The Feng Shui House: Wind & Water
By George Tozcano & Jenny Yniguez, Cosumnes River College
Concept Statement
Our home is designed around the concept of good energy flow to create peace and tranquility. We focused on the idea of feng shui which translates to wind and water. Our idea is to take the two elements that destroyed the area of New Orleans and transform them into positive elements. By implementing these concepts into the design, our goal is to create a safe, inviting, and relaxing environment. We want to provide sustainable and green elements into the design to ensure a healthy and energy efficient living space.
The form of the house is molded to take advantage of the prevailing summer winds and provide the desirable natural lighting in all rooms. By implementing a combination of open and closed windows natural ventilation may occur to help the home cool down during the warm temperatures by taking advantage of the sout prevailing winds of the summer. By spreading the living cells along the “Current” more natural light is able to make its way into the rooms. The roof is also designed to capture rainwater to store for landscape irrigation. To enhance energy efficiency, green technology such as structural insulated panels, geothermal heat pump, and photovoltaic panels have been incorporated into the design.
Sustainability
Our design is a collaboration of primitive and modern green design strategies which we refer to as barefoot designs and green technologies, respectfully.
BAREFOOT DESIGN
• Natural Ventilation
• Natural Cooling and Heating
• Passive Solar
• Unconditioned current/greenhouse effect
• On site fruit and vegetable gardens
• Rain water collection
GREEN TECHNOLOGY
• Photovoltaics
• Geothermal heat pump
• Structural insulated panels
• Energy efficient windows
• Water efficient fixtures
• Energy star appliances
• Ceiling fans for air flow
• Wind turbines
LEED Platinum
We approached this design with the intent to make it as sustainable and energy efficient as possible. We intend to earn 116 points to qualify the building for LEED platinum. The following categories are summaries of ours approach to the LEED checklist.
Location and Linkage (7pts)
House location is previous developed in fill with extensive community resources and transit.
Sustainable sites (21)
The site has a basic landscape design with native and drought tolerant plants. White roofing and limited pavement reduces the heat island effect. Compact development is high density.
Water Efficiency (14)
The site includes rainwater collection and reduced irrigation demand. All fixtures have very high water efficiency.
Energy and Atmosphere (38)
All appliances are Energy Star for optimized energy performance. Geothermal heat pump is used in replace of a traditional HVAC system, which will reduce electricity costs by 40-70%. Photovoltaic panels can supply energy to the home instead of solely relying on the grid.
Materials and Resources (15)
SIPs are fabricated off site and produce a tighter envelope for higher energy efficiency. FSC lumber from a sustainable forest is
used for floor finish. Other environmentally preferable materials are used such as recycled glass countertops and fiber cement siding. Construction waste is reduced to avoid unnecessary landfill growth.
Indoor Environmental Quality (19)
Overall indoor air quality is improved through the ENERGY STAR with Indoor Air Quality Package and the use of low to no VOC paints and adhesives.
Awareness and Education (2)
Enhanced training to educate the occupants is incorporated into the house with simple design strategies and an included house manual*. By displaying sustainable elements on the building such as photovoltaics, public awareness is increased.
*We propose a house manual to educate the occupants on how their house works. We intend to educate the client about sustainable homes and how they function properly. With this manual, the occupants can use the sustainable design to their
advantage.
Education Goals for Occupant
• How much power/electricity their house requires on average from electronics.
• How much power/electricity their solar panels produce.
• What is ENERGY STAR and how to keep electronics and appliances to a minimum?
• How to naturally ventilate their house by properly opening windows.
• When to use ceiling fans.
• How and when to water their landscape by using water collection tanks.
Project Cost: $105,145
Due to the use of various green technologies in our design, our project cost is over budget. We believe that the geothermal heat pump, Structural Insulated Panels, and photovoltaic will have a high initial cost; however they will have a long-term benefit for the residents. The combination of these green technologies will save the residents money on their utility bills therefore allowing them to apply more money towards their home.
