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.
Flying in from the UK, poor Julian didn't have much time to get over his jet-lag before he was put to work. On a couple of hot summer days Julian and myself got to work clearing a view to the southeast. Together we felled around 10 large oaks and now the sky to the southeast has opened up with views of the distant mountains and golf course. I will post a video walkthrough to show-off the first major views from the site! Thank you, Julian!!!
This picture also shows the makeshift "shed" that stores the tools on site. Made up of cut logs from the site, the "shed" is technically the first "building" on the site!
Some new design ideas from the architect team that integrate the tree house into the main building. Some nice ideas here. Any thoughts greatly welcomed!
SEPTEMBER 12th 2010 UPDATE: See how these sketches look in a mock-up 3d design
I have been considering using the the Florida Company Thermobuilt for some time now. Great innovative construction idea with super insulation properties. The above video shows how a thermobuilt house is put together. My architects are currently in contact with the Thermobuilt founder Carl Hebinck.
I will keep the site updated on how these talks proceed. Ultimately, it would be great to source and cut the EPS here in Japan, but the efficiency of the global shipping network may not mean this is cost effective for just one house.
This was the morning that opened up the sky. The tall trees that have been blocking the southern exposure have finally begun to be felled. Because of their size, felling these trees needs a fair sized gang of people, with a reliable leader, professional felling crew and their supporters. Thanks to Prof. Fujita's networks and to my immediate neighbor's family, we got ourselves together just such a crew.
The Crew (left to right) Mrs. Fujita, Mrs. Simizu, Mr. Nobuta, Prof. Fujita, Me, Mr. Uneo (taken by Miki)
So, here are some great pictures and a video from a morning of tree felling. The video and pictures were masterly taken by Miki, the daughter of my immediate neighbor, Mrs. Simizu. Miki works in the film industry and one can tell from the skill of the camera work! The video shows us taking down the largest oak on the property. The oak is being pulled by the new hand winch and has already been sawed by Mr. Nobuta. Watch this monster come down and take the top part of the Japanese Cyprus next to it down with it!
A huge thanks to all those who helped this morning! Mr. Nobuta came up especially to lend a professional hand to the felling; Mrs. Simizu and daughter Miki helped to clear the trees once felled, Mrs. Fujita helped to keep us hydrated, Mr. Ueno provided an extra hand and chainsaw and Prof. Fujita was our great leader as always.
Returned from a work-trip to the US to a beautifully cleared plot. Turns out Prof. Fujita worked tirelessly to cut the felled trees and branches that were lying on the land while I was away. Thank you Prof. Fujita! Mr. Ueno also contributed greatly, removing all the wood he needs for his wood-stove for the winter.
Due to efforts of these great folk, Fujita and I were able to head down to the plot on Friday to mark out the boundaries as per the architects' design.
This video is a quick walkthrough having marked out the boundaries.
Video shows Prof. and Mrs. Fujita, their dog, and my lovely neighbor, Simizu. There is a longer version of this video on the video walkthrough history page.
The super architect-team has supplied me with some new sketches of the new design ideas I worked out on my home design software. Some very nice ideas here. Please do feel free to leave comments!
I have taken a couple of short video clips to show what a typical working day looks like now on the plot. A big thank you to all the neighbors who have been helping in these videos! (Simizu, Miki, Ueno, and Fujita)
