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Downsizing the McMansion: Study gauges a sustainable size for future homes:
What might homes of the future look like if countries were really committed to meeting global calls for sustainability, such as the recommendations advanced by the Paris Agreement and the U.N.'s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?
Much wider adoption of smart design features and renewable energy for low- to zero-carbon homes is one place to start -- the U.N. estimates households consume 29% of global energy and consequently contribute to 21% of resultant CO2 emissions, which will only rise as global population increases.
However, a new scholarly paper authored at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) assesses another big factor in the needed transformation of our living spaces toward sustainability -- the size of our homes.
The paper published in the journal Housing, Theory & Society makes the case for transitioning away from the large, single-family homes that typify suburban sprawl, offering new conceptions for what constitutes a more sustainable and sufficient average home size in high-income countries going forward.
The article surveys more than 75 years of housing history and provides estimates for the optimal spatial dimensions that would align with an "environmentally tenable and globally equitable amount of per-person living area" today. It also spotlights five emerging cases of housing innovation around the world that could serve as models for effectively adopting more space-efficient homes of the future.
"There is no question that if we are serious about embracing our expressed commitments to sustainability, we will in the future need to live more densely and wisely," said Maurie Cohen, the paper's author and professor at NJIT's Department of Humanities. "This will require a complete reversal in our understanding of what it means to enjoy a 'good life' and we will need to start with the centerpiece of the 'American Dream,' namely the location and scale of our homes.
"The notion of 'bigger is better' will need to be supplanted by the question of 'how much is enough?' Fortunately, we are beginning to see examples of this process unfolding in some countries around the world, including the United States."
Maurie J. Cohen. New Conceptions of Sufficient Home Size in High-Income Countries: Are We Approaching a Sustainable Consumption Transition? Housing, Theory and Society, 2020; 1 DOI: 10.1080/14036096.2020.1722218
(Score: 2) by Spamalope on Wednesday March 11 2020, @06:45AM
Rambling roof line: We have hurricanes! The will act like a wing and lift off the house if its area is all in a single roof line, or not steep enough to act like a spoiler. If you strap the roof to the walls well enough it can't lift off, and the walls to the foundation a cat 5 can lift the entire structure. If the roof fails or a built in garage door fails wind will hit the far wall from the inside and push it down, then the whole house falls. (see Andrew collapsing houses in Florida)
If you're going to make a push, why not one to make solar electricity mounts and wiring pre-installed in homes at the point when it would be cheap - when the walls aren't skinned. Along with choosing roof profiles that make solar work best and pre-permit approved installs for 'same model' builder homes you'd bring the cost of installation down. (if there are 150 identical houses in a subdivision, they should be able to get permit pre-approval if they duplicate a prior install)