RSS FeedJun 24 2009
Tiny Homes…the Eco-Friendly and the Human Friendly
One of my friends was asking me recently if all tiny Houses were also environmentally friendly houses, or visa versa. I thought I would focus three Blog posts this week on the connection between the small home movement and the green home movement. First, I wanted to write about Tiny Homes and indoor air quality. (I have lots of allergies, so I tend to think about air quality a lot!)
No one wants to live in a sick building, whether it is a tiny house or not. Indoor air quality is often overlooked by most consumers and builders. However, a few innovative architects and builders are focusing on making the interiors of their homes more human friendly as well.
Eco-friendly is increasingly making its way to the heart of the tiny home movement. It is not uncommon for rain capturing systems to be built into the roofs of tiny homes and for a great deal of thought to be given for the treatment of water in general. The processing of “gray water” is appearing more and more often in tiny home design. All of this only serves to compliment the incorporation of solar energy.
While indoor air quality is not as common as solar power and energy efficient materials, many builders and architects are beginning to pay a great deal of attention to this environmental issue as well. Indoor air quality is often far more polluted than the air outside. Part of the reason for this pollution is that indoor air quality suffers from all sorts of modern materials that “de-gas” and produce a wide variety of potentially harmful gases. Many builders and architects are looking to materials such as bamboo, which is renewable, has a comparatively low impact on the environment, and does not produce VOC or Volatile Organic Compounds. Many materials are being sought after more and more as part of this new, greener movement in housing.
The designs of eco-friendly and tiny homes benefit indoor air quality in another and much more subtle fashion. Most designs, by necessity, are favoring large outdoor decks in order to augment the space at hand. This design and space use choice has the added benefit of encouraging homeowners to venture outdoors more often. When combined with large sliding doors, windows or even retractable glass walls, the end result is a home that should receive more much more fresh and flowing air.
Of course, it should be stated that plants are our friends. One of the very best moves a homeowner can make is to have a variety of air cleaning plants in whatever home they live. NASA studies have shown that a handful of the right plants, such as ferns, can do wonders to reduce indoor air pollution.
Related posts:
One of my friends was asking me recently if all tiny Houses were also environmentally friendly houses, or visa versa. I thought I would focus three Blog posts this week on the connection between the small home movement and the green home movement. First, I wanted to write about Tiny Homes and indoor air quality. (I have lots of allergies, so I tend to think about air quality a lot!)
No one wants to live in a sick building, whether it is a tiny house or not. Indoor air quality is often overlooked by most consumers and builders. However, a few innovative architects and builders are focusing on making the interiors of their homes more human friendly as well.
Eco-friendly is increasingly making its way to the heart of the tiny home movement. It is not uncommon for rain capturing systems to be built into the roofs of tiny homes and for a great deal of thought to be given for the treatment of water in general. The processing of “gray water” is appearing more and more often in tiny home design. All of this only serves to compliment the incorporation of solar energy.
While indoor air quality is not as common as solar power and energy efficient materials, many builders and architects are beginning to pay a great deal of attention to this environmental issue as well. Indoor air quality is often far more polluted than the air outside. Part of the reason for this pollution is that indoor air quality suffers from all sorts of modern materials that “de-gas” and produce a wide variety of potentially harmful gases. Many builders and architects are looking to materials such as bamboo, which is renewable, has a comparatively low impact on the environment, and does not produce VOC or Volatile Organic Compounds. Many materials are being sought after more and more as part of this new, greener movement in housing.
The designs of eco-friendly and tiny homes benefit indoor air quality in another and much more subtle fashion. Most designs, by necessity, are favoring large outdoor decks in order to augment the space at hand. This design and space use choice has the added benefit of encouraging homeowners to venture outdoors more often. When combined with large sliding doors, windows or even retractable glass walls, the end result is a home that should receive more much more fresh and flowing air.
Of course, it should be stated that plants are our friends. One of the very best moves a homeowner can make is to have a variety of air cleaning plants in whatever home they live. NASA studies have shown that a handful of the right plants, such as ferns, can do wonders to reduce indoor air pollution.
Related posts: