Monday, August 11th 2008
The GrassCube Manifesto
Michael Wisniewski
PROBLEM : SOLUTION INTRODUCTION
GrassCube is a research project on affordable dwellings. After designing more than 500 affordable dwellings and observing other initiatives over recent decades, we start with the knowledge that truly affordable housing is as attainable as an alchemist's quest to convert lead into gold; each promised breakthrough dissolves into myth and air. Adding sustainability, energy conservation and local materials only further escalates costs. At this point affordable housing can only be accomplished by bringing outside funding sources into the mix to reduce the actual construction cost.
Nevertheless, we embark on our own research for an affordable, sustainable, local home. We will likely discover that the mystical formula is just beyond reach, but the philosophy underlying GrassCube may well have some modest results and point the way to further research.
Material equals cost. Therefore our organizing principle was to reduce and eliminate material. Not just square footage, but volume, surface area, mass, finishes and details. The result differs from traditional Vermont architecture and yet the forms are not willful; they evolve from a discipline rigorously applied.
Will people want to live in such a structure? As much as it varies from traditional forms, a tipping point has been reached in our society; people are more open and willing to consider environmentally conscious design even if it is different.
Can this approach actually save money? Stay tuned; we are just beginning the research.
One of the problems in advancing the cause of affordable dwellings is that the limitations inherent in the existing process do not allow research and development. There are economies of scale and a larger project is usually more affordable than a small one. Once people get involved in a large project, we hesitate to experiment; it is one thing to have a couple of houses not work out; it is another for 50 units to have a significant failure.
After World War Two most of the aerospace industry had a 'skunk works'. They would channel some funds to creative engineers to work on far out projects outside normal channels. The many partners involved in affordable housing in Vermont should set aside some funds to support skunk works research for some small projects.
Presently, we have the possibility of a real site in East Middlebury for the Addison County Community Trust; so we may be able to test these ideas in the real world and this could be the first Vermont Skunk Works Project.
Click on the GrassCube Project Sheet to see more variations and floor plans.
CUBE.
We begin with a cube; the geometric form that provides the most volume per surface area outside the complexities of a sphere. Maximizing space and minimizing surface area reduces material. There are also orientation and siting benefits as noted below.
As the design evolved the cube gradually deformed to adjust to the flow of a functional and efficient floor plan so it is no longer a perfect cube. Also there are different sizes and floor plans which vary the surface area formula. For Vitruvius, 'eurythmia' was the principle of adjusting perfect classical ratios to attain a more pleasing result and Plato would also understand this as an imperfect representation of a more perfect form.
GRASS.
The (almost) flat roof has less surface area and material than a traditional pitched roof. Adding an optional green roof cools the building and neighborhood microclimate in summer, purifies air and decreases stormwater runoff. The flat roof also is the perfect base for solar panel and photovoltaic arrays set at optimal orientation no matter which way the house faces.
Green roofs are still expensive and not always doable but the design allows it as an option and it can be added at a later date.
SITING & ORIENTATION
The cube, unlike a long, thin structure provides flexibility for siting while maximizing solar orientation. The main living area has three exterior walls, one of which will likely have southern exposure. A mirror image of the basic plan further increases the possibilities.
All individual rooms have more than one exterior wall which not only maximizes access to solar gain but provides natural cross ventilation. Window selection and placement can be fine tuned for orientation in each design.
The projecting porch allows one to site the house so it is entered frontally or along the side to aid in maximizing passive solar possibilities in relation to the site.
FLEXIBLE/FUNCTIONAL PLAN
GrassCube is very small, but not so small that one is cramped or limited to a single furniture layout. The plan is very efficient, there is no wasted space, the living space is not a primary circulation route which wastes space and it respects Vermont weather by providing a mudroom area off the main entry to accommodate wet boots and outer clothing with access to bathroom and laundry without trekking through the living space.
The basic plan is a 1,200 sf structure with an open living area, 2 BR, 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 baths and combined mechanical/laundry/storage area. The kitchen is open to living, but also partially screened from full view.
