A Self Contained Habitat
elevation
from the street viewing carport and house
Steinmeyer House - 1976
The Steinmeyer Residence was a commission that nearly got built. It was my first design for a totally self-contained environment. It the end, it proved too much for the client. Emery Lovins executed his house at the Rocky Mountain Institute, Snowmass, Colorado, in the early 80s. His project demonstrated the feasibility of this approach in a far harsher climate than Kansas City where the Steinmeyer project was to be built.
This house is much more buildable today than a quarter of centurary ago but nevertheless would require the leading edge of a number of technologies. Even today, a totally self contained house requires a completely different lifestyle than does living on the grid. This is, perhaps, the primary value beyond all the energy ecological reasons usually given for such a project. I was interested in pushing the technology envelope, yes, but the prime focus was the place as a work of art, a facility for a way-of-living. I think I failed to adequately convey this point to my client and they felt they were funding a research project and an experiment not a residence to live. I think the idea of “working” a house like a homestead sounded too much like going back (they remembered the depression) not forward. I think that the issue of self-service as a trade-off for earning money and buying services and goods is still an open one. Self-service involves time, yes, it is oftern “better” time than the equivalent spent “earning” in order to shop and buy inflated goods of dubious value. In a different context, these ideas (intrinsic economics, work, lifestyle choices) are the central design theme of the Domicile project.
At any rate, the economics of architecture is not well developed and there are problems in three areas: the (design/build) costs, the life cycle costs (use) and the intrinsic designed-in technology (total supply chain). The social, economic, ecological tradeoffs involved do not add up. It is often promoted that modern housing makes economic sense against ecological sense. It does not make sense in either realm. Only narrow analysis in strict isolation can produce an answer that support our present practices.
The
basic concept of the house was a 40 foot square pyramid suspended from
a single masonry mass. The living areas were in three levels: the Garden,
greenhouse and utility areas - at the bottom and opened onto the lower
side of the sloping site; The living, dining, library, siting level
- at the center level and suspended over the greenhouse; bathing, sleeping
at the top level - this area viewes the site to the North through a
large corner skylight. The roof, which makes up the majority of the
structure, forms a composite wood structure with suspension cables running
through it’s prefabricated sections.
The reason for prefabrication was to increase quality and finish decrease the overall build time and minimize site disruption. Many of the same reasons as delineated in the Bay Area Studio project documentation. The two projects, separated by 25 years have many similarities and employ the same fabrication process.
The
site selected encompassed 3 plus acres of slopping, wooded landscape
in a small subdivision around a lake outside of Kansas City, Missouri.
The subdivision was more than 20 years old and had established the tradition
of minimum “landscaping” - the idea was to leave the natural
landscape as is. This was one of the primary reasons for the site selection.
The house was designed for one lot and then another was purchased This
required that the plan be “flipped” which allowed it to fit
perfectly on the new property. The carport was detached with an underground
entry into the greenhouse section of the house. The house was protected
by earth berms on three sides leaving a strip of glass from the berm
to the roof. The forth side was sloped greenhouse glass (extending the
roof) and floor to ceiling glass to an outside patio. The idea was for
the greenhouse, a serious food growing area, to act as an indoor/outdoor
living place. Laundry and basic food preparation was also on this level.
The house was a typical suburban floor plan turned on it’s side.
Matt
Taylor
Palo Alto
April 2, 2001
SolutionBox
voice of this document:
VISION • STRATEGY • SCHEMATIC
revised
April 3, 2001
• 200010402.12701.mt
• 20010403.448211.mt •
(note: this document is about 30% finished)
Copyright© Matt Taylor, 1975, 1976, 2001