zero energy
from fossil fuel, urban, house
Glass & Bedolla House
2305 W. Adams Street Chicago, Inner City
Program
Our clients have a passion for gardening. They are active in the community in which they live and are founders of a neighborhood garden. They desire a modest, flexible, urban and green home for two that can accommodate their extended family and friends. Our Aim Our aim is to construct an urban single-family house that is ecological, socially regenerative and self-sustaining. We will only use energy generated on site. We would like this building to be an inspiration to other homeowners and developers in urban environments. |
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 view from garden looking toward main building |
The role of dense urban environment in achieving sustainable environment This diagram shows that cities with higher urban densities consume less oil. Therefore, urban sustainable buildings are the most effective way to decrease the consumption of oil.  source: Newman and Kenworthy 1989 |
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Site characteristics
This house will be built on a double lot of 40' x 77'. The lot is situated 3 miles west of the Chicago Loop. It sits in between other vacant lots in an area with turn-of-the-century brick and stone buildings. Ethnic minorities predominantly populate this neighborhood.  site from west looking east |
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The role of architecture in achieving a sustainable built environment This diagram illustrates our strategy toward constructing an energy saving and energy generating building.  Diagram inspired by April 2004 lecture by Stefan Behling at IIT, Chicago. active systems photo voltaic panels wind turbines solar-heat panels geothermal heating/cooling passive systems louvers placed according to solar heat path thermal mass insulated envelope roof garden building configuration based on solar path windows for maximum natural light operable windows for chimney effect and cross ventilation orientation of interior spaces for maximum winter solar heat gain shade by buildings or deciduous trees based on local solar path south facing, shallow building
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Zoning constraints The lot is zoned R5, which means that the built floor area can be 2.2 x its lot area. Side yards are required to be 4 feet wide but are allowed to be up to 4 feet above ground. On the west yard, we will build an open terrace 3' above ground all the way to the lot line. On the east yard, we will provide access from the alley to the street and utility meters. The rear yard is required to be as least 30 feet deep, but 60% of its area can be occupied with an accessory building with max hight of 15'. Our accessory building will be multifunctional. It will be 11 feet and 5 inches tall to allow as much southern light in the garden as possible. |
 view from west looking east |
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Basement
family room hvac room storage First floor entrance dining room multi-use room terrace, main garden, east garden Second Floor bedroom access to roof garden Third Floor living room bedroom access to roof garden Green Roof location for renewable resources location for potential expansion of the house |
 view from garden looking toward kitchen and multi-use room |
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Proposal In the summer, the operable windows allow cross ventilation. The tree in the south garden gives beauty and summer shade. In the winter, warm sunlight floods the shallow rooms through large south-facing windows. These windows provide a multitude of views to the outdoors. |
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The dining terrace connects the passer-by to the garden with a visual connection to the canopy tree in it. The building's façades are draped with ivy. Windows on both north and south walls give the building a porous feel. A layer of mosses, herbs and grasses cover the building's roofs. The accessible green roofs encourage bio-diversity and absorb water runoff, while insulating the interior and protecting the roof from thermal shock and ultra violet deterioration. We divided the house into four zones. Bathrooms are stacked and ventilated as an isolated area of higher moisture and heat. The kitchen is ventilated as an isolated area of higher moisture, heat, and odor. The living and dining spaces are located on the west side of the building where one can enjoy the last rays of the evening sun after work. The detached Multi-Use space is employed as part of the garden and is occasionally heated and cooled. |
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Design Process
 site model |
 concept design models |
 design development models |
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Intergenerational responsibility
The design is flexible to its present and future owners. The roof garden allows space for the future installation of renewable resources. We will provide conduits for all future appliances and an HVAC room in the basement of the main building. We are providing space for future extension as well as structural strength and space for an additional storey to the building. Our scheme provides a 19' deep and 30' wide multifunctional room that can be used as a garage, a small shop, storage shed, guesthouse, large dining room and multiple other uses. |
Square Footage: lot area: 3066.6 sq.ft. main building interior: 1737 sq.ft. detached multi-use building: 600 sq.ft. basement: 671 sq.ft. dining terrace: 257 sq.ft. total garden spaces: 2241 sq.ft |
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