architecture 4 us

Green Architecture of River Road Mini House

Posted: 01 Oct 2012 06:16 PM PDT

This is a sustainable home built by Six Degrees Construction for Rob Handy and Julie Hulme. This classic designed house was inspired by by The Not So Big House and other books by Sarah Susanka, FAIA. It is located in the River Road area in north Eugene, designed by Nir Pearlson, with some sustainable features involved.

The eco construction was actually built by deconstructing an existing 620 sq ft house built several decades ago, into an 800-square-foot home. It was built by using sustainable materials, especially woods for the structure. It has earthen plaster walls, with a double-insulated envelope, providing good insulation and minimal energy losses. Metal roofing and plywood and HardiePlank siding were also provided. It has open and connected spaces with good natural lighting provided by clerestories, skylights, doors, and windows.

For energy efficiency reasons, another sustainable features were provided also for this green architecture building, such as a mini-split heat pump, HRV, sustainable energy source from 3.36 kW solar photovoltaic array, a solar hot water collector. Greywater and rainwater are used for irrigation system.