2011-05-13T15:28:10Z

Prototype Creation:

==Introduction==
Autonomous housing describes the notion of making a house energy and water self sufficient. The part of food independence is usually not meant by it, probably because farming and civil engineering are too seperate from each other.
An example where all comes together are greenhouses retrofitted for living. Or if definition allows for it traditional farms.

Generally this aim is feasible but there is a delicate relation between construction cost and lifestyle. The higher the demands on the house are the more costly it is. This is the status quo. It could be different if architects, engineers and house builders would know more about the possibilites and the current state of technology. It could also be different if the house builder would alterate his or her definition of lifestyle, or standard of living.

Autonomy must not only be achieved within one house, it can be done in a settlement, too. Autonomy can also consider more sections, or levels of the economy, like a bakery, a wood shop or a variety of professions represented by individuals.

Autonomy can also depict a general input-output balance in which a housing community is part of the surroundings, or national economy by trading in a way that it could still operate independently when the input and output streams come to a halt.

==Examples==
*Autonomous on energy, water, and waste - including owner-built homes - [http://www.hockertonhousingproject.org.uk/ Hockerton Housing Project]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BedZED BedZED]

==Consultation==
These companies offer free consultation or OS plans: [http://www.prototype-creation.de TS Prototype Creation]

==Other Concepts to Borrow==
*http://rareseeds.com/bakersville/
*[http://www.villageforum.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid=61 How to build a village]
*[http://www.thevenusproject.com/a-new-social-design/resource-based-economy Venus Project]

[[Category:Housing and construction]]

Autonomous Housing Developments

2011-05-13T15:25:08Z

Prototype Creation: /* Introduction */

==Introduction==
Autonomous housing describes the notion of making a house energy and water self sufficient. The part of food independence is usually not meant by it, probably because farming and civil engineering are too seperate from each other.
An example where all comes together are greenhouses retrofitted for living. Or if definition allows for it traditional farms.

Generally this aim is feasible but there is a delicate relation between construction cost and lifestyle. The higher the demands on the house are the more costly it is. This is the status quo. It could be different if architects, engineers and house builders would know more about the possibilites and the current state of technology. It could also be different if the house builder would alterate his or her definition of lifestyle, or standard of living.

Autonomy must not only be achieved within one house, it can be done in a settlement, too. Autonomy can also consider more sections, or levels of the economy, like a bakery, a wood shop or a variety of professions represented by individuals.

Autonomy can also depict a general input-output balance in which a housing community is part of the surroundings, or national economy by trading in a way that it could still operate independently when the input and output streams come to a halt.

==Examples==
*Autonomous on energy, water, and waste - including owner-built homes - [http://www.hockertonhousingproject.org.uk/ Hockerton Housing Project]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BedZED BedZED]

==Other Concepts to Borrow==
*http://rareseeds.com/bakersville/
*[http://www.villageforum.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid=61 How to build a village]
*[http://www.thevenusproject.com/a-new-social-design/resource-based-economy Venus Project]

[[Category:Housing and construction]]

Autonomous Housing Developments

2011-05-13T15:18:35Z

Prototype Creation: /* Introduction */

Autonomous Housing Developments

2011-05-13T15:16:07Z

Prototype Creation: /* Introduction */

==Introduction==
Autonomous housing discribes the notion of making a house energy and water self sufficient. The part of food independence is usually not meant by it, probably because farming and civil engineering are too seperate from each other.

Generally this aim is feasible but there is a delicate relation between construction cost and lifestyle. The higher the demands on the house are the more costly it is. This is the status quo. It could be different if architects, engineer and house builders would know more about the possibilites and the current state of technology. It could also be different if the house builder would alterate his definition of lifestyle, or standard of living.

==Examples==
*Autonomous on energy, water, and waste - including owner-built homes - [http://www.hockertonhousingproject.org.uk/ Hockerton Housing Project]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BedZED BedZED]

==Other Concepts to Borrow==
*http://rareseeds.com/bakersville/
*[http://www.villageforum.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid=61 How to build a village]
*[http://www.thevenusproject.com/a-new-social-design/resource-based-economy Venus Project]

[[Category:Housing and construction]]

Autonomous Housing Developments

2011-05-13T15:09:54Z

Prototype Creation: /* Other Concepts to Borrow */ dead link

==Introduction==
Autonomous housing will be as popular as home computers once the modern steam engine is resurrected for combined heat and power systems. - Opinion of author.

==Examples==
*Autonomous on energy, water, and waste - including owner-built homes - [http://www.hockertonhousingproject.org.uk/ Hockerton Housing Project]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BedZED BedZED]

==Other Concepts to Borrow==
*http://rareseeds.com/bakersville/
*[http://www.villageforum.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid=61 How to build a village]
*[http://www.thevenusproject.com/a-new-social-design/resource-based-economy Venus Project]

[[Category:Housing and construction]]

2011-04-29T11:22:51Z

Prototype Creation:

Building dwellings and other structures in a sustainable way.

