Despite this spring’s torrential rains, excavation for the utilities and the driveway proceeded rapidly. By restricting the footprint of the utility work and quickly replacing the topsoil in disturbed areas, we prevented the site from deteriorating into an unworkable mud pit.
It was decided early on in the project to have all the utilities enter the building from below grade. Although this not the least expensive option, it has distinct advantages. The first advantage is aesthetics as we can avoid telephone and power lines connecting to the building. The second is based on the Passive House recommendation of providing one single utility service enter into the building from below grade. Having one point of entry allows for better air sealing and reduced thermal bridges at the service entry locations.
The water line leading from the street to the house is buried at a depth of 5 feet in order to protect it from freezing in the winter. Included with the water trench, we installed a 100 foot long, ½ inch diameter tube with a closed water loop connected to a water to air heat exchanger that will act as a preheat for the incoming ventilation air. Strangely enough, we have also run an additional closed water loop in the septic tank to utilize bio thermal heat exiting the building. To verify the performance of these lines, we have installed heat probes with both loops. We will be posting the performance of the house on line when it is complete- be sure to check that out.
The building site for the prototype was chosen for its gently rolling topography, open space and proximity to Belfast’s downtown. The three acre lot was previously used as a hay field and woodlot, but in the recent years has only been maintained as a meadow. This gently sloping landscape allows for inexpensive, low-impact construction, while the open meadow allows for predictable solar gain.
Deciding the location of the house on site is a specific task, which will impact the site’s existing ecology and appearance, as well as the home’s future use, including creating solar access, public and private spaces. Careful planning must also be implemented before construction begins to manage the impact of the site disturbance. The GO Home’s location was chosen based on conserving as much of the trees and meadow as possible, while also creating sufficient privacy for the house from the road.
Most rural and suburban homes orient the primary façade, including the main entry and windows, towards the road. While we did orient the protorype’s front door to the road for clarity for arriving visitors, we then rotated the majority of the glazing towards the south for optimal solar gain and privacy. Articulating the difference between solar and social orientation in the siting of a house requires more consideration and critical thinking, but certainly is beneficial for both.
According to Ann Kearsley, Landscape Architect of Ann Kearsley Design, paying attention to the movement of the site (earth, water, air and sun) is key to limiting the disturbance of the landscape. Ann has been working collaboratively with G•O Logic to create a low impact construction site for the prototype house (see previous blog).
During the site planning and design process we took the following elements into consideration: water drainage, existing vegetation and sunlight. Planning for, and managing storm water runoff during and after construction is critical because the building will disturb the natural flow of water of an existing site. We tried to set the building elevation in the site to minimize excavation or filling. Because the site is sloped we needed to create a level area for the building and manage the resulting water runoff. To divert the run off away from the building we created vegetated bio swales that will become a distinct landscape element. Improper management of water drainage will result in soil erosion, which becomes a problem by creating unstable soil conditions for vegetation.
Top soil is also affected by site construction. Standard building practices, such as driving trucks all over the site and stockpiling topsoil in large piles, can destroy the top soil’s organic structure. Limiting the area of construction in the planning process on the site plan and during construction with fencing is important in order to minimize the overall impact on the landscape. The top soil excavated from the house site and driveway was stockpiled in shallow piles, mulched with hat and seeded to prevent erosion. Once construction around the house is complete, the stockpiled topsoil will be re-graded around the house to complete the landscape.
Pay attention. Start by noticing. Start with the land, with the field; start with that drift of milkweed, monarch magnet; with the flattened grass ovals of deer beds; start with the lupine near the ledge outcrop, protected from the bush hog blades by the jagged stone or maybe by the mower’s annual remembering, his choosing to turn wide around that small blue stand of Maine wildflower; start with those two sentinel apple trees, remnant of an orchard row, traces of other, earlier, hands on the land. Or start with the collapsing stonewalls bounding the field,
the ashes and maples and shadblow growing up through those tumbled lines, widening trunks dismantling over generations the carefully stacked harvest of winter frosts and spring plows. Evidence of habitation: who’s been here, who’s here now. Evidence of labor: landform expressing technology and intention and, when the work stops, wildlife’s swift re-occupation.
Move. Follow the paths that rainwater takes through the field towards the woods at the bottom of the slope. Feel the topography in your gait, long strides through tall grass on shallow slopes, small stumbles when knees soften in low spots, eddies of sedges marking depressions and swales where water is held longer, draining slowly into the soil. At the edge of the woods turn around, look back up the slope to where you started, eyes now level with the road, body a register of
distance and the change in elevation. Circle the field, inscribing a path, feeling for that restful place between edge and open where structure can engage transition.
We’re introducing a building into the continuum of occupation and life on the site and, in doing so, will redirect the course of habitation and the character of this place. Our choices about where to build and how to build will determine whether any of the present inhabitants continue to make this landscape their home and whether occasional visitors might be tempted to settle down. And, as every property is part of a much larger, regional ecological matrix, our actions will also precipitate changes in the surrounding area, the impact of our presence rippling out beyond the site boundary.
Our first engagement with the site’s ecology, that complex web of relationships among plants, animals, soil, sun and water, will cause disruption and dislocation. Construction takes up space, casting shadows, interrupting water flow, and obstructing movement. We plan the construction staging to reduce this disruption, limiting crews and equipment to a small area immediately around the structure. Topsoil is removed from the building site, stockpiled in low berms, overseeded with a cover crop and kept healthy until we can re-place it around the house next spring. The site drainage pattern is reconfigured so water moves around the building and is reconnected with the existing flow in undisturbed areas downslope. We work to anticipate the site’s response to disturbance, integrating new development with existing conditions and creating opportunities to enrich and expand the ecological health and function of this landscape.
G•O Logic is currently building its 1500 Contemporary model home on a 4-acre site in Belfast, Maine, which will be completed in January.
This house is the result of extensive design and engineering work to create a home that has the highest energy performance at an affordable cost. We have worked with engineering consultants in both the US and Europe to develop our designs, incorporating the best and most up-to-date engineering into our prototype’s construction and components. G•O Logic has traveled to Germany to source the highest performing building components to incorporate into our buildings. We believe that to build for the future, we need to utilize the very best technology today.
To certify the high level of design and performance of our prototype, we are also in the process of pursuing a Passive House certificate and a LEED certification.
Once completed, the house will be rented to a local family and open for tours on a limited basis. G•O Logic will monitor the performance of the building over 2 years to verify the energy use targets we have set. Stay tuned for photos and updates on the progress of the construction.
G•O Logic designs and builds energy-efficient, site-assembled homes that are carefully engineered for cold climates. Our pre-manufactured components are made from high-quality environmentally friendly and durable materials. Homes are available in several size options. G•O Logic home design is inspired by Maine’s rural, agrarian landscape, traditional forms, aesthetics, and modern technologies. Custom design services available.
