Page 42 - Green Builder July-August 2018 Issue

CREDIT: KASITA Biophilic experience. The
Cube is an inviting nook that
connects occupants with
CREDIT: KASITA
light, views and fresh air.
MISSION: OPTIMIZE full walls. This also enables the bed to be stowed under the kitchen
One of The Align Project’s goals is to demonstrate that we can do when not in use, freeing up 50 square feet of underutilized space
more with less, without compromising. But rst, let’s consider the and pushing Kasita beyond the studio concept.
Great American Home of the 21st century. A University of California
at Los Angeles (UCLA) study of 33 Los Angeles families conrms THE GREAT INDOORS
what we already know: The way we use our homes has changed. One of the sad ndings of the UCLA study is that very few families
We’ve abandoned the formal dining room and we (mostly) use our were engaged in the famous “California Living.” Even children spent
bedrooms to sleep. The kitchen is the home’s hub—it’s where we eat, very little time outside, despite ample backyards enhanced with
where we meet and where we exchange information. As for those swing sets and BBQ grills. With average adults spending more than
extra rooms, many are stu‰ed with possessions we rarely use but 90 percent of their time indoors, it’s crucial to foster a connection CREDIT: FSTOP123ISTOCKPHOTO
can’t bear to part with. to the natural world. So-called biophilic design can have a positive
Most of us use only a fraction of the large homes we were told we impact on health and well-being, not to mention lower lighting costs.
needed. How can we instead optimize the living spaces we actually One of Kasita’s most striking design features is the “Cube”—a
want and create a home that’s 100 percent useful? 42-square-foot cantilevered space surrounded by glass on three
Wilson’s epiphany came while living in the dumpster. “I realized sides. This —exible “end cap,” inspired by San Francisco’s iconic bay
that we need to design the space around the user, by asking how the windows, can be outtted with xed windows or sliding glass doors
user experiences space,” he says. and enhanced with a porch or balcony.
Among other things, the 352-square-foot Kasita illustrates how to The glazing here and elsewhere is vital for connecting occupants
make a space feel larger than it is: Use high ceilings and clean, —at with views, fresh air and sunlight, while contributing to the home’s
light-colored surfaces, and bring in as much natural light as you can. energy efficiency. Align Project sponsor Andersen Windows is
Kasita’s —oorplan is a deceptively simple rectangle, consisting of bringing the clean, modern lines of the company’s E-Series windows
a bathroom, kitchen, living space and airy niche, with plenty of and doors to the home. These include xed and casement windows
designed-in storage. The living room ceilings are 10 feet high, and that promote natural ventilation and hinge or gliding doors. The
the stepped —oorplan e‰ectively creates separate “rooms” without aluminum-clad windows are Energy Star certied, as are 99 percent

40 GREEN BUILDER July/August 2018 www.greenbuildermedia.com

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