Supported by 
The Feng Shui House: Wind & Water
By George Tozcano & Jenny Yniguez, Cosumnes River College
Concept Statement
Our home is designed around the concept of good energy flow to create peace and tranquility. We focused on the idea of feng shui which translates to wind and water. Our idea is to take the two elements that destroyed the area of New Orleans and transform them into positive elements. By implementing these concepts into the design, our goal is to create a safe, inviting, and relaxing environment. We want to provide sustainable and green elements into the design to ensure a healthy and energy efficient living space.
The form of the house is molded to take advantage of the prevailing summer winds and provide the desirable natural lighting in all rooms. By implementing a combination of open and closed windows natural ventilation may occur to help the home cool down during the warm temperatures by taking advantage of the sout prevailing winds of the summer. By spreading the living cells along the “Current” more natural light is able to make its way into the rooms. The roof is also designed to capture rainwater to store for landscape irrigation. To enhance energy efficiency, green technology such as structural insulated panels, geothermal heat pump, and photovoltaic panels have been incorporated into the design.
Sustainability
Our design is a collaboration of primitive and modern green design strategies which we refer to as barefoot designs and green technologies, respectfully.
BAREFOOT DESIGN
• Natural Ventilation
• Natural Cooling and Heating
• Passive Solar
• Unconditioned current/greenhouse effect
• On site fruit and vegetable gardens
• Rain water collection
GREEN TECHNOLOGY
• Photovoltaics
• Geothermal heat pump
• Structural insulated panels
• Energy efficient windows
• Water efficient fixtures
• Energy star appliances
• Ceiling fans for air flow
• Wind turbines
LEED Platinum
We approached this design with the intent to make it as sustainable and energy efficient as possible. We intend to earn 116 points to qualify the building for LEED platinum. The following categories are summaries of ours approach to the LEED checklist.
Location and Linkage (7pts)
House location is previous developed in fill with extensive community resources and transit.
Sustainable sites (21)
The site has a basic landscape design with native and drought tolerant plants. White roofing and limited pavement reduces the heat island effect. Compact development is high density.
Water Efficiency (14)
The site includes rainwater collection and reduced irrigation demand. All fixtures have very high water efficiency.
Energy and Atmosphere (38)
All appliances are Energy Star for optimized energy performance. Geothermal heat pump is used in replace of a traditional HVAC system, which will reduce electricity costs by 40-70%. Photovoltaic panels can supply energy to the home instead of solely relying on the grid.
Materials and Resources (15)
SIPs are fabricated off site and produce a tighter envelope for higher energy efficiency. FSC lumber from a sustainable forest is
used for floor finish. Other environmentally preferable materials are used such as recycled glass countertops and fiber cement siding. Construction waste is reduced to avoid unnecessary landfill growth.
Indoor Environmental Quality (19)
Overall indoor air quality is improved through the ENERGY STAR with Indoor Air Quality Package and the use of low to no VOC paints and adhesives.
Awareness and Education (2)
Enhanced training to educate the occupants is incorporated into the house with simple design strategies and an included house manual*. By displaying sustainable elements on the building such as photovoltaics, public awareness is increased.
*We propose a house manual to educate the occupants on how their house works. We intend to educate the client about sustainable homes and how they function properly. With this manual, the occupants can use the sustainable design to their
advantage.
Education Goals for Occupant
• How much power/electricity their house requires on average from electronics.
• How much power/electricity their solar panels produce.
• What is ENERGY STAR and how to keep electronics and appliances to a minimum?
• How to naturally ventilate their house by properly opening windows.
• When to use ceiling fans.
• How and when to water their landscape by using water collection tanks.
Project Cost: $105,145
Due to the use of various green technologies in our design, our project cost is over budget. We believe that the geothermal heat pump, Structural Insulated Panels, and photovoltaic will have a high initial cost; however they will have a long-term benefit for the residents. The combination of these green technologies will save the residents money on their utility bills therefore allowing them to apply more money towards their home.