Comments on: Human Shelter: Air, Water, & Earth

By: Green Design Link for You - Jantzen’s Power Towers

Green Design Link for You - Jantzen’s Power Towers — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:20:05 +0000

[...] Human Shelter: Air, Water, & Earth [...]

By: Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 03:48:29 +0000

Jennifer, I love that wind house. I love that the view from any window is everchanging. Of course, you’d need to be sure that you have a great 360 degree view!

By: Jennifer Chait

Jennifer Chait — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 00:33:42 +0000

Jon, I agree but it would be hard to start over now. It’s a great question. Maybe another good one would be how can we stop doing what we’re now doing and turn it around; while still creating structures for people. I vote for less MacMansions personally. Two people do not, I REPEAT, do not need eighteen or even ten rooms.

Angelique, I can’t believe you said, “Timberlake” here — are you looking to get banned

Well as far as cost — the woodland home cost almost nothing. I hand built a passive solar home and the costs were less (we used many recycled materials and did the labor ourselves) but of course that’s not so elaborate. The Bart Prince homes I’d wager are spendy but take less away from the natural environment as do these; so there’s this whole is it worth the $ cost to save the earth argument going on too.

If we built smarter from the get go and people settled instead of moving upwards constantly and trying to beat the neighbors cost would go down. I think there’s just this whole entire background that’s rooted in how we think about living vs. how we live that drives costs all over the place. On high tech structures I don’t know if the costs make them feasible or not. I’ll try to find out though because it’s an excellent question.

By: Angelique

Angelique — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 00:10:44 +0000

I wonder how cost prohibitive some of the more creative architectural designs are?

It seems like the creators absolutely want to be “in sync” (minus Justin Timberlake and the gang) with nature, but are the shelters economically feasible on a grand scale?

On another note, I’m still mulling over someday living in an “elfin glen” shelter you highlighted a week or so again. I wonder if it comes with a year’s supply of Keebler cookies?

As usual, your posts are awesome and thought-provoking and just dang fun!

Angelique

By: Jon King

Jon King — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:50:06 +0000

Malibu Video House: this is an issue for us living in Michigan as well. Structures that line the waterfront prevent us from seeing it yet, if you reverse it (put the road along the waterfront) it feels as if you have violated the experience. Perhaps we could learn something from a exercise that would as the question: “what if we could start over”?

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:28:46 +0000

I knew you’d die… I knew it. With your blond kind of good looks you’d fit right in too. I on the other hand would look like a couch surfer there — not to say I wouldn’t visit. Cause I would. Now, how to talk your hubby into getting you this as a belated birthday gift…

By: Liberty

Liberty — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:21:54 +0000

OK, Jennifer. Now the “M” house is lovely, and I’d serve you tea there for sure. But the Malibu beach house??? Holy smokes! That is the most amazing structure. I felt instantly calm the moment I saw it (I’m a Cancer; we’re “water” signs). I’d have you over for fruity cocktails there–and I wouldn’t even make you watch Days!

You coming???