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zHome, Environmentally Friendly Houses by David Vandervort Architects Posted: 14 Jun 2011 06:55 AM PDT zHome is another green construction project of David Vandervort Architects, which also design the NEXTHouse. This project is located in Issaquah Highlands, east of Seattle. This sustainable project involves 10 houses which are specially designed to create an eco friendly community. This community should be a partner of bigger project, a mixed-use project that is being constructed by the YWCA. To create a complete sustainability of this project, including energy uses, water, type of materials and their quantity, site use, size limitation, affordability, etc. By these subjects, The city formed a technical advisory committee to support the project of creating green architecture buildings. The community design itself was designed with very careful consideration, where each sustainable house is sited around a south-facing courtyard, providing a common space for the residents. Another aspect is encouraging social interaction by providing landscaping, garden plots and a shared resource center. Each house was designed to have deck and porch that create a modulating spaces between the courtyard and the unit. Beside as extensions of the primary living spaces, these features are also provide privacy control and cover from sun’s lighting. There is a regulation to limit the vehicle access in the area, providing a protection of air pollution, also encouraging pedestrian activities. In this project, the occupant will be protected from rapidly rising future energy and utility cost. This also provides high sustainability, to achieve annually zero-energy benchmark. The green home design provides water using efficiency by using rainwater harvesting system. It will also be developed with ultra-high performance envelope, completed with insulated  factorized FSC walls and roofs. Heat recovery ventilation system and stack ventilation are provided to create natural ventilation during all seasons. The dwellings will be heated with a hydronic heat delivery system using ground-source heat pumps that are linked to multiple onsite geothermal wells. Photovoltaics are provided to create renewable energy. All of energy using will be monitored and recorded. Each sustainable house design are designed with high flexibility of  space function, providing possibility of a space having multiple function. Several furniture used can be functioned as room dividers, and can be changed further when needed. In other words, the house is designed to be changed if the occupants needed. With green technology, sustainable materials, and sustainable design, this project will give good effects on creating a green community, where community resources and individual needs are carefully balanced. The project is currently under construction with expected completion in the summer of 2011. ref

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