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BuildingCircles
Organization
Creating affordable,
nature-integrated homes for independent living |
|
SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
BuildingCirclestm
Organization on Vashon-Maury Island (VMI), Washington will develop housing
that is ultra-green, reasonable in cost, and nature-integrated.
We are proposing a unique systems approach to affordable building that
will support sustainable independent living in adult communities.
PILOT PROJECT
BuildingCircles first proposes to
build an under 1,000 sq.ft. home for an older adult homeowner (or couple)
who wishes to "age in place." In King County this could be
an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) or second home. The ideal
homeowner is likely to already have considerable equity in an older house
(the primary residence) with land. The property should be generally
in compliance with code, making it permit able for an ADU.
A BuildingCircles ADU and similar
small dwellings:
-
could provide rental income from the
ADU -- or the owner can rent the primary residence and move into the ADU.
-
can create a buffer from increasing tax
and property maintenance expenses. Building this ADU can be combined
with “Land Trust” strategies to manage taxes while keeping most of the
land “unbuilt.”
-
by converting the ADU to an assisted
living dwelling as the owner ages, the initial construction can be financed
through self and family (longer occupancy of the ADU can limit premature
nursing home cost estimated at $30K-$70K per year x 5 years average = $250K).
This permits a “pay now, live independently longer” approach.
Please contact
us if you are planning to build and would like to discuss our systems
approach to affordable building for adult independence and sustainability.
THE HOMES
Appearance. These nature-integrated
homes will appear to “grow” naturally out of the ground (like above-ground
tree roots, such as mangrove, etc.). Gentle contours and landscaped
earth-berming rise to the lower sills of recessed windows. In between
the windows and doors the ground will contour gently to the roof, blending
with nature. In turn the eaves support vegetation (i.e. vines or
other climbing plants) which descends down to the top sill of windows and
doors. The eaves look like a cresting wave leaning forward to support soil
for folliage growing from the roof. Sunlight can be managed with
skylights and windows shaded with vegetation on all sides of the house.
Although the home is sheltered by earth and vegetation, it's high insulative
value and "above grade" siting will permit abundant light.
Individual choice of landscaping,
stonework, masonry and other finishes to doors, windows, overhangs, decks,
and courtyards will make each home a unique expression of each owner's
taste.
Authentically Green - Beyond "Green
Chic." The heart
of an authentically green program is a “living house” that locally collects
as much energy and water as it uses. The downsized house will minimize
its ecological foot print; its smaller size will require far less material,
labor, cost of financing, energy needs, and maintenance than larger more
conventional, even “green” houses.
By conforming to the new King County
“BuiltGreen” standards, we can reduce permitting cost and may merit certain
cost and time benefits.
Affordable.
Our fixed-income homeowner may not be cash-rich; however they may may
benefit from a strategy that permits development of an ADU as a rental
property that pays for itself. The ADU may be rented out until the
homeowner of the main house moves there as part of an independent living
strategy. At that point the owner may rent out the primary residence.
Universal
Design. BuildingCircles housing will be based on principals of
universal design that will allow easier habitation for all and permit conversion
to assisted living when that is appropriate.
Materials. The homes
are solidly built to last with low maintenance. They are highly insulated,
waterproofed, ferrocement structures. There will also be cisterns,
stream beds, and natural and solar pond collectors. Floor,
walls, and roof all flow together for one contiguous, monocot structure.
Features and Benefits:
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Highly-efficient energy systems
-
Micro-power generation with “neighborhood
grids” based on solar energy
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Inexpensive temperature and humidity
control
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Water harvesting and disposal
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Composting and related sewage solutions
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Acoustic and visual privacy
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Comfortable
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Reduced risk of fire and vermin
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Less costly to build and maintain
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Reduced seismic risk
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Compliance with King County building
codes and GMA zoning
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Footprint returned to the ecosystem
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Full-scale gardening and "micro-farming"
on their load-bearing roofs and solar green houses.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Cultural context. The
majority of people today seem to wish to emulate expensive, unsustainable,
derivative styles of architecture. This desire is driven by social
competition for an ever-expanding “American dream” or “lifestyle” based
on visible consumption and is not integrated into the local ecology.
Because the majority of houses do not “hug” the ground they are typically
multi-story for “show” and require enormous spaces between them to permit
a reasonable amount of privacy. To achieve a more “progressive” density
from a rural/suburban or even outer urban area, dwellings need a lower
profile and significantly reduced visual and acoustic challenges through
nature-integrated designs.
Our likely client will include early
adapters with a strong commitment to ultra-“authentically green” and enjoy
the cachet of a one-of-a-kind, lovely house at a reasonable cost.
