EChO-Mansion: noun – A repurposed McMansion whose generated carbon footprint is counter-balanced by on-site sustainable techniques.
The EChO-Mansion proposes repurposing foreclosed houses to serve to balance out the carbon footprint that has been generated by the previously inhabited McMansion. Prior to being repurposed all salvageable items – doors, windows, fixtures, cabinets – are removed and donated for use by local Habitat for Humanity chapters.
The EChO-Mansion is then reconfigured to provide the following functions:
•Power Generation – Wind turbines are situated in window and door openings to provide wind-generated power. Solar (photovoltaic) array panels are situated on the existing roof structure. The electrical energy generated by the wind turbines and solar array panels is supplied back to the electrical grid for customer use.
•Reburbian Greenhouse and Laboratory – The reburbia greenhouse will be utilized to grow vegetables and plants in an effort to offset the carbon footprint generated by transporting plants. A laboratory component will be provided to educate local residents.
•Water Collection System – The basement is proposed to be repurposed to collect rain water that enters the EChO-Mansion. The cistern basement will pump collected water back to a central water filtration and distribution station.
EChO-Mansion is a registered trademark of Mother Earth. Unauthorized use of ‘EChO-Mansion’ will result in far-reaching ecological consequences.
The idea of cutting existing houses can be interesting (gordon matta clark-ish), although you are probably aware greenhouses require transparent roofs. With an opaque roof, you could only sustain plant growth less than 6 feet away from the edge (with a 10 foot floor to floor, and only in e/w orientation) you can see this even in your extremely low sun angle renderings, (when available photosynthetic active radiation would not be enough for growth).
Also, the most efficient wind turbines usually need at least 10-15 mph direct wind, which is why the smallest versions are located several meters above the roof…
maybe propose edge and orientation strategies, and maybe a strategy of cutting which creates neighborhood wind tunnels?
Like many of the entries, this one suffers from an apparent lack of critical research…
Taking out the windows and exposing interior grade materials (e.g. plywood, drywall) to the weather will only result in a big mold farm.
Why wouldn’t you simply bulldoze it and put an agricultural field back, or maybe build a village green type of space.
I like the idea of using an idea of today juxtaposed against the solution of tomorrow. Stuck into an existing street like this would serve as a great “idea” place that people would talk about. A much needed dialog for all of us to have.
While having a few practical problems, I think this concept is really important and should be a part of any solution.
Nice…
This idea seems flawed on a basic level. Why put plants inside when in most suburbs there is plenty of existing empty space to plant on. I imagine it would be considerably more expensive to remodel a house than put up a prefab greenhouse.
Also I agree the wind turbines should be way above the roof, not down inside the building where no wind will get to.
agree with the mold comment above.
this would quickly deteriorate into a rotting husk. better to recycle as much of the wood in the superstructure as possible for use elsewhere, and replace with a traditional garden.
this is neither a serious proposal, nor a particularly funny one.
I agree with O2 about the mold comment. Maybe a house ground into a mulch or the ruble buried in its own basement to make room would suit the needs of agriculture more than a structure that would only last a decade or two when opened up.
Perhaps if McMansions were fabricated entirely out of concrete. Any typically fabricated large home would promptly water-log, mold, and decay, should the windows and roof be removed.
I hate to contribute to the “bursting of bubbles” or “be a wet blanket”, but this concept is not even remotely feasible with the current design of these homes
In addition to the mold and weather, there is a structural problem- the proposed uses require a far stronger structure than would be provided to one of epoxy-and-woodchip houses that have been built in such numbers in the past decade. Some of the most recent ones don’t even use 2×4 construction, and I have personally seen chipboard subflooring being layed down. The fact is, no matter how these houses are re-purposed, none of them are going to last the next 30 years. Re-cycling what little can be re-cycled is the best way top go.
This project is a joke, ya’ll sure you picked the right 20? Or perhaps you should read your own guidelines again. Way to lead the charge.
Instead of taking out doors and windows and donating them to Local Chapters of Habitat for Humanity, why not give HfH the whole house and save a lot of trouble and expense?
In addition to the structural, mold, sunlight and wind issues raised above, are they kidding about using the basement as a cistern and connecting it into the public water system to back-feed potable water? – YUCK!
I’d pay money to see the authors chug a big warm cupful of the water that drained off the roof and stood in the basement for a few weeks.
do some research on the components you propose in your design. while the urge is a good one, your work clearly suffers from an incomplete understanding of the included technologies.