Designs That Work

Hot-Humid Climate - New Orleans

The Basic House - Description of the House

The case study house is a 1250 square foot, three bedroom, one-story single-family detached house.

The perspective drawing on the previous page shows the prototype house for New Orleans raised off of the ground by concrete piers. The design reflects lessons learned about building in hurricane-prone coastal areas, including:

• Elevate structures and mechanical equipment
• Build with materials that are non-water sensitive
• Design assemblies to easily dry once wet

The following sections will explain how these lessons are applied to the building details.

The space below the house is used for parking or storage. It may also serve as a sheltered family space. From a single set of stairs up to a veranda, there are two entrances into the house: one into the large living/dining space and the second into the kitchen. Since all of the rooms in the house are laid out on one floor, this house could easily be converted to a fully accessible home.

Two bedrooms are located towards the back of the house with the washer and dryer in a hall closet in between. The master bedroom, master bath and walk-in closet are at the front of the house. The combined living and dining room are connected to the outdoor space provided by the veranda at the front of the house.

A high-performance, energy-efficient house depends on rational and efficient space planning. The Hot-Humid Climate house plan presented here is organized to simplify construction and reduce the materials and operating costs. However, it does this while still providing the homeowner with a convenient layout and large, spacious rooms. Attention to architectural design, it should be noted, is one way of securing a high-quality, affordable and comfortable home.

The following section discusses how the building enclosure and mechanical systems have been designed help this house be durable, healthy and energy-efficient.

Figure 2: Hot-Humid Climate house floor plan