Cultural Creatives (per book of that name reporting
extensive social research) represent approximately 20% of American adults
who have a strong concern about environmental health and an affinity (through
personal history or current interest and activities) in progressive and
humanist values).
Income. We anticipate
that our client will be in the lower 1/3 median income, but have considerable
equity in an older property with land. The property should generally
be in compliance and permit-able for an ADU. Many typical low-income
housing projects such as Vashon Household and Habitat for Humanity require
good credit histories, an oxymoron for the poor. Because of this,
they don’t make a big dent in housing need. By committig to the King
County “BuiltGreen” standards, we can reduce permitting cost and may merit
certain cost and time benefits.
Because our low-income homeowner
may not have good credit, they will benefit from a strategy that permits
development of an ADU as a rental property that pays for itself.
It can be rented out itself until the homeowner of the main house moves
there as part of an aging-in-place, independent living strategy.
Age and Disability. More
than 5 million Americans are 85 and older and by 2040 that could grow to
more than 13 million. Approximately 7 in 10 are women. 53% of those
85 and older own their own homes and more than 50% are “aging in place”
with independent living. Approximately 1/6 are poor. As we
age, downsizing becomes an appropriate strategy for contaiing cost of building
and maintaining our homes. Downsizing minimizes displacement of the
ecological foot print and smaller size requires less material, labor, cost
of financing, energy needs, and maintenance than larger conventional “green”
houses.
Age-in-Place Planning. Our
clients will be older adults, both individuals and couples, who have determined
that they will build housing in their late middle age to early elder years
that will serve them into the future for as long as possible through universal
design, downsizing, low maintenance, and a supportive
community based on affinity and humanist core values. The ADU homes
can ultimately be “converted” to assisted living to maximize independent
living and avoid premature institutional “care.”
World Housing Context. More
than 40% of the world's land has been displaced from natural ecosystems
by human settlements (including agriculture and animal raising impacts).
One third, or 2 billion of the world’s people are living in substandard
housing today. If uncorrected this is expected to have increased
to 6 billion people, or two-thirds of the then world’s people, in 20 years.
As the number of people escalates, efficient use of energy, water, and
land for human shelter and agriculture will increase in importance.
Currently, much of the world’s most
fertile, flat land is diverted from agriculture to necessary human shelter.
On the other hand, the world’s south slopes, ideal for capturing solar
energy for human habitation and terraced agriculture, are underutilized.
On a widespread basis there is:
-
poor land use planning for maximizing
agricultural yield.
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chronic energy and water shortages and
waste.
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pollution and lack of composting and
other alternative sewage and water management.
-
a short life cycle for conventional building
technology.
We
hope our contribution of the above dwelling system will ultimately have
a positive impact on world housing needs.
ADULT COMMUNITIES FOR INDEPENDENT
LIVING
These BuildingCircles housing designs
will become building blocks of an “open cluster” community design for widespread,
domestic and international housing. We plan to facilitate affinity-based,
older adult, co-housing-like communities for independent living based on
these affordable, ultra-green, nature-integrated homes. We plan to
build adult communities now that will be viable for people in their coming
elder years and allow "aging in place." These projects will demonstrate
that community building using principals of universal design will serve
individuals with special needs of all ages and will result in stronger
communities for society.
Ultimately, with motivated people,
available land, and community support, a comprehensive cooperative community
of older adults will be built. The community we envision will be
based on environmentally and human-friendly land planning, structures,
and relationships.
DEVELOPMENT TEAM and PARTNERS
Our design-build
team of architects, engineers, and contractors has extensive experience
in producing affordable, green homes. We will work with King
County to achieve the highest standards of sustainability in their new
Green
Building Program.
We can also help you plan creative
financing.
If you have interest in building an
ADU on your qualified property, please contact us.
Inventors and innovators may also
participate in research and development of important new technologies to
be implemented in BuildingCircles' designs.
LIFESENSE INSTITIUTE
BuildingCircles Organization works
with LifeSense Institute to facilitate education
about retrofitting for sustainability and promoting
community development that can compliment affordable, ultra-green, independent
living on Vashon-Maury Island and beyond. LifeSense Institute
is a new nonprofit corporation on Vashon-Maury Island founded by Robert
Bornn and Laura Worth.
GOALS FOR NEW BUILDING
The first project to be undertaken
by BuildingCircles Organization will be an accessory dwelling unit (ADU)
or second home on a permitable property. We are seeking individual(s)
who own land and structures that are "in-compliance" and who are ready
to build an ultra-green, affordable ADU or a second home under 1000 sq.
ft.
We will help its clients organize
the planning and construction of an affordable, sustainable, nature-integrated
BuildingCircles home on Vashon.
If you share these goals and
are ready to build,
please contact us today.
