http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/ Today's smart home builder looks for ideas that will make living more economical, energy efficient, and environmentally sound, but not many are aware of the psychological importance of living under daylight in rooms created with human ergonomics in mind.<br><br>Modern insulating building materials now allow the use of window and skylight areas to an extent only dreamed of by architects of ages past. The research into passive solar strategies married with modern building technology has resulted in a new frontier for sustainable design and healthful habitations.<br><br>Bright Idea Homes offer green adaptable design in modern or traditional styles to illustrate the flexibility of the Greenhouse Cap, a revolutionary idea for global green building and light-filled living. Not only does the Greenhouse Cap provide environmental and psychological benefits, but it enables a use of solar energy surpassing in efficiency anything that has gone before. <br><br>Fully adaptable to many existing roofs (flat or pitched) and to many styles for traditional or contemporary tastes, and functioning on whole roofs or parts, the greenhouse cap is a home owner's or home builder's solution for the building issues of the 21st century. For a description of this concept go to the Brainstorm tutorial below. <br><br>Besides looking through the Bright Idea home designs under Illustrations below, you may link to an online site to walk through various models and "try on" a house! Just go to the Links tab and go to Favorite Online Design Program (near the bottom). I have tried to be as clear and complete as possible in giving instructions there for accessing the program. <br><br>If you like what you see and are interested in building such a home, check out the Market tab for my FREE offer. I am not selling anything. Mon, 28 May 2007 22:07:02 -0000 Mon, 22 May 2006 09:03:18 -0000 http://images.newconcepthomes.multiply.com/logo http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com 100 100 The Greenhouse Cap feature central to Bright Idea Homes can co-exist with a green roof, but not on the same part of the roof - see the Foursquare Cabin album or just the first two photos below. Only part of a home may require more light. Places such as garages, closets, and storerooms can be grouped together under a green roof, making the rest of the roof available for a Greenhouse Cap. Different climates are amenable to green roofs and Greenhouse Caps to different degrees. Greenhouse Caps can provide extra storage space, a winter solarium, and interior light with the ability to toggle between direct sun/sky and translucence. They also provide space for solar panels for electricity production as well as the ability to pump winter solar heat gain into the house thereby decreasing oil dependance. These features are very desirable in temperate climates. The Greenhouse Cap can be retro-fit onto any sloping roof or built onto an existing flat roof. Green roofs, on the other hand, pro... http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/photos/album/9 Mon, 22 May 2006 09:03:18 -0000 This feature-laden yet affordable 2/2 home (4/3 with garage attic conversion) combines a two RV garage with translucent Kalwall roof (http://www.kalwall.com/main.htm) and a greenhouse dome to shelter 32 foot [10m] (32FS1PD) and 39 foot [12m] (customized 39CB1PE) Hy-line trailers (http://www.hylinetrailers.com/photos-a.htm). The weather protection by the 51 foot geodesic Growing Dome (http://www.geodesic-greenhouse-kits.com) allows skylight conversion of the RV roofs for light-filled yet easily shaded and leak-proof interiors, a wood deck for winter "sunroom" living, and an all year Endless Pool (http://www.endlesspools.com/gallery/slideshow.html) and plant growing environment. Yes, this economical RV style Bright Idea Home is endowed with Garden of Eden ambiance! And, just outside the dome, don't miss the Japanese teahouse, and upstairs, the moon-viewing balcony! http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/photos/album/8 Mon, 23 Jan 2006 19:57:35 -0000 Just as physicians use light therapy to treat depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder, medical science recognizes the importance of daylight in maintaining a balanced sense of well-being. Of course, too much daylight shining through a traditional glass window or skylight causes blinding glare and annoying reflections and shadows. Solar heat gain from glass taxes a building's HVAC system. Conversely, Kalwall translucent panels eliminate the eye-straining trouble spots, filter out harmful light, and provide balanced lighting and controlled heat gain. Kalwall offers light transmission ranges from 3% to 75%. (The best of both thermal efficiency and light transmission is provided by Kalwall with Nanogel with R-20 at 20% light transmission). The system provides insulation that is four times better than insulating glass units or any other light-transmitting system. Because of their superior insulating performance, the panels pay for themselves in energy, maintenance, and inst... http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/links/item/10 Fri, 21 Oct 2005 14:34:09 -0000 Bright Idea Homes feature the revolutionary Greenhouse Roof design integrating with many green thermal systems and strategies. Why sacrifice light for thermal comfort when you can have both? Read the Journal articles to find out how. This home also shows how small can have it all. In spite of this 3/3 incorporating his/hers everything, a sunroom, balconies, front porch, and large showers, it comes in at less than 2000 s.f. The plan layout also saves space and money with minimal hallways and plumbing lines and north windows (they're only half as big as they appear!) The kitchen is perfect for interacting with guests and there are no wasted steps to the dining room. It looks normal from the street, but that's a put-on. This home could fit into any suburb, but what's really behind the facade? The Greenhouse Cap system, which is the revolutionary new feature of NewConcept Homes. Clik on individual pictures for larger view details. http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/photos/album/7 Wed, 19 Oct 2005 16:24:08 -0000 e-House is an experimental house of the future, a laboratory for living designed by award-winning architect Michael McDonough. A high-performance website-controlled building, it was developed with a team of engineers, scientists, environmentalists, and over 100 manufacturers as a showcase of current technology integrated into a whole building system. Not strictly a techie-dream, but a responsible home owner's dream. The keywords are not "tech-intensive, because-it's-there convenience," but "green-intensive, because-we-must efficiency." Under the site's Press tab you can find fascinating and detailed published articles with information about this watershed integration of green systems for efficient environmental controls. http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/links/item/9 Wed, 12 Oct 2005 22:06:58 -0000 Find who is where offering what services and skills. If a link goes dead please let me know. Other sites with directories are: http://www.buildinggreen.com/menus/builderCategories.cfm http://www.yourhomeplanet.com/ http://www.webdirectory.com/Design/Environmental_Homes_and_Buildings/ http://www.sustainableabc.com/ http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/links/item/8 Tue, 27 Sep 2005 10:00:57 -0000 I have in mind a certain house I'd like to live in. How I envision the operational details of this Bright Idea Home might help you envision it too. All kinds of thermal systems now available can be mixed and matched, but what I describe here is just my quirky way of working it all out. As new and better systems come along, or features that enhance a system, the flexibility of the Bright Idea Greenhouse Cap system will most likely allow you to integrate it. I like the idea of a wind scoop and blower system with below house thermal mass storage. BRIGHT IDEA HOME ONE-HOUR WINTERIZING/SUMMERIZING WINTERIZING When it stays cool during the day, just remove, fold, and store the sheets. If you live in a zone of weather extremes, you can increase the insulation in the Cap as much as you want. You can cover the skylights with White-sheeting: white/light colored blankets, panels or batts of real insulation and nothing will blow away because you've closed the windows and the outer fan ven... http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/notes/item/1 Tue, 27 Sep 2005 09:48:24 -0000 Most people have certain house styles they like and certain kinds they don't like. Maybe you are interested in building a house in a particular style and you wonder if the Greenhouse Cap roof would work on it. If you have pictures of the style with a floorplan of the house, then perhaps I can help you. However, a word of warning is appropriate here. If you are more interested in capturing the pure style essence of an era or geographic area than you are in sustainability and helping our planet, then a Bright Idea Home is not your style. Although greenhouses have been around for centuries (I think), they are not traditionally found as roofs of houses. You must want to live with an attractive but unconventional style. You must have a bit of the pioneer spirit. Of course, there is the possibility of a faux roof, like they made for cowboy towns in old movies. With the right orientation, a Greenhouse Cap might be hidden behind one of those. I designed one of these some years a... http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/market/item/1 Tue, 27 Sep 2005 06:40:09 -0000 Bright Idea roof systems are designed to save heating/cooling costs while roof gardens enhance the immediate environment, moderating both building and local environment temperatures. Both of them will lift people's spirits through light and plants. Both use roof area, but they should make great partners! In my Foursquare Cabin design (under the Photos tab) you can see how they get along side-by-side. The roof garden over the garage makes sense -- if the roof garden leaks, it won't ruin your interior decor. "The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that buildings account for more than 37% of the energy consumed in the United States each year. The obvious focus on lighting, windows and mechanical systems has yielded