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Basic Sustainable Design
Principles
Energy
Efficiency
Material Efficiency
Water Efficiency
Regional Design
Regional Design
Regional design adapts a house to perform well and
endure in its particular location by:
designing for climate and microclimate;
planning to withstand extreme events;
considering regional vernacular architecture;
and
conforming to applicable local building codes.
 Designing a house for
its region is an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of sustainable design. Designing for a region involves suiting a
house’s form and materials to the daily climate and conditions of its location. It also involves consideration of severe weather
events and natural disasters that are apt to strike a particular site. Designing homes specifically for their regions
helps homes to be energy-efficient, durable, and comfortable for their occupants.
Designing for climate and microclimate
 Suiting
a house to its climate involves many aspects of the design process, ranging from how the
house is oriented on the site, to the room layout, to the choice of windows, insulation,
and roofing material. A house must be suited
to the terrain, soils, and orientation of its particular site. All of these considerations affect the
house’s suitability for renewable energy systems, its thermal efficiency, and the
eventual comfort and expense the occupants will experience in operating the house.
The longitude of an area also affects
appropriate design. Aspects of passive solar
design, such as window placement and overhang lengths, are governed by the angle of the
sun in the sky during the different seasons of the year.
Withstanding extreme events
 The durability of a house
as a whole, and the materials used in its construction, also is determined largely by how
well the home is designed for its region. Different
materials are appropriate for homes that are exposed to extreme moisture than for homes
built in the desert. Similarly, design,
materials, and installation procedures can help enhance the longevity of houses built in
hurricane zones, flood plains, or areas subject to wildfire. Some home designs may be more appropriate for
cooling climates than for heating climates. Temperate
climates with thermal swings may call for yet another set of design characteristics.
Regional vernacular
Over time, different regions of the
country have developed some distinctive housing styles. Often
these styles evolved from the materials that were available locally, and
in response to regional climatic designs. As mechanical heating and cooling systems became more efficient,
the need to use specific design elements to provide building comfort
declined. As a result, housing styles became more uniform nationwide. Interestingly, looking back at the distinctive vernacular
architecture of a region prior to centralized heating and cooling can
frequently provide clues about the most effective, cost-efficient home
designs for a particular climate.
Building in a regional
vernacular style can not only create a house that performs well in the local climate, but
also one that fits within an existing neighborhood and community. Matching the style of existing homes helps to
maintain a sense of cultural heritage in a region or town,
connects new developments with
the community, and helps preserve the property values of older homes.
One
example of an affordable housing development that paid particular
attention to preservation of regional vernacular style is Delmar-Lema Village, in Memphis, Tennessee.
Local codes
At a minimum, houses should conform
to local building codes, energy codes, and regulations for seismic or radon protection. However, going the extra step and creating houses
that are truly suited to their climate and their particular site means that these houses
will be more durable, comfortable, and sustainable over time.
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