[Greenbuilding] what makes it green?

[Don Eyermann]

1. Will a wealthier family be content to live in as small a space as a poor
family which has no choice but to accept the space as they can afford it? 
2. Will an American suburbanite family be content to give up their single
family 3,000 sq. ft. dwelling with a nice secure back yard for their kids in
exchange for a 1,500 sq. ft. "adequate" condo or town home (A Multi-family
apartment without the fancy monikers) which has only a community playground
"where God knows what the kids will learn/see/experience". (OMG
uncontrolled)

It is a fact that when lab rats are placed in an environment of tight living
space, there are more conflicts and fights...pecking
order...bulliness...those traits do appear. 

Are humans smart enough to overcome their animal instincts and instead;
share, co-operate and help each other when living in close proximity? We
know that some nationalities do, at least in their home country. (they have
a lifestyle, lack of wealth and social situation that offers little other
opportunity) Americans? Maybe, when they get old. 

We have a history of expansion of our living space requirements and what is
acceptable. We recently quoted an oversize four car garage where one
oversize "stall" is going to be walled off to be guest quarters. We can't
call the 8 x 10 room a "bedroom" because it doesn't have enough square
footage in that community building code to be a bedroom. Check back to
1950's and earlier and many houses had bedrooms that were smaller than 8 x
10.

I think the larger more comfortable suburban lifestyle with your own car
will be a hard battle to get American's to give up on any appreciative
scale. We better think of ways to make those millions of homes convertible
to greener performance, and greener transportation.

Don

 

-----Original Message-----
From: greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org
[mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of MKL
Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 11:12 AM
To: greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] what makes it green?

Lets see now.



The following assumes that everything is exactly equal between two "houses".
Same site orientation, same solar inclination, same construction, same roof
material, same heating sytem, same curtains, same paint on the front door,
same layout, same kitchen appliances, same quality of construction they are
exactly the same in every way except one. One is 3% larger than the other.
Which house is "greener"? 

There is only one difference the size of the houses, the difference would
technically require of the larger house a slightly greater amount of fuel to
heat /cool but  it could possibly accomodate an additional occupant like a
small human more easliy (or even allow for the decision to create/adopt a
small human) Is a houses size in view of an encouragement to reproduce or
adopt an indication of overall greenness?  Or is the absolute of lower fuel
usage possible with the smaller house humanities only consideration going
forward?. You might ask if "greenness" applies to families as much as houses
perhaps but there does seem to be a reverence for industrial efficiency over
debate on housing "utility" . The Chinese mandate of one child per couple
does imply that new housing might be smaller generally than in the past?

The amount of energy saved by simply building smaller might make arguments
about efficiency (which is of course important) over necessary or potential
human space allocation in new build at least as important as one another? In
the "big picture"? Should human living space usage be subject to green
benchmarking with as much zeal as its industrial eficency is? Or should
housing be classified more accurately and include a human factor? 

For example if we allow that live/work will be a growing sector in building
in the next decade then maybe a house could be described as a lawyers house
or a plumbers house or an airline pilots house? Each house would allow for
the space needs of the occupants and be advertised for sale online in the
trades or professions real estate sections as such. A little too socialist
for some maybe? But if a house if to be evaluated as a car then maybe it
should be treated as one and the justification for a large vehicle being
better able to haul stuff for the owners job might also apply to his live in
storage unit for his "family"?

Michael Lough


      

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