significant operating efficiencies. Yet the quest for even greater building performance remains an issue. Cities, such as Chicago and Portland, major corporations and universities are just a few of the growing number of organizations that are looking up for an answer. Up, t... http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/links/item/7 Mon, 26 Sep 2005 18:56:16 -0000 This small oriental-flavored 2/2-1/2 explores the possibilities of two Greenhouse Caps on the same house, and therefore skylight available on lower as well as the top floor. Clik on individual pictures for larger view details. http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/photos/album/6 Sun, 25 Sep 2005 09:33:34 -0000 Online magazine devoted to the deeper levels of architectural and scientific thought, and their relationship. After reading a few articles, you feel really intelligent or stupid. http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/links/item/6 Fri, 23 Sep 2005 19:54:51 -0000 Here is a linked list to all the classic building/living patterns described and compiled by Christopher Alexander and his colleagues. Much wisdom here. http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/links/item/5 Fri, 23 Sep 2005 19:40:22 -0000 Architect Sarah Susanka has the right ideas. May she reach the upwardly mobile monster house fans with her message. http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/links/item/4 Fri, 23 Sep 2005 19:27:01 -0000 I had designed this chalet with a loft before my Bright Idea revelation. Afterwards I wanted to see how one could retrofit a Greenhouse Cap into an existing two-floor house. Here is how it turned out. Quite nice I think. There are views from a strange angle to see upwards toward the Greenhouse Cap and the ceiling ladder and trapdoor that access it. Clik on individual pictures for larger view details. http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/photos/album/5 Fri, 23 Sep 2005 12:19:49 -0000 Nice...green....modern http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/links/item/3 Tue, 20 Sep 2005 00:31:30 -0000 Foursquare Cabin is a small dwelling with one bedroom and 1-1/2 baths with the possibility of another bedroom in the garage wing. The home features a sunroom, entry airlocks, roof garden, compost area, atrium, windscoop, Greenhouse Cap, large skylights, and other hidden green systems. To see the possibilities of converting a flat roof into a roof garden, clik the Links tab and go to Green Grid. Clik on individual pictures below for larger view details. http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/photos/album/4 Tue, 20 Sep 2005 00:07:45 -0000 I modified this small (under 1000 sq ft), flat roofed, Swiss retreat with a very small ecological footprint by Alberto Briccola into a Bright Idea Home. It features a Greenhouse Cap/large skylights, window wall, airlocks, and windscoop, and has 3 bedrooms and 1-1/2 baths and can sleep six if the smaller bedrooms have bunk beds. Notice the upstairs hallway length is justified by its use to provide access to the north wall of storage cupboards and closets for the bath and bedrooms. Clik on individual pictures for larger view details. http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/photos/album/3 Mon, 19 Sep 2005 23:49:34 -0000 Concept Homes and Concept Building are fostering a growing discussion among reform minded experts in the architect/builder community. These people have come together to tackle the problem of ignorance and fragmentation concerning "green" (environmental-sustainability-building psychology) issues. One of the key elements now needed, according to some of these experts, is green design that will appeal to the masses living in suburbia. If the suburbanites don't go for it, it's a lost cause. The problem here is that people have a very powerful image in their brains about the houses they want to live in. They may not be able to express the details or the reasons, but the evidence is overwhelming that most people prefer vernacular houses. It is the house "alphabet" they know and are comfortable with and, yes, even love. The pre-eminent symbol for a house, is two walls and a roof. Outside the dry parts of the world, the vernacular is a pitched roof. The typical suburb... http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/journal/item/10 Sun, 18 Sep 2005 22:32:32 -0000 Someone might ask why I call it a Greenhouse Cap when the cap doesn't go on the greenhouse and the greenhouse isn't really a greenhouse with plants. I call it that because the house itself, with green systems incorporated, is a "GREEN" house, and the glass enclosure which tops it, although looking like a greenhouse, is really like a baseball cap for your house. A baseball cap keeps your head warm in winter and shaded in summer. The Greenhouse Cap does the same for your house and more. Then you might ask, "But how can a greenhouse and lots of big skylights keep my house warm and cool?" Here is how it works. Not just a greenhouse on a flat roof, the revolutionary Greenhouse Cap integrates with the whole house green thermal system which can incorporate simple, economical active and passive elements such as sunroom/greenhouse, outside