In an excellent TEDtalk Neil Hetherington talks about Habitat for Humanity, why affordable housing is important, and the indignity of Extreme Home Makeover.
There is a better way to house people in need.
Don’t Watch “Extreme Home Makeover” | 2010 | Affordable Housing | Tags: Affordable Housing, Extreme Home Makeover, Habitat for Humanity, Neil Hetherington | Comments (0)
I recently participated in 10 Square, a competition asking “How much do we really need?” The theoretical structures are to be built in Nelson, BC and are sized to avoid the required process of building permits, as well as rethink the complexity, and footprint of the spaces we inhabit. Here are all the entries.
Phased diagram showing operable hinge-wall
From the project presentation:
The tiny ‘hinge’ house concept aims to minimize both its physical and ecological footprint while maximizing the living potential of a small space. Using locally harvested Western Red Cedar siding, the exterior of the building is both low maintenance and minimizes the use of toxic finishes. Interior finishes include zero VOC paint, with locally sourced cabinetry and recycled countertops.
With the rotating hinge-wall open, exterior cladding becomes flooring, seamlessly integrating upper level interior space with the great outdoors. Meanwhile, the entire main volume of the house becomes an open air pavilion, with the hinge-wall acting as a cantilevered shading device over both the main living area, and outdoor living space in front of the structure.
Exterior Perspective with hinge-wall open
If you’ve stopped by in the past, come back again very soon. We have a lot planned for this winter and spring 2011. New design process snapshots, new Modest Modern plans for sale, Co-op housing information, and much more. We’ll also be posting this new information via our Facebook page (assuming you’re one of the 500 million Facebook users.)
Porch House - Front Porch
See more images below the fold of one of our first vernacular designs.
Click Here for the Schematic Plan & Elevations
Shed House #1 - Schematic Rendering
Here’s a sneak peek at what we’ve got in the works for one of the initial designs. This small house is all about efficiency, doing more with less, and keeping things simple.
Heated square footage is about 960 square feet, but the simple plan and large screened porch make it feel much larger.