The world’s safest house, according to architect Eugene Tsui and current Internet buzz, is a Berkeley, Calif., home that was inspired by an alien-looking, sturdy animal called a tardigrade (see link below). Locals familiar with the home, on 2747 Matthews Street, have nicknamed it The Fish House because of its scaly exterior, fish eye-resembling windows and side fins. Tardigrades aren’t fish, though. They are small, water-dwelling, segmented animals with eight legs Even though you may not care much for the design, there can be a lot learned from the construction & materials of this house. The house is partially buried in the soil about 1.5 meters and the walls are made of recycled styrofoam and cement block called “Rastrablock.” It is impervious to water, fire, termites, has a 40+ R-Value rating and reduces sound by 50 decibels. It is also 10 percent less expensive then conventional framing construction and much less labor intensive since the blocks are simply glued together, rebar placed inside and concrete poured in. The upper structure is a series of parabolic arches connected by stressed wood sheathing and sprayed with reinforced concrete tied into the recycled block system creating a continuous, unified shell. A series of black flex tubing is placed on the roof to act as passive solar warm air vents. The house has proven itself to be cool in the hot summer months and warm in the cold winter months, all without mechanical air conditioning and heating machinery. A 5 meter diameter south-facing window acts as a light and heat (winter) magnifier to provide light to the central 10 meter high rotunda living area. Resources: nuancenews/natures-great-survivors-water-bears/
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:48:57 +0000
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