|
Post Magazine
This week: The House of the Future
Hosted by Linda Hales
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 26, 2001; 1 p.m. EST
Architecture is changing. Building materials are changing. Demographics are changing. And in design circles there is a lot of radical talk about wavy housing modules and point-and-click everything, but the residences of the future will also be shaped by tradition.
Linda Hales, whose article "Blobs, Pods and People" appeared in Sunday's Washington Post Magazine, will be online to field questions and comments about the article and to discuss the house of the future.
Hales is the Style section's design critic. Her column appears on the
Design page on Saturdays. She hosts a regular Design Online discussion every other Thursday at 2 p.m.
The transcript follows...
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Linda Hales: Welcome to the Magazine's hour of online discussion. We're here to field your questions about "Space Odysseys" a.k.a. the future of houses as we know and love them....Over the course of the hour, we hope to hear from some of our experts and sources, whose work in the field made the article possible. They are also likely to reshape our thinking about house and home...Let us get started. Welcome, and send in your questions.
Laurel, Md.:
The new ideas presented in your article sound interesting, but aren't people too conservative in their taste and expectations of homes to want something far out of their paradigms.
During WWII fantastic inovations in building were invented, or at least widely used for the first time, but they didn't catch on because people frankly didn't want to live in Quansit huts. (The innovations that caught on were more efficient ways to build traditional homes, like in Levittown.)
Linda Hales: Welcome, Laurel. You raise good questions. People do tend to be conservative when it comes to the biggest single investment they make. And, frankly, plenty of people are happy to live in "used" houses -- which presumably were the futuristic dreams of someone back in the past. My own town house is pre-World War II, and mirrors plenty of dreams now outmoded. I certainly would trade it for a Pod or Blob Colonial that would allow living to flow more freely. But I don't expect those ideas to catch on any more widely than Bucky Fuller's Geodesic Domes or Dymaxion dwellings...What you will see are more flexible floor plans and possibly temporary or movable wall systems inside. We've already seen those developments from home builders.
Washington, D.C.:
I was glad to see discussion of energy efficiency in your article. I agree with Michael McDonough that energy consumption is the big issue. Do you think home builders are doing all they can now to address the issues?
Linda Hales: California's energy crisis has certainly put the issue on the breakfast table. Appliances already incorporate more efficiencies. So do windows. So do some other building materials. But Michael McDonough is experimenting with some technologies that are available elsewhere -- Europe, for instance -- that could substantially improve the picture. Even more important, he is an example of a mentality, a consciousness, if you will, that most of us could use more of. I'm hoping we'll hear from him during the hour. Stay tuned.
Vienna, Va.:
I liked your piece on the Space Odyssey. I thought the magazine looked very cool. Looking modern and coming up with original designs seem very chic. But I'm wondering on the practicality of all this to add to a new home and also the amount you would have to pay.
Linda Hales: Welcome, Vienna, and I agree the magazine's art and photo directors did a terrific job of conveying the sense of possibility. What's so interesting in this kind of blue-sky thinking is to find out how much innovation is already underway... A major stumbling block between innovation and implemention is cost. Until materials and processes become widespread, volume pricing won't kick in. That means you'll have to pay couture prices in the beginning....I found it heartenting that all the architects I talked to were driven by the idea of mass availability.
New York, NY:
This is Michael McDonough logging in.
Linda Hales: Welcome, Michael. Questions about affordability and energy efficiency are rolling in. Do you have the answers we're waiting for? Or are we doomed to suffer rolling blackouts...
Boston, Mass.:
Homes of the future... great topic!
What can you tell us about developments
in solar, sind, and other renewable
energy sources?
I've been following the California tragedy
(a friend out there saw rates
double... before this weekend's
announcement that rates may double)
and feel pretty certain that this will spread
to other states over the coming years.
What can we do to make sure we aren't
reliant on energy companies? Any
advances we should be aware of?
Linda Hales: Welcome, Boston. I'm going to let Mr. McDonough tackle this one, if he will. In his own house, he is employing some very innovative approaches...Michael?
Bethesda, Md.:
Dear Ms. Hales,
It seems to me that environmentally friendly architecture has been confined mostly to the category of "Homes of the Future." Do you see much interest in environmentally friendly housing in the near term? In particular:
- Will the average architect incorporate green design principles into his or her buildings?
- Do you see green design filtering down to housing developments?
- When I lived in Oregon, green building techniques were often discussed (although not so often implimented). Here in the D.C. area, I haven't yet seen much discussion on this topic. Do you see a significant regional difference between architects' view of the future of home design?