There is the option to add another room to the downstairs which can be a family/media room, home office or bedroom. As a bedroom it uses the 1 3/4 bath which also acts as the powder room. Depending on the size of the room this would yield a total square footage of 1,350 to 1,500.
We are developing variations on the basic plan including a single story, 1 BR design and a slightly larger 3 BR, 2 3/4 Bath based on the same basic layout.
MINIMAL
Besides minimizing square footage, volume and surface area, GrassCube eliminates material at a system and detail level.
On the exterior there are no roof overhangs, eaves, rakes, soffits, built up trim, or complicated forms. In fact there is essentially no trim - the siding is trim. The vertical, reverse board and batten serves as its own rain screen.
On the interior a colored, scored and sealed concrete slab serves as structure and finish. Combining laundry and mechanical into one space saves a door and trim. We are still looking at other ways of eliminating and simplifying systems and materials.
LOCAL
GrassCube is researching the availability of as many possible products from local Vermont sources or assembled and fabricated in Vermont with materials from elsewhere. We will also be looking into products available within a 500 mile radius per LEED certification.
We won't be surprised to find out that virtually every local product or system will cost much more than typical, national, non-green products.
Research is ongoing, preliminary sources identified to date:
Foundation - Superior Wall concrete forms (Albany).
Structural - Heavy timber wood beams.
Siding - Locally milled, rough sawn wood for the exterior reverse board and batten siding.
Windows & Exterior Doors - Green Mountain or Bonneville (Canada).
Stair Treads - Heavy timber slabs, open risers.
Walls - SIP panels - Fabricated locally.
Cabinets - Local wood and fabrication.
Counters - Granite, soapstone, slate, marble, butcher block.
Interior Doors - Panel doors.
Air to Air Exchanger - Memphremagog.
Heating System - ??? Wood pellet. Wood stove.
ENERGY/SUSTAINABLE
Structural SIP panels for walls and roof - High R value, low air infiltration, minimal trees.
Passive Solar.
Rooftop solar panels for domestic hot water.
Photovoltaic. Electric and possible heat pumps.
Geothermal: Ground source heat pump.
Natural cross ventilation.
Windows double (triple) glazed with argon.
Radiant slab.
PROBLEM : SOLUTION INTRODUCTION
GrassCube is a research project on affordable dwellings. After designing more than 500 affordable dwellings and observing other initiatives over recent decades, we start with the knowledge that truly affordable housing is as attainable as an alchemist's quest to convert lead into gold; each promised breakthrough dissolves into myth and air. Adding sustainability, energy conservation and local materials only further escalates costs. At this point affordable housing can only be accomplished by bringing outside funding sources into the mix to reduce the actual construction cost.
Nevertheless, we embark on our own research for an affordable, sustainable, local home. We will likely discover that the mystical formula is just beyond reach, but the philosophy underlying GrassCube may well have some modest results and point the way to further research.
Material equals cost. Therefore our organizing principle was to reduce and eliminate material. Not just square footage, but volume, surface area, mass, finishes and details. The result differs from traditional Vermont architecture and yet the forms are not willful; they evolve from a discipline rigorously applied.
Will people want to live in such a structure? As much as it varies from traditional forms, a tipping point has been reached in our society; people are more open and willing to consider environmentally conscious design even if it is different.
Can this approach actually save money? Stay tuned; we are just beginning the research.
One of the problems in advancing the cause of affordable dwellings is that the limitations inherent in the existing process do not allow research and development. There are economies of scale and a larger project is usually more affordable than a small one. Once people get involved in a large project, we hesitate to experiment; it is one thing to have a couple of houses not work out; it is another for 50 units to have a significant failure.
After World War Two most of the aerospace industry had a 'skunk works'. They would channel some funds to creative engineers to work on far out projects outside normal channels. The many partners involved in affordable housing in Vermont should set aside some funds to support skunk works research for some small projects.
Presently, we have the possibility of a real site in East Middlebury for the Addison County Community Trust; so we may be able to test these ideas in the real world and this could be the first Vermont Skunk Works Project.
Click on the GrassCube Project Sheet to see more variations and floor plans.
CUBE.