window shades, wrap-around porches that are deeper on east and west, glazing, coverable skylights, ducts, windscoop, thermostat... http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/journal/item/9 Sun, 18 Sep 2005 22:24:57 -0000 Most temperate climate roofs are a lot darker than white, and the darker they are the more heat they collect. In summer this is either expelled from the attic or somehow prevented from entering the living areas. Insulation is usually the solution for the attic floor, walls, and roof just as thermal windows are the normal solution in the living area to prevent heat loss or gain. But it is cheaper and more efficient to stop the heat from entering or leaving the house in the first place. Heat gain is why outdoor window shades were invented at some primitive time. Heat loss is why thermal windows were invented much later. That's what's great about the Greenhouse Cap. It allows us to return to the beauty of cheap and low-tech where the sun shines most - on the roof. Unsophistication is beautiful! This also explains the "bedsheets" -- what I call White-sheeting. They are summer flooring of any suitable material for the Cap, to prevent the actual floor of dark c... http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/journal/item/8 Sun, 18 Sep 2005 22:09:00 -0000 As I said before, I am describing this concept of a green design thermal system for home building because I have nothing to sell. I just want people to test it, see if it works as I describe, and use it in home design. I am not in a financial position to build any scale prototype. But I would love to hear from anyone who is interested or knows someone who might be interested in trying out this Bright Idea Home idea. (clik Market tab) There are no patents or copyrights - just the free exchange of information and ideas. Isn't that what the internet is for? Keep me posted. I'd love to watch my baby grow up. http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/journal/item/7 Sun, 18 Sep 2005 21:46:40 -0000 It's not enough to do it yourself. The suburban monolith must change its values, be re educated, be wooed. The focus should be to promote green values in the media and education in conjunction with offering the attraction of vernacular design incorporating all green values. You want, ultimately, communities of diversity united by the common values of private ownership, public common lands, sustainability, and 3E (ergonomic/ecologic/economic) living. The work has now been done to envision, plan, and in increasing cases, realize green communities. However, these often still smack of the segregated commune idea. Suburbanites of every color, size, and density must be reached through government incentives well-presented. Otherwise, it ain't gonna happen. Simple cost facts and figures on an individual level comparing green and non-green living coupled with a visual display of the best that current green-built has to offer, in various styles including... http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/journal/item/6 Sun, 18 Sep 2005 21:31:41 -0000 All of my Bright Idea designs on this site were created using this free online program. I've tried many of the architectural software programs, but they were too inelegant and buggy for me, producing constant frustration. I just wanted to design how a house would LOOK! Then I found this program. Though it is not advertised as an architectural design program, but an interior design program, it's file size maximum may not exist! For model walk-throughs clik the link above. (SORRY! ONLY INTERNET EXPLORER BROWSER IS COMPATIBLE WITH THIS FREE ONLINE DESIGN PROGRAM!) I only still keep IE on my computer for this application, but not as the default! And you might want to make sure you have saved info that is open first! Then follow these instructions to access the program: The above link will take you to Parallel Graphics's Outline 3D site. (If you are still trying this with a non-Internet Explorer browser you will come to a dead end.) Clik button on upper right which says "Star... http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/links/item/2 Sun, 18 Sep 2005 01:48:45 -0000 An enlightening and profound and entertaining talk on architecture high-lighting current trends, problems, strategies and dead-ends. Watch this incredible Susanka-Duany presentation. Look for the title of this entry, Green Building: The Not So Big New Urbanism, on the linked site. June 2, 2005 2hr-52min http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/links/item/1 Sun, 18 Sep 2005 01:43:23 -0000 Here are skylights as they are used most effectively. Glorious! Clik on individual pictures for larger view details. Featured: Velux Skylights http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/photos/album/2 Sun, 18 Sep 2005 00:01:31 -0000 Instead of one or two small sky lights such as the ones here, Bright Idea Home design allows the use of multiple large skylights like the ones in the first album, Bright Idea Homes see the light! You shouldn't hang one small picture on a large wall, and you shouldn't place a small skylight in a large space. http://newconcepthomes.multiply.com/photos/album/1 Sat, 17 Sep 2005 23:47:24 -0000