How can the best of traditional and modern design and technology be combined to create a carbon neutral home? In the mountains above Kyoto, Japan, one man, (with the help of his friends, family and neighbours), sets out on an intrepid journey to design and build a truly sustainable eco-home. Follow me as I encounter the challenges and solutions that the house and its mountain forest environment present.
These two massive beams presented quite the challenge for me, Sugie, Murase and Tsuge. Weighing in in the hundreds of kilos, somehow four men managed to get them on this truck from their home in Kyoto. The 200 year old timbers will find a home at the top of my entry gateway, spending their last decades in full view of visitors and passers by.
In goes the unit that will serve all the heating and cooling needs of the house. It is a Toshiba 7.1kw unit (most powerful available on single phase power supply) with some clever features. It has various sensors that allow the air to be directed at zones where people are. It also displays it current kw usage. In subsequent tests it keeps the entire house (230sqm+) cool and dry (26C 60% RH) in mid summer (34C 80% RH) with a drain of 300-500 watts. That's astoundingly good and is the first example of just how well the passive standards are working.
A key feature of an eco-house is a drum-tight envelope. This shot of the outside wall shows the care taken to seal all the insulation panels with foil tape.
My good friend Richard Chenhall came to stay a couple of months ago and gave a superb impromptu shakuhachi performance on the south side of the house. Even the birds stopped to listen.
