Superb & Absurd
News from Interactive Resources and our Point Richmond CommunityPalisades Glacier Mountain Hut Design Contest: ECOHAUS
IR architect Andrew Butt, AIA, LEED AP, along with friends Brady Smith and Justin Bartholomew, developed the concept of the ECOHAUS (Environmentally Conscious Organic High Altitude Universal Shelter) for the Palisades Glacier Mountain Hut international design contest.
The design of ECOHAUS encourages the practice of Leave No Trace, an ideology of minimum human impact on the environment and at the core of responsible mountaineering.
The building form was derived from the study of naturally occurring spiral structures and the classical use of the Golden Rectangle in proportional development. (The spiral form is repeatedly found in nature, from flowers to pinecones to hurricanes and even galaxies.) This compact form allows for optimal interior space with minimal impact on the surrounding environment, greater heat retention and less energy consumption.
Although a Swiss design team ultimately won the design contest, Andrew will undoubtedly utilize many of his team's creative renewable energy measures and environmentally low-impact space and material utilization techniques in future design projects.
For more detailed information about the ECOHAUS design concept, please see the contest project entry boards:
ECOHAUS Information Board One.pdfECOHAUS Information Board Two.pdf
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