The more I research into this project, the more I believe that architects bring greater value to the surrounding community, rather that simply providing design and construction services. The Perkins & Will design projects include transitional housing, although mostly in Seattle. Many new designs call for insulated metal panelling to help cool the home in the summer and trap heat in the winter. Its a givin fact that architects have embraced social and economic responsibility long before media turned "green living" into a word seldom used by architects. I hope that rather than creating a vernacular home, our class will design something energetic, but doesn't look too out of place with the surrounding homes.

Our class met yesterday with the LaTech chapter of Habitat for Humanity. I was surprised, they had a rather large turnout. Hopefully when we start construction they will have that same number of people. After the H4H meeting our 5th year group met to discuss where we are at in our research and what we wanted to have for Monday's meeting.

Some of the precedents I'm researching are: renovation projects, homes incorporating green roof systems, modular homes, and any projects completed with cradle to cradle guidelines. One interesting project I'm looking at is the Roanoke-Lee street affordable housing project. This community scraps any previous ideas of how affordable housing should look while showcasing obtainable energy savings. All of the homes are energy star qualified with a focus on building envelope, HVAC, water heating, lighting, & appliances.

"recycling the past to update the present"

On Tuesday our class presented our research & new ideas to our professor. From this point on, we have to refine our research and really explore the topics at hand. We have started to look at other Habitat homes build around the country by other architecture schools. We also are looking at new technologies & other ways, new and old, to create an energy efficient home. Our class has found a family that may be willing to donate a home that would otherwise be torn down. I like the idea of doing a renovation project or home from reclaimed materials. I am looking forward to a meeting tonight with LaTech's chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Our class has decided to break into four smaller groups of two to begin research on various topics, such as: Ruston & surrounding context, current technologies, habitat, past & current individual housing.

Jordan and I went to the Ruston zoning commission and picked up some zoning maps and information on building/renovation permits. I am interested in either renovating a home or building one using as many reclaimed materials as possible. The image above shows a bench made from used tennis balls and steel skeleton. I have been searching online for information about building a home from reclaimed materials. There is a host of different places that we can search locally for materials. Habitat re-stores are a good place to begin looking, as well as, local deconstruction companies, (BMRA) The building materials and reuse association, junkyards, garage sales, and thrift shops. Looking at the BMRA website I found several "how to" videos and case studies with information supporting why using reclaimed materials is viable. (www.bmra.org)

"In 1996 construction and demolition companies generated 136 million tons of waste per year. 92% of that waste is from renovation and demolition projects, while only 20-30% is recycled"
-www.bmra.org case study #2

Building a Habitat home!

I'm excited that our class is getting the opportunity to build a habitat home. La Tech is given a lot of flexibility in designing this home and I am looking forward to the challanges that each new home has. Our group has met twice since our first in-class meeting to discuss "big ideas" and begin to set an organizational structure for the group. I have wanted to do this project since I entered the architecture program. The amount of knowledge we will gain from such a hands-on project is huge. Let the race begin.