|
|
Basic Building Features - Louisiana House Home & Landscape Resource Center
Basic Spatial Program | Sustainability Criteria and Features
LaHouse is a home and landscape resource center of the LSU AgCenter located on university property in Baton Rouge, La. It showcases and teaches a range of solutions for sustainable, "high performance" housing and landscapes for the gulf region.
Below is a list of basic features of the demonstration house. See the Related Articles to the right for a more comprehensive description of each building system used and its energy efficiency, hazard resistant, durability and healthy features.
|
Basic Spatial Program |
- Typical size new house – approx. 2,300 sq. ft. living area downstairs, 3,000 sq.ft. if upstairs living area included
- Partial two-story (over a segment of house)
- No level changes on first story (between rooms, sections, porches, etc.)
- House layout in definable sections, each with a different building systems
- Main entry and interior layout can accommodate flow of tour groups
- Screened porch and shaded rear porch or deck
- Front exterior access storage (for package delivery and storm preparedness)
|
|
1st story – for public touring |
- 2 BR, 2 baths
- Open planning, great room (living, dining)
- Dual-cook kitchen w/island or peninsula; largely open to great room
- Laundry room
- Home "telecommuting" office (to be used as resource center)
|
|
2nd story |
- Upstairs “bedrooms, etc.” to serve as office space for 3-4 staff
- Walk-in storage space for publications, etc.
- Exhibit area to show cutaways, wall sections, etc.
|
|
Garage |
|
|
|
Target Market |
- Mainstream move-up market
- Average household size (4 people)
- Adaptable for both urban and rural markets
- Range of features (some for custom, spec home and remodeling markets)
|
|
Architectural Style |
- Timeless (not trendy)
- Reflects LSU architectural flavor
- Appealing and attractive to various income levels, but not exclusionary
- Features for custom, spec home and remodeling markets
- Reflects climate zone
- Consistent with all LaHouse criteria (does not violate any criteria)
| |
|
Sustainability Criteria and Features |
|
Resource-efficient |
- Energy-efficient design and construction (EnergyStar certified)
- Passive solar orientation and features (front facing N or S) for BR climate zone
- Minimized solar heat gain (shading, solar reflectance, etc.) is first priority
- Winter efficiency and natural ventilation for mild seasons
- Tight construction, controlled ventilation with efficient dehumidification
- Insulation systems with good “whole wall” R-values
- High-efficiency HVAC in conditioned space or in unvented, insulated attic
- Zoned heating/cooling for day and night zones
- Low-life-cycle-cost equipment and lighting:
- high-color fluorescents, controlled daylighting, high-efficiency appliances, etc.
- Water-conserving systems, equipment
- Rainwater harvesting into cisterns for irrigation; appropriate roofing
- No oversized whirlpool tubs; low-flow fixtures
- Waste management systems and features
- Modular planning (minimizing construction/material waste)
- Suitable recycled and recyclable materials
- Adaptable spaces
- Recycling, sorting center (for home trash)
- Pollution prevention and ecosystem protection
- Water-quality protection:
- Sanitary sewer system alternatives
- Stormwater management/runoff reduction
- Permeable paving alternatives
- Shift toward renewable resources (as cost-effective)
- Use of locally produced resources (minimize transportation inputs)
- Suitable ozone-friendly materials
- Minimized use of toxic substances
|
|
Durable |
|
Multi-hazard resistance |
- Elevated above flood hazard
- House elevated to BFE +3
- Garage at BFE +1, slab on grade; use of dry floodproofing to BFE +3
- Parts of house elevated via:
- slab cap on back-fill within perimeter foundation wall
- pier foundation
- stemwall crawl space with required openings (NFIP regulations)
- Wet-floodproofing demo areas (use of flood-resistant materials and installations, elevated equipment, etc.)
- Hurricane and tornado resistant
- hip and reinforced gable roof segments (hip on house, gable on shed)
- engineered overhangs (no cantilevers)
- hurricane straps and clips
- storm shutters on some windows, some laminated glass
- Safe room for severe weather
- Freeze-resistant (water heater on ground floor, plumbing within insulated perimeter)
- Fire-resistant construction and multi-hazard warning system
- Hail damage-resistant materials
|
|
Pest resistance |
- Design and detailed for ease of inspection and detection; no wood left in ground, etc.
- No untreated structural wood (use borate-treated wood and foam insulation, alternative materials)
|
|
Decay resistance |
- Continuous drainage plane in walls, capillary breaks
- Overhangs, proper flashings, simple roof design, decay resistant materials
- Long-lasting materials, equipment
|
|
Health |
|
Universal design |
- Safe, functional throughout lifecycle, but does not look institutional
- Easily adaptable to changing needs
- "Visitable" - wheelchair accessible clearances, thresholds, master bath
- ADA ramp at entry; integrated into design
|
|
Good indoor air quality |
|
|
|
Integrated pest management |
- Control with minimum use of pesticides
|
|
Practicality |
- Cost-effective materials, technologies, systems (or soon to be)
- Life-cycle cost basis
- Considers risk management benefits (natural hazards, future energy prices, etc.)
- Locally available materials and services (“off the shelf”) as much as possible
- Considers labor availability, skills, learning curve or reduces construction time
- Marketable to mainstream Louisiana consumers
- Appearance, safety, proper use, etc. not a deterrent to adoption in the marketplace
- Good resale potential
|
|
Convenience |
- Family friendly and functional floorplan
- Efficient workflows, traffic paths (kitchen, laundry, etc.)
- Ample, adaptable and convenient storage space
- Low maintenance, outside and inside
- Advanced wiring, for information technology
- Networking and integration; home office equipped for telecommuting
- Ready for smart appliances, automation, etc.
- Security and system management
- Adaptable spaces and systems for changing user needs
| |
|
| Last Updated: 2/7/2012 11:32:44 AM |
|
|