==Online Resources==
* [http://sustainablesources.com/ Sustainable Sources] - Online Green Building information. Contains sections for:
** [http://sustainablesources.com/building-materials/ Building materials]
** [http://sustainablesources.com/water/ Water]
** [http://sustainablesources.com/energy/ Energy]
** [http://sustainablesources.com/building-materials/ Materials]

[[Category:Main]]

Shipping containers

2011-04-28T16:45:04Z

Prototype Creation: /* Container Earthship */

{{Breadcrumb|Housing and construction}}

==Introduction==
Shipping containers that were originally and currently used for over-ocean, over-road and over-rail shipment of bulk goods, and are now repurposed for residential occupancy and commercial storefront applications. This is especially useful in urban environments where space is more limited and the price of land is more a barrier to entry for prospective home owners and business developers. Shipping containers can be used as the main structure for efficiency dwellings or alternatively used as a basis of structure for contemporary architectural design.<ref>http://container.sustainablesources.com/</ref>

==Container Earthship==
A company called Prototype Creation [http://www.prototype-creation.de/] in germany offers professional advice and OS plans for engineered container homes according to the [[Earthship]] concept.
[http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=104266276286421]

==Discussion==
[[Image:ContainerHome.jpg|thumb|450px|Containers can be stacked or configured into whatever shape pleases you.]]
Want a cheap, rough-and-ready shelter on your piece of land? A used 40 foot shipping containers costs about $2000. They measure 8 feet (2.44m) wide, 40 feet (12.19m) long and 8 feet 6 inches (2.59m) tall. That's an area of 320 square feet (29.74m<sup>2</sup>). Buy three of these, stick them together and you have something the size of a nice one-bedroom apartment that cost you just $6000.

One option is to partially bury the container for an [[Underground Housing|underground house]]. You may need to put up a pillar or two to support the weight of the roof. Use a metal saw to cut out holes for windows, pipes, or stairs to the second floor.
[[Image:EarthSheltered.JPG|thumb|300px|Putting earthen berms like these around the container and covering them with grass would insulate the house very well and would be a good option if you can take all the hobbit jokes your friends are gonna make. (The house in the picture is not made of shipping containers; it's just there to illustrate the berms)]]

[[Image:CoveParkArtistsRetreat.jpg|thumb|300px|A shipping container home can be made to look as classy as any other home]]Of course, a bare shipping container isn't a nice place to live in, but you can do it up however you want. You need to put up insulation and install electrical fixtures and other fittings. A bare shipping container will also look terrible from the outside, so you will want to cover it in graffiti, plaster it, cover it with wood panels, or whatever.

==References==
<references/>

==See Also==
* http://www.shipping-container-housing.com/ - This site has lots of information about sourcing containers
* http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/ - Gives details of lots of projects of building using shipping containers

Shipping containers

2011-04-28T16:44:10Z

Prototype Creation:

{{Breadcrumb|Housing and construction}}

==Introduction==
Shipping containers that were originally and currently used for over-ocean, over-road and over-rail shipment of bulk goods, and are now repurposed for residential occupancy and commercial storefront applications. This is especially useful in urban environments where space is more limited and the price of land is more a barrier to entry for prospective home owners and business developers. Shipping containers can be used as the main structure for efficiency dwellings or alternatively used as a basis of structure for contemporary architectural design.<ref>http://container.sustainablesources.com/</ref>

==Container Earthship==
A company called Prototype Creation in germany offers professional advice and OS plans for engineered container homes according to the [[Earthship]] concept.
[http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=104266276286421]

==Discussion==
[[Image:ContainerHome.jpg|thumb|450px|Containers can be stacked or configured into whatever shape pleases you.]]
Want a cheap, rough-and-ready shelter on your piece of land? A used 40 foot shipping containers costs about $2000. They measure 8 feet (2.44m) wide, 40 feet (12.19m) long and 8 feet 6 inches (2.59m) tall. That's an area of 320 square feet (29.74m<sup>2</sup>). Buy three of these, stick them together and you have something the size of a nice one-bedroom apartment that cost you just $6000.

One option is to partially bury the container for an [[Underground Housing|underground house]]. You may need to put up a pillar or two to support the weight of the roof. Use a metal saw to cut out holes for windows, pipes, or stairs to the second floor.
[[Image:EarthSheltered.JPG|thumb|300px|Putting earthen berms like these around the container and covering them with grass would insulate the house very well and would be a good option if you can take all the hobbit jokes your friends are gonna make. (The house in the picture is not made of shipping containers; it's just there to illustrate the berms)]]

[[Image:CoveParkArtistsRetreat.jpg|thumb|300px|A shipping container home can be made to look as classy as any other home]]Of course, a bare shipping container isn't a nice place to live in, but you can do it up however you want. You need to put up insulation and install electrical fixtures and other fittings. A bare shipping container will also look terrible from the outside, so you will want to cover it in graffiti, plaster it, cover it with wood panels, or whatever.

==References==
<references/>

==See Also==
* http://www.shipping-container-housing.com/ - This site has lots of information about sourcing containers
* http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/ - Gives details of lots of projects of building using shipping containers