SUMMARY
STATEMENT OF PROPOSED PROJECT
Through cheap,
yet effective, building practices and design, an affordable and sustainable housing
template will be produced. Building a house with cod and other sustainable
materials and using designs such as placing local vegetation on the roof will
provide affordable, sustainable and energy efficient housing.
PURPOSE
To provide a
cost effective and sustainable template for affordable housing through
sustainable building practices, designs, materials and technologies.
GOALS
AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
The ultimate
goal of this project is to provide the first step towards the use of
sustainable local materials, design and technology in future building practices.
Although it may not adhere to everyone, this will be a step in the direction of
sustainable living.
METHODOLOGY
AND ANALYTICAL APPROACH
Advertising by
newspaper, radio and TV will provide a sufficient base for community support
and participation. The building lot will be donated by a generous person living
in a rural area, but in the event that it isn’t a small compensation will be
provided. The building materials will be donated by local farmers excluding any
framing materials. The building material will consist of clay, sand and straw.
The framing material will be donated if it is feasible. Doors and windows will
be salvaged from construction sites or by community donation. The building will
have two windows a door, a toilet and a sink. All electrical and plumbing
components will be donated or salvaged from a construction site. The use of
auto tinting windows and a composting toilet is preferred but if it is too
costly will be dismissed. The construction of the build will be done by
community volunteers. An electrical and plumbing tradesman will be hired at a
reasonable price. If they volunteer then adequate promoting and acknowledgement
will be provided in all ads relating to the project. All vegetation for the
building will be by donation, most likely from Lyons Landscaping. Because this
is for research purposes, the building will be less than 10m² to eliminate the
building restrictions of the British Columbia Building Code. In this project
original data will be collected. Once built, the building will be equipped with
energy consumption monitors and internal thermal readers. Prior to the experimental
use of the building, a survey will be conducted to find the average daily water
consumption and what is the preferred temperature. Information regarding energy
consumption and thermal loss or retention will be collected by a data
collector. The test data will be collected for two months; one month, July, in
the summer and one month, January, in the winter. This will reduce the cost of
energy use since the land and resources such as hydro are being donated but
will give general data for the summer and winter months.
PREVIOUS
STUDIES
This will not
fill any gap within the field of sustainable building and affordable housing.
This is to provide a basis for the combination of sustainable building material
and practices for affordable housing. According to Clarke Snell and Tim
Callahan, one advantage of using cob is “that the materials used to make it are
readily available, inexpensive, and often can be found on-site.” (Snell &
Callahan, 2009, pg 219). Incorporating edible landscaping as opposed to the use
of conventional lawns makes a large impact on sustainable living. Avi Friedman
writes “the benefits of edible landscapes, in contrast to conventional lawns,
extend far beyond the reduction of water use, energy, and chemicals. They also
provide shade, curb appeal and a sense of community and promote health and
leisure (Sacramento Hunger Commission 2005; Kourik 2004).” (Friedman, 2012, pg
201).
PLANS
FOR DISSEMINATION OF WORK
Every step of
the project, from the promotion of the project to the final data analysis, will
be recorded on a blog for everyone to read.
CONTRIBUTION
OF THE PROJECT TO MY ACADEMIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
During the
course of the entire project I will do the preliminary surveying. I will
blanket the city asking random Kamloops residents questions about their energy
consumption. I will campaign the project to get
volunteers to help aid in the production of the building materials (e.g. the
cod). I will visit rural residents will also arrange the building schedule for
the plumber and the electrician. All outside materials such as the framing
lumber and local vegetation I will pick up to save on delivery charges. My
overall academic objective is to obtain original data on sustainable housing using
local sustainable building materials while using a sustainable building design
and apply them to affordable housing.
BUDGET
The building will be
less than 10m². For most of the materials used in this project, it would be
preferable to use salvaged items such as doors and sinks. The materials for the
cob will be by donation. The framing of the building will consist of SPF 2x6
lumber. At Home Depot, a SPF 2x6x10 is priced at $5.95.
A rough estimate of the total length for the lumber is 300ft. So at $5.95 per
10ft of board, the total cost comes to $178.50.
If it is practicable, a RavenBrick’s smart windows would be preferred
over salvaged or donated windows. On RavenBrick’s website suggested that the
windows could cost $25 per square foot. Two windows would be sufficient so a
rough estimate would be $225 for the windows.
The cost of a temperature/humidity monitor is $200from Global
Industrial. The energy consumption monitor will cost roughly $200 and $400 will
be allotted for the data recorder. $200 will be used for the wiring, for the
lights and receptacles, etc. The rough estimate comes to $1,403.50.
