Designs That Work
Hot-Humid Climate
The Basic House - Description of the House
The case study house is a 1255 square foot, three bedroom,
one-and-a-half-story single-family detached house raised on a pier
foundation.
The ground floor has two entrances: one from the large porch at the
front of the house, and the second to a smaller deck at the garage side of
the rear of the house. All of the essential rooms in the house are located
on the ground floor making a conversion to a fully accessible home
possible.
The perspective drawing on the previous page shows the prototype house
for Lake Charles raised off of the ground by structural piers. The pier
foundation is intended to comply with the FEMA design guidelines for
flood-prone areas. The design reflects lessons learned about building in
hurricane-prone coastal areas, including:
- Elevate structures and mechanical equipment
- Build with materials that are non-water sensitive
- Design assemblies to easily dry once wet
The following sections will explain how these lessons are applied to
the building details.
On the second floor, the drawings show a second bathroom off the
hallway at the top of the stairs and two bedrooms to the front and back of
the house. Since all of the mechanical systems are located downstairs and
all of the insulation is located outside of the framing, the ceilings on
this floor may be left open to make the bedrooms feel larger. At both
sides of each bedroom, knee walls can be added to provide large closets
for storage. The stairwell, the bedrooms, and the second floor bathroom
are given more floor area by dormers on either side of the roof peak.
A high-performance, energy-efficient house depends on rational and
efficient space planning. The Lake Charles Hot-Humid Climate house plan
presented here is organised to simplify construction and reduce the
materials and operating costs. However, it does this while still providing
the homeowner with a convenient layout and large, spacious rooms.
Attention to architectural design, it should be noted, is one way of
securing a high-quality, affordable and comfortable home.
The following section discusses how the building enclosure and
mechanical systems have been designed help this house be durable, healthy
and energy-efficient.
Figure 2: Hot-Humid Climate house floor plans (Bottom: Ground Floor, Top:
Second Floor)
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