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Friday, 16 November 2007 |
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Mission Statement:
“A study to improve residential home design to reduce environmental impact and enhance life-quality”
Enhance quality of life in the home and community, while minimizing the environmental impact of the construction, maintenance, and operation of a single-family residential home using proven, economic, and accessible construction practices and technologies. The project will be an inter-disciplinary effort within Lethbridge College that will allow integration with student projects and applied research opportunities.
Based on the following criteria:
ECONOMIC
Economics: [Evaluate economic feasibility]
• Cost/Benefits for materials and technologies
• Preserve marketability (‘perceived market preferences’) of home.
• Determine the premium that the market would value for a finished home.
• Triple bottom-line accounting practices.
ENVIRONMENT
Energy: [Optimize energy use]
• Embodied energy in building materials (life-cycle analysis)
• Energy use in construction
• Energy use in operation
Water: [Minimize water use]
• Water use in operation
• Wastewater management
• Rainwater management
Emissions: [Minimize emissions/waste]
• Emission (gas, chemical, solid) created by materials (life-cycle analysis)
• Waste created during construction
• Emissions (energy, water effluent) during operation
• Solid waste management
Land Use: [Optimize land-use potential]
• Appropriate use of location (landscaping, orientation)
• Minimize erosion during construction
• Improve environmental safety.
• Transportation, parking.
SOCIAL
Indoor Environment: [Enhance indoor environment quality]
• Maximize air quality (humidity, ventilation, VOC in materials, filtration, etc.)
• Improve lighting
• Maximize thermal comfort
• Enhance quality of life in the home.
Social: [Sensitive to cultural / social elements]
• Aesthetically appropriate (indoor & outdoor)
• Maintain construction safety practices.
• Secure & safe for occupants
• Encourage life-style change through research & education.
• Universal access
• Cultural [feng shui, kosher (Jewish), halal (Muslim), Mormon, other?]
• Social well-being
• Improve community interaction (during construction, neighbourhood, arts community)
• Public image / Community relationships
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This is an artists rendition of "The Living Home" This is an approximation of what the exterior of the house will look like. If you would like to see a panorama of the home you can click here or on the picture.
