[Greenbuilding] The five hundred year house

[Andy Foldes]

Please forgive if this has been discussed already, I have not been here that
long. In my own musings about someday building a house, I am inclined to
imagine it as a structure that will last centuries. While that may strike
some as bizarre, it seems quite obvious to me, having traveled enough to see
people very happily living in five hundred year old farmhouses or palazzos
in southern Italy built in Michelangelo's day. What could be greener than
that?

The contrast, of course, is with modern American housing, which seems to
last about fifty years before it is torn down and replaced with another
structure that to all appearances is likely to age just as gracelessly, if
not more. I am a willing - if uncomfortable - participant in this dance, as
I build in-ground pools with walls made of galvanized steel that is likely
to disintegrate in forty to fifty years, to say nothing about the terrible
waste of the vinyl liners, which have to be changed out every ten years or
so, easily one hundred pounds of plastic destined for some dump somewhere.
It is possible of course to build the pools of stainless steel - but no one
wants to pay the premium price.

So I am curious if this topic has been studied much, and if any works have
been written on the topic. It would be interesting to imagine how such a
house would be built, since passive systems would seem to be the way to go,
as opposed to the tons of machinery that keep present houses livable, but
which would wear out in short order. And some off-grid functionality would
have to be built in. Light wells, cisterns fed by roof collectors, thick
masonry walls for thermal mass to even out temperature swings - it would be
interesting to design. But how about the structure itself, a durable or
permanent roof, insulation that would resist decay as well as air or water
infiltration? It would be hard to imagine fiberglass mats lasting very long,
even if the fiber does not decay, water and rodents would be sure to render
it useless before too long.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts,

Andy

-- 
Andy Foldes, Founder

Swimergy Swim Systems
90-01 31st Avenue
Jackson Heights, NY 11369

212-674-4567
swimergy at gmail.com