We begin with a cube; the geometric form that provides the most volume per surface area outside the complexities of a sphere. Maximizing space and minimizing surface area reduces material. There are also orientation and siting benefits as noted below.
As the design evolved the cube gradually deformed to adjust to the flow of a functional and efficient floor plan so it is no longer a perfect cube. Also there are different sizes and floor plans which vary the surface area formula. For Vitruvius, 'eurythmia' was the principle of adjusting perfect classical ratios to attain a more pleasing result and Plato would also understand this as an imperfect representation of a more perfect form.
GRASS.
The (almost) flat roof has less surface area and material than a traditional pitched roof. Adding an optional green roof cools the building and neighborhood microclimate in summer, purifies air and decreases stormwater runoff. The flat roof also is the perfect base for solar panel and photovoltaic arrays set at optimal orientation no matter which way the house faces.
Green roofs are still expensive and not always doable but the design allows it as an option and it can be added at a later date.
SITING & ORIENTATION
The cube, unlike a long, thin structure provides flexibility for siting while maximizing solar orientation. The main living area has three exterior walls, one of which will likely have southern exposure. A mirror image of the basic plan further increases the possibilities.
All individual rooms have more than one exterior wall which not only maximizes access to solar gain but provides natural cross ventilation. Window selection and placement can be fine tuned for orientation in each design.
The projecting porch allows one to site the house so it is entered frontally or along the side to aid in maximizing passive solar possibilities in relation to the site.
FLEXIBLE/FUNCTIONAL PLAN
GrassCube is very small, but not so small that one is cramped or limited to a single furniture layout. The plan is very efficient, there is no wasted space, the living space is not a primary circulation route which wastes space and it respects Vermont weather by providing a mudroom area off the main entry to accommodate wet boots and outer clothing with access to bathroom and laundry without trekking through the living space.
The basic plan is a 1,200 sf structure with an open living area, 2 BR, 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 baths and combined mechanical/laundry/storage area. The kitchen is open to living, but also partially screened from full view.
There is the option to add another room to the downstairs which can be a family/media room, home office or bedroom. As a bedroom it uses the 1 3/4 bath which also acts as the powder room. Depending on the size of the room this would yield a total square footage of 1,350 to 1,500.
We are developing variations on the basic plan including a single story, 1 BR design and a slightly larger 3 BR, 2 3/4 Bath based on the same basic layout.
MINIMAL
Besides minimizing square footage, volume and surface area, GrassCube eliminates material at a system and detail level.
On the exterior there are no roof overhangs, eaves, rakes, soffits, built up trim, or complicated forms. In fact there is essentially no trim - the siding is trim. The vertical, reverse board and batten serves as its own rain screen.
On the interior a colored, scored and sealed concrete slab serves as structure and finish. Combining laundry and mechanical into one space saves a door and trim. We are still looking at other ways of eliminating and simplifying systems and materials.
LOCAL
GrassCube is researching the availability of as many possible products from local Vermont sources or assembled and fabricated in Vermont with materials from elsewhere. We will also be looking into products available within a 500 mile radius per LEED certification.
We won't be surprised to find out that virtually every local product or system will cost much more than typical, national, non-green products.
Research is ongoing, preliminary sources identified to date:
Foundation - Superior Wall concrete forms (Albany).
Structural - Heavy timber wood beams.
Siding - Locally milled, rough sawn wood for the exterior reverse board and batten siding.
Windows & Exterior Doors - Green Mountain or Bonneville (Canada).
Stair Treads - Heavy timber slabs, open risers.
Walls - SIP panels - Fabricated locally.
Cabinets - Local wood and fabrication.
Counters - Granite, soapstone, slate, marble, butcher block.
Interior Doors - Panel doors.
Air to Air Exchanger - Memphremagog.
Heating System - ??? Wood pellet. Wood stove.
ENERGY/SUSTAINABLE
Structural SIP panels for walls and roof - High R value, low air infiltration, minimal trees.
Passive Solar.
Rooftop solar panels for domestic hot water.
Photovoltaic. Electric and possible heat pumps.
Geothermal: Ground source heat pump.
Natural cross ventilation.
Windows double (triple) glazed with argon.
Radiant slab.