House1 presented the challenge of integrating architectural form with the formal and technical demands of both affordability and sustainability.

The 1,800 square-foot house, three bedroom house incorporates a compact and efficient form.   Service elements are pushed to the north of the plan, allowing occupied spaces to take advantage of large expanses of south-facing glazing that are equipped with optimized shading devices.  

The living spaces are divided on either side of a central atrium space that acts as a thermal collector and chimney. Heat collected from the apex of the atrium is ducted to an under slab rock stoarge bin, where it is stored for night time release in winter. In summer, operable windows at the top of the atrium allow collected heat to escape and induce a natural ventilation current. A retractable fabric curtain provides night insulation to the large expanse of atrium glazing, and can add additional summer shading.

The completed building will be open for a period of two months upon completion of construction in order for the lessons learned in the design and assembly of the project to be disseminated to as wide an audience as possible. Students and faculty will be leading tours and delivering lectures on how the strategies employed can be integrated by the home building community.