Sustainable House Project

Designing a Sustainable House

You will be designing a sustainable house. You may work with 1 or 2 other people on this project. Your house will be built on one-acre of land and will include design, energy usage, water usage, sustainable materials, and a garden.

Location: Choose from Morona-Santiago, Ecuador or Flagstaff, Arizona.

Shape of Plot: The area of an acre is 43,560 square feet. Choose a shape for your plot square, rectangle, or another shape of your choice. Just be sure your calculation comes out to 43,560 square feet!

Square: 208 ft 9 inches x 208 ft 9 inches

Categories:	Questions to Ponder:	Your Plan:
Energy	Where will your house get energy from? Renewable Energy Sources Calculate your home’s energy usage here. Can you generate enough energy for your whole house to use?
Water	Consider the location you chose for your house. What is the rainfall there? Humidity? Where will you get water for your house? Where will you get water for your garden? How will you treat your wastewater?
Materials	Choose the materials you will use to build your house. Be sure to choose sustainable materials. Here are some resources: Sustainable Building Materials 5 of the world’s most eco-friendly building materials What materials will you use for the exterior of your house? What materials will you use for the interior of your house? What materials will you use for insulating the house?
Garden	How much food will your garden produce for you? How much water will it use? What are your plans for ensuring your garden is organic? Organic means free from chemicals like pesticides and herbicides.