It was a chilly Sunday in DC, and the final day to view the Solar Decathlon at Potomac Park. Design contests with fixed parameters are always exciting to behold. Whether these structures would truly fulfill residential needs in "real life" or not isn't the issue. They represent sheer possibility and opportunity. The student teams were resourceful, informative, energetic, and most importantly enthusiastic.
"The good building is not one that hurts the landscape, but one which makes the landscape more beautiful than it was before the building was built." - Frank Lloyd Wright
I've been thinking lately about what it is that makes a good home. To me it's about more than just the basics of shelter, heating, cooling, and providing sustenance, however it IS these things first. We don't pin pretty pictures of radiant floor heat, or geothermal heat pumps to our 'home inspiration' boards, but hopefully we don't forget that before the layered in character of color and charming textiles, a home's systems are what it's all about.
