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Last alternatives

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Submitted by Yael on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 20:42
Last alternatives - Plan ALast alternatives - Plan B
It took longer than we thought, but finally, here are two final plans. One rotated at 90 degrees (Plan B) and the other is not (Plan A).
There are advantages and drawbacks to each and it is really a matter of lifestyle and personal preferences. Both plans have a clerestory above the living space, which brings light into the main living area as well as good cross ventilation.

 

We outlined down here a couple of characteristics for both plans, feel free to share with everyone more of your thoughts about each plan (by adding a comment down here) and give us your final verdict (by voting on the poll) so we can start working on all the final drawings, 3D images, sections, elevations, etc.
We are almost there...

:)

Plan 'A' original orientation - entry on the south-west
  • southwest entry to home – allows natural light and comfortable outdoor sitting environment in the evening
  • direct entry to kitchen and main living area from garage & breezeway
  • laundry room is accessed through bathroom
  • kitchen and dining area is on north/northeast of the home – this allows for early morning light into the area but no direct sunlight after early morning, also views toward the north east are very good
  • master bedroom and bedroom 2 on south side of house, gaining good solar exposure through windows during the day. bedroom 3 also has a southern window to the entryway.
  • garage is on same front plane as rest of house, offering little diversity to the front elevation

 

Plan 'B' 90 degree rotation from original orientation - entry on the north-west
  • main house entry on northwest corner of home – direct light will expose this part of the home only in evenings during summer when it's sometimes already to hot.
  • Back entry into laundry/mud room from garage and connection to bathroom from laundry room
  • kitchen and dining area along southeast corner of home allowing for direct natural light all morning long and good access to yard/deck in back (though requires a door in a round corner which has aesthetic and financial implications)
  • garage is set back from front of home, allowing more driveway space for a second car and diversifying front elevation
  • master bedroom and bedroom 2 are on west side of home, low sunlight gets in the afternoon which may overheat these rooms especially on hot days but in winter they will not get enough direct sun/heat exposure
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Window size & Energy

Submitted by Yael on Sat, 07/11/2009 - 20:16.

To reduce energy use, west and north windows need to be kept as small as possible as these orientations do not add any heat when it is needed.

We didn't show the different window sizes on the plans, but take into account that the west and north window will have to be kept very small otherwise all the benefits of the good straw-bale insulation will wescape from the window...

Even when keeping west windows smaller, scheme A, in a rough estimate, seems to reduce energy by 5% more than scheme B, as can be seen in the attached graphs

Energy use comparison% Energy use comparison

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