A construction site without the construction becomes, simply, a site. But this isn’t just an earthwork sculpture. Lone pipes, cast-in-place sill bolts, and antennae-like structural ties all await their turn in the process. They hint at the even more complex work yet to come.
Construction is in progress at Studio III Architecture’s prototype Passive House! As the foundations get their finishing touches, we reflect on how reality can force upon us design choices we wouldn’t otherwise expect. The original design called for screw pile foundations drilled into the soil as a way to float the main volume above the ground and reduce our carbon footprint by avoiding the use of concrete. Instead, bedrock covers almost all of our buildable area. And so we welcome concrete into our home, whether we want to or not. But at least no one can accuse us of building our house on sand.
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Here’s a short video with some more information about the Passive House standard for buildings.
Gregor Masefield of Studio III architects in Bristol, VT is now a Certified Passive House Consultant!
Congratulations to Studio III architects Owner Gregor Masefield for completing training and passing the exams to become a Certified Passive House Consultant!
Read more about Passive House Institute US here:
http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/AboutPHIUS.html
Shiver me timbers!
The Vermont Sail Freight Project is this week’s hero…and our friends at the Willowell Foundation (www.willowell.org ) for sponsoring the epic journey and supporting its philosophic and physical mission. The story has been covered by many including the New Yorker magazine! The Kickstarter video is also a great intro this epic journey.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/11/video-the-farm-barge-takes-manhattan.html
and for more flavor of the trip and its daily adventures check out the blog!
http://vermontsailfreightproject.wordpress.com/
…and facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/VTSailFreight?ref=tn_tnmn
Congratulations on a successful and Heroic voyage!
