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The Nature of Design
Story
Garden Atriums of Poquoson
I tend to be more of a doer than lecturer. We work as consultants to architects and consulting engineers. One of our services, strategic planning, obliges us to track global trends, so we can point our clients into growth markets. When we saw increased interest around the term "sustainability" in the early 90s, we decided to take positive action.
Using a small group of specialists, we created a plan for a cluster of "Net Zero" homes ... "The Garden Atriums of Poquoson."
We're at Net Zero on heating, cooling, and power.
We're at about 95% on water, using rainwater harvesting. (100% on last house.)
Air quality - which you never see included - is better than outside air.
Broad leafed plants soak up CO2 and emit a lot of O2.
Zero VOC paint, dye-free wool carpet, solid wood cabinetry and Boston Ferns - detoxify.
Using conservation planning for site use, with all permeable surfaces and terracing.
Vegetable gardens are only hobby scale - but with excellent soil and product. The
The web site goes through our considerations. On the last page is a photo tour, an icon for a video shot by PBS, and an e-book of recent research about where sustainability is really going ... of which few have any real sense.
The real test - and it is
What we perceive will be the ideal sustainable community is described at the end of our e-book. For example, you'll soon see major food shortages - even in the U.S. We need to provide 100% of residents' food needs, using a CSA model. There are also issues related to education, fitness, quality of life measures, etc. ... which are essential parts of "sustainable living."
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