Thanks.
Linda Hales: Hello, Bethesda. You are right. There is a disconnect between talk and "walk." We see this not only in environmental issues, but also in issues of universal design. I frankly don't understand how anyone can still build inaccessible showers and spas without grab bars. Once knowledge is acquired, it ought to be implemented. Unfortunately, we customers prove resistant to change, and we also prove resistant to higher costs. New technologies and custom materials come at a premium in the beginning.
Reading, Mass.:
Japanese traditional homes always
seemed futuristic to me. Put together with
wood, cord, and paper, and no nails.
Might we have trouble "going futuristic"
because of our preoccupation with
collecting a bunch of stuff? It seems
futuristic always looks good becuase of
the sparseness.
Linda Hales: Reading, I appreciate your view. But are you familiar with the work of John Pawson, the minimalist British architect? He lives in a totally pared space, very much the Japanese aesthetic, except he tends to use concrete where the Japanese would use wood. The marvel, of course, is that he does have "stuff." It is simply organized out of sight behind floor to ceiling storage walls....But for the narrowness of my townhouse, I'd love to do the same.
Reston, 20190:
The Mag is still sitting in the "to be read" pile, so I don't know if this question is covered there. Are any builders these days running computer network cables in the walls, or is the wired house still a ways off?
Linda Hales: Welcome, Reston. Yes, some buildings are wiring houses already, though I'm not sure how many actually qualify as "Smart." If you're looking for such a builder, I suggest you contact the National Association of Home Builders, here in Washington. They could point you in the right direction.
Washington, D.C.:
Some of the elements in the article seemed frivolous to me, such as the Internet-surfing refrigerator. Let's face it, most people worry about keeping the darned thing clean. It seemed like some ideas were trying a bit too hard to be innovative at the expense of realism.
Sometimes technology in a house is just overkill. Look at the intercom systems from the early 80's that never really took off.
Linda Hales: You raise an interesting point. Intercoms didn't take off. The question that follows: did we not need that kind of communication, or did another technology supplant? I do think the technology companies are flailing about at the moment. Connecting the coffee pot and the crock pot may be possible, so they try it. Happily, we consumers reserve the right to say Not For Me, Thanks.
Rosslyn, Va.:
Don't you think these homes of the future and the idea of 'pod people' are rather impersonal? Give me an oriental rug, a comfortable chair and a fire place.
Linda Hales: Rosslyn, there is something quirky about our notion of the future, isn't there? SciFi has always rendered the images as spooky, militaristic, "out there" gadgets, fashions, and lifestyles. Yet, people remain pretty much the same through history. And frankly, houses have not undergone major change. It's still all about shelter. And a fireplace is still a desirable option, though we don't roast the mutton there anymore.
Michael McDonough:
It is great to see such focused and enthusiastic responses. The good news on alternate energy sources is that they all exist, have existed for decades, and can be purchased online with a credit card. This was the premise of e-House,by the way: that everything we need already exists. The issue has always been that cheap energy steered the U.S. away from these technologies, that there were no governmental incentives, no real tax advantages, no need, for he average person to believe that he or she really to be bothered. The bad news, if any, is that the alternate energy systems have to be adjusted to and selected for the specific place that is under consideration, and that installation cost has to be spread across several years of operation or the investment does't seem to make sense at first.
Linda Hales: Thank you, Michael.
Arlington, Va.:
In reply to the question about Green Buildings from Bethesda, this movement is getting going in our area. Arlington County has a Green Building incentive program for developers, and there are many architectural firms that will do green design. Vegetated roofs are becoming more well known here as well. A good resource in the area is the U.S. Green Building Council, at www.usgbc.org.
Linda Hales: Very interesting, especially the vegetated roofs. Do you have one?
Cambridge Mass.:
I think part of the reason these great new
advances aren't adopted are because so
many people live in rental housing. Only
one of the 15 or so landlords I've had has
EVER been concerned about making the
property nicer. My current landlord raises
the rent by $200/month each year, and
won't even insulate in the place.
Maybe some laws mandating green
principles would enable the mass
purchasing you describe. Any laws
coming that you know of?
Linda Hales: Welcome, Cambridge. Frankly, I don't think we're going to see a lot of "green" legislation in the next 3.5 years. Environmental issues have already come up at the White House, but the decisions are not going in your direction.
Linda Hales: Michael, if you're still with us, how much do you expect innovations at your house to slice off the utility bills? And which are the biggest contributors?
