Design Houses as if Designing Machines (.PDF Download)

If architects and development firms treated houses as engineering projects, perhaps they would cost less, last longer, use less energy, and keep the inhabitants more comfortable. For example, let’s say the goal or project was to build single-family residential house.

First, the building team would meet to set some goals—performance specs the finished structure should meet. Some “simple” ones could be:

• Maintenance-free, meaning no major repairs or replacements for 40 years.
• Energy-miserly—not totally off the grid, just using significantly less than normal.
• A networked, modern house can be more than just an automated remote-controllable house. It can be self-controlled and adaptive with a considerable amount of awareness and self-memory.