Shutters are very common in Europe and in the Middle East and can provide significant insulation properties to the windows to reduce energy losses in the house.

In the US shutters are mostly decorative elements and are often installed interiorly which reduces its potential for energy conservation.

This is a basic sketch showing how we imagine the stepped down living room: made of earth and earth furnishing; covered with cushions; in a round space; in the center of the house; gets cross ventilation from the kitchen and from the main entry; and gets sun from the top window in the roof.

This section requires input from a structural engineer, but in the mean while we found some useful information about the difference between Slab on grade vs. Pier and beam foundations which allows a crawl space.

In general it seems that slab on grade is very common and much more cost efficient if well built. New piping materials allow very low damage risks which makes accessibility issues less of a problem. Moreover, a concrete slab gives thermal mass to the house which can help in radiating heat from the sun or from heating and stays cool longer on hot days. Pier and beam foundations are more suitable for cold weather with freezing temperatures and allow access through the crawlspace. Both foundations will require insulation to avoid loosing heat through the floor. 

We made a second round of sketches based on the feedback we got on the last conference calls.

Here we have 4 options in which the basic shape and external shell are almost the same - a 1400 Sqft eye-shape house, with the stepped down spiritual core and the pop-up window on top (clerestory), the garage is detached with the overhang roof connecting it to the house. The main entry is from the south-west and the back entry, from the garage, is from the north.

Nevertheless, the interior layout, the arangment of the rooms, the bathrooms, the kitchen etc are a bit different in each option.

We will be happy to get feedback about what you like and don't like in these options so we can finalize the plans accordingly.

To see all images click here

This is a conceptual design sketch of the proposed water system.

Click here to see a larger image of this design.

The water supply is a 20,000 or 30,000-gal storage tank downhill from the home; rain caught from the roof will be supplemented by groundwater from the well. Drinking water will be supplied by a small reverse osmosis system. A composting toilet, combined with grey water irrigation, will reduce water consumption by over 35%, while providing intensive, fertilizing irrigation.

The interim report, which summarizes the details of this system, can be downloaded below.