Equilibrium Competition: Montreal Zero
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.20.07
Sevag Pogharian's entry in the EQuilibrium competition is a single family house to be built in Hudson, Quebec. It is designed to "explore and incorporate, in an integrated and comprehensive manner, the following within the context of single-family, detached residential construction:
-aggressive energy efficient, airtight construction;
-geothermal and , passive and active solar heating;
-solar water heating;
-Passive cooling techniques, particularly the use of shade, water, building mass and natural night ventilation, as an alternative to compressor cooling to achieve good summer comfort;
-The notion of a kinetic building envelope, i.e. a building envelope that transforms from a tighter winter mode to a looser, expanded form that shades and captures cooling breezes;
-water management.
Diagram of systems below the fold.
::Montreal Zero
click to enlarge:
Very interesting, but where's the porch? The sleeping porch was an essential before the days of A/C. If it hung off of the house, it was open to the air on three sides. You see them all the time old houses, even in big cities, although they've usually been permanently glassed-in.
I assume the roof changes dimension with the seasons to provide more shading. That's a start. Of course, in the old days, there were awnings, which are also making a comeback.
And street-level porches were essential for neighborhood interface.
I realize that this group is probably concerned with making designs that will be palatable to the denizens of suburbia, but those tastes are changing radically as we speak. Lots are so tiny that you can't help but stick your nose in your neighbor's business, so why NOT have a porch, to mediate such unavoidable interaction.