Michael McDonough:
I would like to comment on technology and its relationship to energy conservation and overall building efficiency. First, I agree that many technology companies are not in touch with what is actually useful to the home owner. E-House hopes to address this subject in several ways. The building will be set-up so that wiring and cabling can be easily reconfigured and updated. It will have very efficient broadband internet connections. The main function of the computer controls is to do what people can not easily do, that is, constantly monitor energy consumption, calculate electrical loads, and provide emergency back-up power. I beleive that this is the future of technology in buildings, not intercoms or handheld remote control lighting dimmers, for example.
Linda Hales: Thanks for those thoughts. It is heartening to get beyond discussion of technology as entertainment.
Arlington, Va.:
No, unfortunately I don't have a green roof, but they are a great way to absorb stormwater and improve air quality in an urban area like this. They are very common in Europe, particularly Germany, and they are catching on more in the States as well. I believe there is a building downtown where they recently installed one (Earth Conservation Corp). Also, Arlington County is planning a green roof on a community recreation center that is being re-built.
Linda Hales: Fabulous. I've seen photos, never the real thing. I'd love to hop in a chopper and take a look.
Washington, D.C.:
Thank you for the opportunity to get
information from such talented people. I am
intrigued by your designs and would like to
find out more about the home designs. Is it
true Sulan Kolaton has designed a vehicle as
well? How does a person get into architecture
with only 4 years design experience? Lastly,
do you believe there could be a conspiracy
(possilbly, by the consumer products giants)
to keep the old energy standards in place in
order to make money?
Linda Hales: The people included in our story are top talents working today. And Kolatan/Mac Donald are at the cutting edge. We will see lots more from them, and it will be worth pondering. As for the vehicle, you refer to the Blast5Vehicle. We don't have room to go into that one here, but you can easily run a search online to get the full story. As for the conspiracy theory, it's not even that complicated. Just a matter of risk aversion.
Michael McDonough:
Linda, this will address your question about energy bills. An instant hot water heater, for example, will heat a house and provide infinite amounts of hot water. Depending on the insulation in the building and other factors, utility bills can be reduced by 60% or more. The radiant heating and cooling system produces similar savings, so can the super insulation, high performance windows, passive solar aspects of the building, and so forth. It is a little difficult to say what the actual effect will be in the e-House because, even though computer programs exist for this type of calculatiuon, they are more geared toward predictable circumstances in larger buildings. They also require quite complex data input. I plan to monitor the systems in e-HOuse and track their relative efficiencies. Our initial rough calculations had the house being heated on energy that was roughly equivalent to one or two stove burners.
Linda Hales: Even in your New York winters, you'll be in good shape!
Bangor, Maine:
Michael,
Cheney (and that other guy) are big oil
folks and are doing everything they can to
keep us hooked on petroleum. This
seems so, oh, early 1900's. They seem to
have their pocketbooks ahead of the
common good of the planet. Europe is
mad at us for not signing the Kyoto
agreement, etc.
What are some things we can do to
combat this mentality? Three and a half years or more
seems deadly long...
Thanks, and congrats on your house.
Linda Hales: Bangor, thanks for weighing in. You can combat the mentality by using less and talking about it more!
Arlington, Va.:
Linda, Like much of the 'futuristic' home design and furnishings in the 1960s, do you think that these futuristic homes will go the way of the beanbag -- a quaint, dated throwback to 'modernity'?
Linda Hales: Arlington, thanks for your perspective. Designs at the cutting edge, like fashion, tend to be unique. What filters into our lives more permanently are the ideas themselves. So, for instance, you may not want undulating orange walls but if you think of them as a visual representation of relaxed living, they become more understandable.
Linda Hales: That's all the time we have today. But join us Thursday at 2pm for our regular DesignOnline discussion. Send in your thoughts and questions now, and we'll join you then.
washingtonpost.com:
That was our last question today. Thanks to Linda Hales, and to everyone who joined us.
Stay tuned on Live Online:
Travel Talk at 2 p.m. EST
Book Club: "The Makioka Sisters" at 2 p.m. EST
Advice: Carolyn Hax at 3 p.m. EST
Oscar Fashion: Robin Givhan at 3 p.m. EST
Horoscopes: Lichtenstein at 7 p.m. EST
Keep up with the latest in news, sports, politics and entertainment with washingtonpost.com e-mail newsletters.
|
|
© Copyright 2001 The Washington Post Company | 
