your plants uses dripped water. A drip irrigation system runs either a perforated hose or drip emitters (connected by a hose) under the soil throughout your planting bed. Water drips through sma...

New riverside development in China will be an urban renewal

Architects VenhoevenCS have won a major riverside redevelopment in Shenzhen, China . They hope to protect large areas of land from flooding while also creating a vibrant new urban identity for the Bao’an district. The Pailao River Blueway Project constitutes a new biodiverse landscape along the central Pailoa River, an area under rapid urban development where rainfall intensity is increasing. Architects are using this project to design with the water instead of against it. It includes elements such as ponds, green roofs, urban farming plots, wetlands and soft banks, contributing to a natural sponge effect to absorb excess water from the river . Related: 100-year-old railway yard turned into a green space VenhoevenCS also has their sights set on integrating urban regeneration in the area. They have planned cultural and social spaces, including pavilions and parks for cyclists and pedestrians. The design illustrates their nature-inclusive approach, reshaping how human...

Say hello to the new Toyota electric vehicle, the bZ4X

Toyota is trying to win the electric vehicle game with a stylish new SUV loaded with techy features. The all-electric bZ4X will be rolling onto the lots of U.S. auto dealers this spring. If the name doesn’t immediately strike you as catchy, it might help to understand that “bZ” stands for “beyond zero.” The bZ4X is the first of seven in Toyota’s new line of bZ vehicles. That’s seven out of 15 BEVs, to throw another acronym at you. BEVs are battery electric vehicles, as opposed to HEVs (hybrid electric vehicles) or PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles). Related: Consider these factors before buying an electric vehicle All these Vs will help speed Toyota toward its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Already, Toyota has more than 20 million models on the world’s roads. The company has pledged to invest another $70+ billion in EVs over the next nine years. So, back to the bZ4X. According to Toyota, the new “BEV-dedicated platform, a first for Toyota, was developed wi...

NASA to test the world's first electric airplane

NASA has shared details of its new all-electric plane that is set to take off to the sky this fall. The plane is designed to run fully on electric batteries , departing from the tradition of fuel-powered planes. If all goes well, this will be the first step toward achieving a cleaner, cheaper, and quieter future for aviation. Known as the X-57, the plane is lightweight compared to traditional planes . Its weight helps it use less power over the same distance compared to its equal fuel-powered planes. Further, the plane produces less noise as compared to fuel-powered options. According to NASA, the plane is currently being prepared for initial tests, which will be conducted in the desert east of Los Angeles. Related: Rolls-Royce unveils prototype for world’s fastest electric plane The plane borrows its design from a four-seater plane constructed by the Italian Tecnam corporation. The main reason for this is to help in comparison of the two models of the design. The experts at NA...

Biomimicry house hints at a solution to the climate crisis

Houses separate us from nature. At least, that’s the idea we’ve had until now. Architecture that uses biomimicry , permaculture and related practices to keep nature in our building spaces offers a green alternative. B+H Architects Director of Biomimicry Jamie Miller is an advocate of sustainable building practices like biomimicry to help with the climate crisis. Biomimicry creates an architectural option that keeps us connected to nature, without removing the biodiversity from the spaces where we live and work. Now the B+H Architects’ newest residential project shows us how a home can blend right into nature itself. Related: It looks like a shark fin and helps urban river flooding A house that disappears into the landscape “Imagine stepping inside a house that disappears into a forest all without ever leaving the city,” B+H said. A landowner in Bengaluru, India wanted to achieve just that, connecting his home to nature within a dense urban area. He didn’t ju...

What are stellar earthquakes that make stars move?

What are stellar earthquakes that make stars move? The Gaia mission of the European Space Agency revealed the earthquakes that occur thousands of light years away. Argentine astronomers explain the scope of this space telescope and its discoveries. In 2013 the European Space Agency (ESA), launched a unique space mission: the Gaia space observatory, a spacecraft designed specifically for astrometry: the science that measures the positions, distances and motions of stars with a precision never seen before. Scientists say the mission aims to build the largest and most accurate 3D space catalog ever made of the observable universe, with a total of approximately two billion astronomical objects, mainly stars, but also planets, comets, asteroids and quasars, among other fascinating objects in the vastness of space. This week, ESA released a new update of data collected by Gaia in the last three years, after having observed 10 million stars and space objects, which led to the publication of s...

Bananatex launches a sustainable material revolution at Milan Design Week

A party of three has collaborated to create a multi-purpose material sourced entirely from banana leaves. Swiss bag brand QWSTION, a yarn specialist from Taiwan, and a Taiwanese weaving partner spent four years developing the new material, which is being revealed at the 2019 Milan Design Week. The strong, flexible material, called Banantex, offers a new universal option in the search for sustainable materials . Beginning at the source, the banana leaves come from a natural ecosystem of sustainable forestry in the Philippines. The banana trees grow naturally without the use of pesticides or other chemicals. Plus, they do not require any additional water. The banana plants are a boon to an area previously eroded by palm plantations, bringing back vegetation and a livelihood for local farmers. Related: See how banana trees are recycled into vegan “leather” wallets in Micronesia With a long history of creating materials from sustainable resources, QWSTION saw the strength and ...

Iconic Farnsworth House gets a conceptual, sustainable redesign

As a design exercise, California-based architecture firm Jeff Barrett Studio has reimagined Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Farnsworth House for the modern times with a sustainable redesign that includes onsite renewable energy and modular construction. Conceived as a case study for sustainability that would still pay homage to the original architectural style, the proposed design follows the same building footprint while introducing a new materials palette and energy-saving features. Located in Plano, Illinois, about an hour west of Chicago, the Farnsworth House is recognized worldwide as a masterpiece of International Style of architecture. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed and constructed the 1,500-square-foot structure between 1945 and 1951 as a country retreat for his client, Dr. Edith Farnsworth. Built with two slabs, a series of steel columns and expansive floor-to-ceiling glass throughout, the minimalist home was created to usher the natural landscape indoors. The building was ...

Dibujos de como cuidar el medio ambiente

Dibujos de como cuidar el medio ambiente Hola a todos, ¡bienvenidos a mi vlog! En este episodio, quiero hablar sobre algo muy importante para mí y para nuestro planeta: el cuidado del medio ambiente. Como muchos de ustedes saben, la situación actual del medio ambiente es crítica, y es necesario que todos hagamos nuestra parte para protegerlo. Una de las formas más divertidas y creativas de concienciar sobre este tema es a través de dibujos. En este post, les mostraré algunos dibujos que pueden inspirarlos a crear su propia obra de arte y, al mismo tiempo, a difundir mensajes sobre el cuidado del medio ambiente. Algunos de los temas que podemos abordar en nuestros dibujos incluyen la importancia de reciclar, de no contaminar el aire y el agua, de proteger a los animales y de reducir nuestra huella de carbono. Además de ser una forma divertida de pasar el tiempo, los dibujos pueden ser una herramienta poderosa para sensibilizar a otros sobre este tema tan importante. Así que les animo a ...

Eco Vlog News

Welcome to my Vlog about the environment and general news related to it. The advancement of technology and the expansion of the human being are inevitable and an essential mark left by progress as a race, but it is important in the process not to lose respect for the environment and the world in which we live. Become aware of its deterioration as an initial measure to begin to become aware of how to take care of it. For these reasons, our little grain of sand as a contribution to an ecological blog in which we offer you the latest Internet news as a reference so that you can inform yourself and become aware of it. In the articles you can find the respective news sources and most current magazines on which the subject in question is being addressed.

Eco-Vlog

Buscar este blog