Designs That Work
Mixed-Humid Climate
Introduction
The Habitat Congress Building America Case Study Houses are designed to
be climate-specific, affordable, energy-efficient housing prototypes. As a
Building America house, the design also works towards the following
objectives:
- Produce homes on a community scale that use 30 to 50 percent less
energy.
- Reduce construction time and waste by as much as 50 percent.
- Improve builder productivity.
- Provide new product opportunities to manufacturers and suppliers.
- Implement innovative energy- and material-saving technologies.
To reach these objectives, the basic Mixed-Humid Climate house plan
presented in this package uses a systems engineering approach. This means
that a significant amount of careful analysis and refinement has gone into
the design. The Building America design team has considered the
interaction between the building site, envelope, mechanical systems, and
other factors, recognizing that one feature of the house can greatly
affect others. The team has then evaluated its design, business, and
construction practices to identify cost savings, which have then be
reinvested to improve energy performance and product quality.
There are two influences on this process that should be explained
before you examine the Mixed-Humid Climate house plan: an understanding of
the regional climate, and building science knowledge and experience.
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