Partí/Concept
We decided to name our project Fresh Endurance because we feel that our design has a new fresh look for the community of Broadmoor and the design will encourage the endurance to keep living. Our main concern was to make the disabled community feel like they have equal accessibility to the home and not broadcast that their disabilities.
Specific Design Strategies / Building footprint:
A design needs a definite line between private versus public space, and we believe our design has achieved that. The public areas have an open floor plan with vaulted ceilings where as the private spaces are divided by walls and have an eight foot ceiling height giving a comfy-close feeling but still open enough for ADA compliance. In order to get to the private spaces, one will have to travel down a hallway. The master bedroom and the full bathroom doors are not visible from the public spaces. For easy access, the half bathroom is located at the beginning of the hallway.
Just as there are private and public spaces inside the design, there are also public and private outdoor spaces. The front yard is easily accessible for the public. The front porch allows for neighbors to gather and talk, or for the family to sit on the porch and wave to neighbors walking by. For the private outdoor space, take a small stroll along the west side of the building under the cover of the home to the larger, open backyard. We have designated an area in the backyard for a vegetable garden. We felt this would be a good use of resources as it will add color to the backyard, there are also people of all ages who like to garden, and growing your own vegetables is a more economical and greener way of living.
ADA Compliance/Senior Living:
Our design is made as open as possible to allow for easy circulation for those who may be seniors and/or disabled. We wanted all areas of the home to be easily accessible. The kitchen is nice and open allowing for easy access to all lower cupboards (no upper cabinets were specified due to possibility of reaching height restriction) and easy access to counter space. We also wanted a bathroom to be easily accessible as stated before.
Design/Historic/Street:
The home itself has a country feel to it but with a fresh, modern twist. We decided to use the same lap board siding style for the exterior of our building to accent the surrounding homes; however as a transitional piece, we have noted the foundation wall to be constructed of cinder blocks instead of the normal brick. As another accent piece, the shaft for the lift is noted to be constructed of recycled brick. We also designed for a porch with easy street access to follow the pattern of the community.
Cost Estimate/Limited Given Budget:
Our design does fit within the budget of $100,000 according to the calculations based upon the USGBC Competition Budget Checklist. In order to afford our sustainable products (solar tiles, solar instantaneous water heater, air filters, insulated piping, permeable pavement, etc.) we chose to use some of the more available and easily accessed products in our design.
LEED Certification and Considerations:
According to our calculations based upon the Summarized LEED Checklist given by the USGBC, we have reached the Platinum Certification level. Some of the things we took into consideration in our design are the orientation of the building for light and ventilation. Our home design can be completely daylight (except for the ½ bathroom). If ventilation is needed, operable windows have been placed all around the home, allowing for multiple cross ventilation paths. We also decided to use solar tile shingles for the use of collecting solar energy. The shingle-tiles will blend in nicely and not be an eye sore. We have also specified for a solar instantaneous water heater in order to supply hot water to the home. Another item also specified for is the water cistern to collect the rain water from the roof. This water then can be used in the vegetable garden in the backyard. We feel the vegetable garden is a better way to add vegetation to the site because it not only brings in color and life to the site, but it can also bear food.
Conclusion:
We believe that our design fulfills the idea of what a home should be and can/will work for every age group and/or whether they are disabled or not. We believe that our design will fit into the community of Broadmoor but stand out in a good way. And our affordable, green and sustainable design will bring life back to the community of Broadmoor.
