DISQUS

Jetson Green: The Ultimate Modern Desert House

  • Bman · 5 months ago
    No water catchment off that big canopy? What gives? OK, so it's the desert... that doesn't mean you can't catch what little rain occurs there.
  • Cambridge Homes · 5 months ago
    Very cool looking house - the night view is dazzling.

    I just went through a home inspection where the subject of proper roof ventilation (or more specifically - the lack of) became a big focus. This is an excellent illustration of the ultimate in roof ventilation - makes the concept much easier for me to grasp.

    Liz
  • alex.zhuang · 5 months ago
    It is a good idea. some of methods to be suit china building in the desert , as well as china should study more from America.
    Let us together to make the world people live comfortably for indigenes.
    www.orientalsolar.cn/pronouncement.html said.
  • Brian N. · 5 months ago
    I REALLY like this concept. It is so simple, but the possibilities for that outer shelter are limitless. Solar, wind, rain collection could all be integrated into the shelter without having to be part of the design of the house underneath it. The house could be as modern or as simple as someone desired!

    Very cool!
  • j · 5 months ago
    Wind and sand storms?
  • Brian N. · 5 months ago
    What about them?
  • bill · 5 months ago
    What do you think? :B
  • paul · 5 months ago
    well you don't need to move in to the desert.
  • Martin · 5 months ago
    If there is a curb on the house roof, what is to keep the sand from collecting and adding significant loading to the structure? Sand is very heavy was this considered when designing the houses' roof? If you are getting air movement between the canopy and the roof you will collect sand.
  • Brian N. · 5 months ago
    If you look at this photo from the architect's website, you can see the roof of the actual home is flat:

    http://www.lloyd-russell.com/projects/index.php...

    It's also worth noting that the Native American mission tribes were living in that very same desert, building thatched roof homes under the desert palms, basically creating the same effect of shade/ air circulation.
  • Brian N. · 5 months ago
    Sorry, the link to the specific pic doesn't work, but it is the photo on the far right, with the snow covering everything....
  • Ben · 5 months ago
    When are they going to get around to the landscaping? And where's the shed?
  • jtb · 5 months ago
    why wouldnt you make the canopy out of solar panels?
  • Clayton Colleran · 5 months ago
    Cost probably... but great idea.
  • Clayton Colleran · 5 months ago
    I love the garage door style concept - A much more cost effective version of the NanoWall sliders, but I'm concerned about the insulation qualities... I wonder how tight those roll-ups are???
  • Anna Cesario · 5 months ago
    Love this! Great idea using the steel canopy to protect the house from heat. Minimalist design is perfect for the desert, less is more when it's hot!
  • Portland Real Estate · 5 months ago
    Completely brilliant design. A perfect example of the way we should be thinking, the homes design matches the climate. I think I have a few family members in Phoenix who would love to have a place like this rather than a cheap suburban home that has to have a massive air conditioner going all the time.
  • Sagar · 5 months ago
    I am wondering how it handles sand?? all the windows could become dirty in a couple of hours, cleaning the windows with water does not seem to be a logical solution considering that it is a desert....
  • Brian N. · 5 months ago
    They might have a water well. The native Americans who inhabited that very same desert managed to successfully drill shallow wells for water.
  • dj41326 · 5 months ago
    might have included solar
  • somedude · 5 months ago
    what no solar panels on the roof PSHHH
  • somedude · 5 months ago
    What no solar panels on roof PSHHHH go greeen bitches
  • UtahLuxury.com · 5 months ago
    Thats genius! I really like the idea of the roof over the concept.
  • Ben · 5 months ago
    http://www.dwell.com/articles/operation-desert-...
    Read the article, it should answer some of the questions posted here.
  • bill · 5 months ago
    Oooooh, I see. It looked like it was all open on the inside, but that wall slides down like a garage door and the there's a real roof on the house under the separate roof thing. I'm guessing the other open spots I see close up too. I was worried about the sand+wind thing, but this is looking like a really cool idea now. Good and simple and solid. But yeah, definitely needs solar panels, since that extra roof has pretty much no other job than to cook in the sun.
  • Hrishi · 5 months ago
    Living in the middle of a desert can be overwhelming. But this house looks too cozy for anyone to feel overwhelmed to stay in the middle of a desert. The idea of the ventilation not only makes the house look classy and spacious but also psychologically makes one think that the house is in shade and is cool.

