An energy efficient building that doesn’t last is like a fast boat that doesn’t float. UrbanEden is built to last, accruing it’s energy savings over many years and therefore amplifying its positive effect.
Open building is an energy and resource-conscious approach to design and construction that sees durability both in terms of permanence and adaptability. The idea is to see a building as a series of overlapping layers. The layers that are the most permanent, such as earthwork and structure, are designed to be the most durable and are allowed a larger initial resource footprint, also called embodied energy. On the other end of the spectrum, the focus for the more transient elements, such as plumbing and data transfer systems, is to keep them disentangled for easy retrofitting and upgrading. In this way a building will not only last a long time physically, but also socially, by opening itself to easy adjustment as the world and the needs of its occupants change.
In today’s world, the concept of durability has to also include robust independence. Solar survivability refers to a building that can survive climate and social changes that render power systems unreliable or even useless. UrbanEden is designed to create a livable environment without power, through the implementation of natural ventilation, extensive outdoor rooms, food production, and water collection.
