Sanders Residence

Designed for a client on an extremely remote site where water is a critical issue this project provided a challenge. Four designs were completed and demonstrated a number of strategies for making this house more sustainable than a similar standard project. This design also initiated a discussion among the group as to what sustainability means in terms of a remote location and the need for technology to be devised to provide the same “comforts” to be found in an existing urbanized setting. The client was very open to new ideas and participated in the learning process throughout the project. This project illustrated the many different approaches to achieving a result that uses fewer resources.

An initial 2-day survey was undertaken to locate a site on the property and to confirm that the survey maps we were given were accurate.

Team A design. Meeting the many needs required by the client made this a large house. However calculations show that by using roof water catchments and solar hot water heating, photovoltaic panels, passive solar heating, and cooling the resource use of this building can be minimized.

Team B used the site details to collect additional water and placed photovoltaic panels along paths as a design feature. Heating and cooling were achieved passively.

Team C used rammed earth utilizing materials from the local area. The use of a courtyard and a breezeway gave passive cooling in the hot summer months. A very simple but sophisticated layout providing ample south facing fenestration for solar gain.

This view diagram is one of many investigations of the building in relationship to the site.

Team Zach, a late entry in the house design, uses the south solar access and southeast view shed as the organizing angles for the building. This met both the clients need for passive solar heating and a focus on the mountain views to the East.