You’ve heard of the 100-mile Diet. How about the 100-mile House?
The Architecture Foundation of BC … invites the participants of this competition to explore, rethink, question and experiment with new ideas that will challenge the concept of the regional house and the way we live.
Historically, most houses were constructed as ’100 mile’ houses from caves, sod houses, log cabins and stone houses to the First Nations’ indigenous cedar houses, tepees and igloos. People worldwide used whatever available materials were at hand to build shelters for themselves and their families. But is this possible in a modern 21st Century city like Vancouver?
This competition will challenge all participants to rethink the way we live and select materials, systems and technology that reflect this reality in the world of computers, the internet, Facebook, etc… Participants are encouraged to challenge the logic of the present, formulate new questions, and explore variations that will allow new potentials for living.
Geographically, we have selected the City of Vancouver to be the focus of the competition for the ’100 Mile House’. Participants are challenged to design a house to accommodate 4 people with a maximum area of 1200 square feet (111M2) using only materials and systems made/ manufactured / recycled within 100 miles of the City of Vancouver. A hypothetical flat, corner site of 33′ X 120′ (10.0 M X 36.6 M) will be used for the context (See Site Plan Here). All city services (water, sewer, storm drain, natural gas and electricity) are available to the property line should the entrant choose to use them.
Interested to hear what the particular crunch-points are in this. Wood and concrete I think we’re good for, right? How about insulation? Roofing? Glass? Any chance for appliances? And within products and components, I wonder how far down the supply chain people can go.
I disagree with the choice of Vancouver for a location and instead humbly suggest the community of 100 Mile House should be used, for obvious reasons: http://www.100milehouse.com/