Jenesys Flatpack Prefabs
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03.16.07
We have often joked that the more energy-efficient buildings get, the more closely they will resemble walk-in coolers. British Columbia's Jenesys Building Systems has introduced a line of prefabs that do exactly that: thick, structural insulated panels (SIP) that are strong, efficient insulators without thermal breaks, tight efficient designs that minimize exterior surface areas, and minimal window area where not facing the sun. It is the combination of these things that make a building perform really well.
Walk-in coolers are pretty utilitarian looking, but architect Carsten Jensen has managed to pull it off with some style.
This picture shows a house under construction, showing the SIP walls (a sandwich of OSB or particle board with styrofoam) as both walls and floors. Being a flatpack system, they can be shipped very easily and efficiently.
We talk often about how a path to sustainability is to simply use less, and we really like that they are offering small, efficient plans like this 1398 square foot 2-bedroom plus study plan. With R 40 walls and R 60 roof and optional triple glazed windows, this sucker will run on body heat. A heat recovery ventilator is also an option, but I think should be a requirement; a house built like this is going to be so airtight and efficient that one might run out of oxygen.
Note the bigger windows with sliding sun-shades- great solar gain when you need the heat, but a way to keep the sun out when you don't want it.
Architect Carsten Jensen is following in the footsteps of Michelle Kaufmann, Jennifer Siegel and Marmol Radziner: an architect taking control of the production system and selling not just designs, but complete buildings to builders and the public. Like Rocio Romero's LV, flatpacks need a bit more work on the part of the buyer to put together, but they are not as limited in their distribution. Great stuff from ::Jenesys. via ::Mocoloco
From the site:
Standard Shell Features
* Superinsulated walls and roof
walls - 8 inch Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) (R 40)
roof - 6 inch SIPS plus 10 - 12 inches of batt insulation (R 60)
* Floors to crawl space-6 inch SIPS (R 30)
* Energy Star® windows - double-glazed, argon , low E
* Fibre-cement panel cladding - rainscreen application
* Passive solar heat gain
* Cross ventilation
* Exterior sun screens
Optional Shell Feature Upgrades
* Triple glazed windows
* Metal rainscreen cladding
* Life Breath Heat Recovery Ventilator
* Thermal solar collectors for domestic hot water pre-heat
* Photovoltaic solar collectors
Recommended Finish Features
* Green roof
* Rainwater harvesting in underground tanks
* LED lighting fixtures
* Wood, bamboo, cork, slate flooring
* Energy Star® Appliances: refrigerator, range, dishwasher, hood
* Dual flush toilets, low flow showerheads and faucets
Cool post Lloyd. R40 + R60- gee whiz! That's big-time insulation. I wonder if it would be better used in Canada than some other location in the US with all that insulation. Could it be overkill or a waste in some geographies? Just thinking out loud...
LA: Well it is about time, cant let all those californians and texans get all the cool stuff. It gets cold in the Northern US too.
maybe these constructions are energy efficient, but this is still such a strong display of human centric design [with this bauhaus postwar poverty look to it... square, uncreatively expressed and designed, sips panels filled with foam ;how is this really environmentally sound? explain that to future generations..foam stryrene bits flying around what's left of our landscapes]
also with prefab, there is a major flaw, something still unconsidered, how do we avoid seeing a multitude of these identical kit homes littering landscapes almost as badly as their predecessors? there is no real progress made here in prefab as they are being sold to us as individual[istic] contraptions...in amore positive tone, prefabrication offers designers the chance to create and execute built forms at will and fit these to specific conditions and situations so that all buildings are uniquely responsive to their site and can potentiall fit into each other's contexts...
SUSTAINABILITY really is about eco-effectively constructing 'our' buildings to form coherent and well planned communities. that is the true success and virtue of sustainability...the larger vision
This is a bad Richard Meier imitation, with a dash of not quite neo-expressionism, and a sprinkle of green washing. Are double glazed, low E windows something special? Maybe ten years ago they were. Don't you love how all these “green” & “sustainable” architects and developers put something like this together with cutting edge double glazed windows, and an opportunity to upgrade to triple glazed, heat recovery & a few photovoltaic panels on the roof? An architect designed house should be more forward thinking than this. It’s ugly, it’s a box, it has a 1987 floor plan, and northern light is not an evil. Let’s put this one in the round file.
It seems as though most people don't understand that any architect that is knowladgable about sustainability can easily design a home that is just as eco-friendly as these Modulars... please don't get me wrong, I think these modulars have a much needed presence in the market place.... but unfortunately they cant go everywhere...but by getting an architect involved early can not only help you "green up the design" it can also give you a plan that is suited for you ( not a one size fits all kit). Please feel free to visit our New website for more info. http://www.archiopolis.com