We are going to need a utilities room that needs to accommodate diverse needs. Though it is not clear what systems we will actually be using for heat and energy – following our a few things we may need: Laundry machine. Freezer. Hot water system: Pressurized and insulated hot water tank (300-500 liters?). Extension tank [...]
Tag Archives: function
Meditation Space
Though it is far from being the most frequented space in our houses to date it is a space that when properly addressed defines it. Quiet: It should be completely immune to the natural noises of the house – this way it does not impose on the actual functioning of the house. The house shouldn’t [...]
Front Entrace with Terrarium
So Andree injected another new idea into the process – a Terrarium – just like an aquarium but with earth instead of water. A terrarium simulates a stable environment in which specific plants can grow. In our agricultural conversations the topic of a greenhouse has come up numerous times as a means of growing plants [...]
Play, Work, Rest, Meditate
We’ve been trying to juggle lots of thoughts of how things need to be arranged inside a home. This morning we found some kind of metaphor which has been helpful in making sense of it all. It crystallized when we recognized the two extremes of play and meditation. Meditation is best in an isolated and [...]
Roof, Patios and 2nd Floor
We want an elevated house. We don’t want a house with a hollow space beneath it – mostly because it feels like an unhealthy and stagnant void. Still we wanted our house to be elevated for two reasons: (1) to protect and prevent water from reaching the hemp walls; (2) to offer reasonable protection in [...]
Window Seats
We came across this nice storage space solution – apparently called a window seat. It looks like both an effective storage solution and indeed a potentially wonderful place to sit with a warm drink – assuming of course its spacious and nicely padded There are two issues that would need to be addressed for this [...]
Easy to Maintain
Part of sustainability of things in and around the house is the ability to maintain, fix and replace things. I have seen (and lived with) light-fixtures where just changing a light-bulb was a small project to take on. That doesn’t make sense. We should be able to do a lot (as much as possible) of [...]
Now and Then: Open to a Future
We are currently writing out of a present time (December 2010). Our needs and wishes are expressed based on our current experience, on changes we have made in our lives over recent years and from slightly looking into the future. The future is shaped most by our intentions – the reality of it is mostly [...]
Large Spaces or Small Spaces?
We prefer space and connection. We don’t like small and cramped spaces and we don’t like unnecessary fragmentation. This doesn’t necessarily mean that spaces should be large or small – that depends on the function of each space. A meditation space needs to be large enough to allow for movement and small enough to contain [...]
Kitchen – General
We use the kitchen a lot. We eat at home almost all the time – we cook a lot of food, we bake bread and during the fall we do a lot of preparations and preservation of food we’ve grown for the winter. We need space. Spacing: There should be room for two people to [...]