Seed Eco-Home Designer 2021

• Build upon the Part Library Tutorial for Sweet Home 3D:

• Import all technical modules, and assemble them into any configuration.
• The key is understanding the modules and their applications:
  • For example, it is clear that exterior walls arranged in the required pattern will provide you with the desired shape.
  • Or, entire subsets of modules - the kitchen-bathroom part of the house - may be used as a whole, as it constitutes an efficiently designed entity to the point that it worthwhile to not reinvent the wheel and just use that as a whole.
• Thus, the concept is - with ability of the key modules, any configuration of the Seed Eco-Home may be designed, for any of the shapes:

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And that is just the standard 256 sf module-based shapes, not to mention possibilities for microhouses, microhouses on a trailer, or larger structures such as a workshop.

Thus, the design process in SweetHome3D could simply consist of dragging and dropping wall modules, larger modules, landscaping libraries, and other assets into a design. Because the modules are engineered already, one is assured that technical correctness and buildability are built in. Power users can create entire new modules, and documenters can produce design guides that specify exhaustive design rules for how modules fit together.

There are different realms of design that one can engage in:

1. Creating new modules: this requires some level of architecture skill to determine the critical design components of a given module or system. Some of these, for examply, how to design a wall, bathroom, kitchen module, are captured in the House Design Guide.
2. Creating different house configurations - a novice who learns the basics of Sweet Home 3D can do this using existing drag-and-drop modules for any shape of house, including landscaping. This is the easiest for one story homes.
3. Site-specific design - if one can access digital elevation models and site surveys, one can add realistic landscape for a specific site. This requires more skill.
4. Expanded Homes - Versions of one floor height are easy, ones with 2 stories require some attention to details of plumbing/electrical, and versions such as 3 stories require additional modulesu. However, once the work of modularizing additional building patterns is done - then any novice can design with these and get a technically correct design.

Engaging in Global Design to Solve Housing

So how do we involve the whole world? By adding more modules - from PV, wind, and sophisticated landscape elements. Adding optimized furniture. Adding different build methods, such as CEB, steel, straw bale, or many others - so that a complete, unified building system is created. That takes global collaboration.

Next step priorities include CEB-based wall modules, which allow the use of a low embodied energy, high performance building material: earth. To get involved, join the OSE Forum on the Seed Eco-Home Designer.