    I would love to go out in My new MUV Mahindra Xylo to this house and spend a vacation out there. The Xylo color contest is going on. If you like to win yourself a great Holiday Package, just go to http://www.mahindraxylo.co.in/shoppe_contest.asp and choose your best Xylo color.
  • She who does not love cleaning · 5 months ago
    I love this design in theory. I wonder about the practicality though; I think this place would be impossible to keep clean. I've lived in a desert climate and I know from experience that the sand/clay dust from outdoors will find its way indoors no matter what. Having that giant roll-up door would, it seems to me, just add to the problem. If we're talking about making homes more environmentally-friendly, why not take into consideration the resources involved in keeping a place fit for human habitation? Perhaps we need more mothers who do their own cleaning as architects or consultants!
  • Sprachreisen Südamerika · 5 months ago
    Interesting design and making use of a natural resource for cooling is quite clever. Building something new & modern in the desert and not using solar panels I cannot understand (although I understand the cost factor for the initial purchase and installation).
    One thing that I couldn't see here is if the canopy is made of steel or an other material. As for steel, it will also pass a lot of heat below its surface between canopy and house. Wouldn't an other kind of material be suited better?
  • znakomstva · 5 months ago
    But what about insects or birds are the same, because they can fly
  • robbintina · 5 months ago
    Interesting!
  • treader · 5 months ago
    Not really new....people have been building these type of structures over their trailer homes for years in the desert southwest. At first, I thought that's just what I was looking at.
  • Joe · 5 months ago
    if he only put solar panels instead of the canopy...
  • nobbywebfoot · 5 months ago
    Why do we see so many brilliant ideas and virtually none are adopted generally? Yet the world is full of very expensive and horrible mistakes.
  • Gary Spencer · 5 months ago
    Unfortunately most places today have regulations *against* this sort of thing. The whiney neighbors will complain that its negatively affecting their property value. Another thing to consider, the cost of the canopy roof is in ADDITION to the normal roof on the house and with wind loading it is not inexpensive. This is not really a clever idea, just an abuse of a construction budget.
  • Dr. Obligatory · 5 months ago
    Top of canopy should be painted tan/white or other light color to reduce the heat absorption from sun rays. This would maximize the cooling effects of flow through winds,
  • Xed · 5 months ago
    This is great.. If I'm living in a desert, I would most probably choose this kind of home. Besides, it's very environment friendly because it's made from recycled materials..
  • Markus Merz · 5 months ago
    Awesome #desert #house #design. I like the usage of the sliding garage doors: http://bit.ly/165xtp

    Trackback: http://identi.ca/notice/5871717
  • tom · 5 months ago
    what about the cold?
    where is the heat sink so that the house stays warm at night?
    deserts are very cold at night.
  • John · 5 months ago
    In the Australian tropics this type of second air gap roof has been used very successfully on mobile/demountable homes and on cargo containers used for secure storage at an acceptable temperature to the contents. Containers converted into living sections then joined into groups to make up a home which is virtually fire proof (from the outside) have been fitted with the extra roof for cooling. In my experience this has been used for at least 20 years. It works. Likewise cars with carry racks on the roof. Same...
  • w4ni · 5 months ago
    might work well for summer but also puts house in shade in winter too -
    also exposes house to north winds in winter - designer somehow ignores
    the SUN - must be an architecture school graduate - any rectangular building
    that is the same on the north and south sides is a gross mistake - "stumble upon" found this absurdity but then it was a stumble was it not ?
  • Peter Brumis · 5 months ago
    This is pretty sweet - but I couldn't take living in the desert. Got a good design for the mountains? (Tahoe/Sierra)
    Check out http://ecomentum.com/blog for similar green posts (ecotourism, etc)
    Thanks for the great article, Pedro
  • Mario Tube · 5 months ago
    should have put on a 40 arce parcel so no one could see it, oh my GOD this is embarassing
  • Edward Crooks · 5 months ago
    The shape of the space under the roof and above the home will slow the flow of air and encourage particles in the air to lose their velocity and fall. In sandstorms more sand will accumulate on and around the home than would normally be the case. To increase the air speed that space needs to be narrowed, for example by fitting a convex cover over the home instead of a simple flat roof. The increased air speed will help the cooling effect and encourage the dust particles to carry on moving right along.
  • Rikka · 5 months ago
    chuck some solar panels up on that canopy, and water collection too while you're at it...
  • Events · 5 months ago
    Overall the idea of the canopy is brilliant! It would be a good idea to put some PV solar modules or a solar hot water system on the canopy to make better use of its large surface area.
  • fridgychick · 5 months ago
    Hey there from Australia, Driest continent on Earth. Go under ground. The surface is the last place to be!!!!!
  • deuda · 5 months ago
    I like the design of the house, but I am wondering, if theory is working in practice.
  • erikv · 4 months ago
    I saw this design for the first time in Auroville - India, 10 years ago..

    www.auroville.org
  • farzan · 4 months ago
    Why not paint the roof white?
  • wcvnow · 4 months ago
    Actually this roof-over-the-house concept is farily common in Southern CA, especially as an add-on over an existing, older mobile home. They call them "ramada roofs", and they really, really help. As long as there is free space between ramada and structure roof, the air circulation counters the radiant heat from the metal or wood ramada. Birds must be discouraged from nesting there though.

    As for dust on windows and in the house.....some sort of ground covering is the best remedy for prevention, like pavement or concrete, or stonework for something more attractive. But if dust bothers someone that much, the desert may not be for them.