Designs That Work
Hot-Humid Climate
The Basic House - Description of the House
The case study house is a 1250 square foot, three bedroom, one-story
single-family detached house.
The perspective drawing on the previous page shows the prototype house
for New Orleans raised off of the ground by concrete piers. 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.
The space below the house is used for parking or storage. It may also
serve as a sheltered family space. From a single set of stairs up to a
veranda, there are two entrances into the house: one into the large
living/dining space and the second into the kitchen. Since all of the
rooms in the house are laid out on one floor, this house could easily be
converted to a fully accessible home.
Two bedrooms are located towards the back of the house with the washer
and dryer in a hall closet in between. The master bedroom, master bath and
walk-in closet are at the front of the house. The combined living and
dining room are connected to the outdoor space provided by the veranda at
the front of the house.
A high-performance, energy-efficient house depends on rational and
efficient space planning. The 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 plan
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