Courtesy of designs northwest architects

西北地区建筑师的设计

托马斯生态屋位于阿灵顿和赛德罗伍利之间的喀斯特山麓，占地11英亩。这座房子坐落在一座与林地接壤的小山的顶上，可以俯瞰周围树木茂密的山丘，也能看到山的景色。兰尼尔和南方的埃弗雷特城。这座房子有四层楼高，在保持相对较小的足迹的同时，允许了更大的居住空间，同时也更好地利用了现场的景观。当地的植被美化成自然植被，在干燥的夏季用雨水从蓄水池里流出的雨水灌溉。

The Thomas Eco-House is located on an 11 Acre site in the Cascade foothills between Arlington and Sedro Woolly. The house sits at the crown of a hill bordering on forestry lands and has territorial views of the surrounding wooded hills as well as views to Mt. Rainier and the city of Everett to the South. The house is four stories tall which allowed a larger amount of living space while maintaining a relatively small footprint and also takes better advantage of the views from the site. The site is landscaped with native vegetation which is irrigated in the dry summer months with rainwater runoff from the roof that is stored in a cistern.

 Courtesy of designs northwest architects

西北地区建筑师的设计

客户对能源效率和可持续的低维护设计表现出了早期的兴趣。这些目标指导了整个设计过程。房屋采用保温混凝土模板(ICF)结构，由两层刚性保温结构组成，在两者之间浇筑混凝土。绝缘仍然在内部和外部的地方，创造了一个非常有效和密闭的墙壁系统。与同等尺寸的木结构房屋相比，ICF的建造减少了44%的所需加热能量和33%的所需冷却能量。ICF还允许直接将灰泥直接应用于外部绝缘。这提供了一个持久，持久和低维护完成。

The client showed an early interest in energy efficiency and sustainable low maintenance design. These goals guided the entire design process. The house uses insulated concrete form (ICF) construction which consists of two layers of rigid form insulation between which concrete is poured. The insulation remains in place on both the interior and exterior creating a very efficient and airtight wall system. ICF construction results in a 44% reduction of required heating energy and 33% reduction of required cooling energy when compared to a wood frame house of equal size. The ICF also allows for an easy application of stucco directly over the exterior insulation. This provides a durable long lasting and low maintenance finish.

 Courtesy of designs northwest architects

西北地区建筑师的设计

为了提高供暖和制冷的效率，房子使用了一个地热能泵与一个水热系统捆绑在一起。该系统利用地下空间的空气，利用地球的绝缘特性，为热泵的运行提供更稳定的温度。地热热泵比使用环境空气的传统热泵效率高45%。热泵与一个高效率的锅炉连接在一起，该锅炉通过嵌入在混凝土地板上的管道系统提供热水。据估计，这种水合加热系统比等效的强制空气系统所消耗的能量少30%。房子也是有线接收太阳能电池板和或风力涡轮机的能源，尽管这些没有安装在这个时候，由于预算限制。

In order to improve efficiency for heating and cooling, the house uses a geothermal heat pump tied in with a hydronic heating system. The system uses air from a subterranean chamber which uses the insulating properties of the earth to provide a more stable temperature for operating the heat pump. A geothermal heat pump can be up to 45% more efficient than a traditional heat pump which uses ambient air. The heat pump is tied in with a high efficiency boiler which supplies heated water through a piping system embedded in the concrete floor. This hydronic heating system uses an estimated 30% less energy than an equivalent forced air system. The house is also wired to receive solar panels and or wind turbine energy though these were not installed at this time due to budget constraints.

 Courtesy of designs northwest architects

西北地区建筑师的设计

这座房子也是为了利用无源太阳能原理而设计的。在南方曝光的一大片窗户允许太阳进入室内。混凝土地板起到热质量的作用，白天储存热量，晚上慢慢释放热量，从而调节剧烈的温度波动。在特别炎热的日子里，有电动遮阳，可以降低，以使太阳远离室内空间。楼梯也被设计成利用太阳烟囱效应提供自然通风。位于楼梯顶部的“气泡”有可操作的窗户，打开后会产生自然对流效应，将暖气拉上楼梯井，然后离开房间。

The house was also designed to take advantage of passive solar principles. A large bank of windows on the southern exposure allows solar penetration into the interior. The concrete floors act as a thermal mass that stores heat gain during the day and releases it slowly throughout the evening thereby mediating drastic temperature swings. On particularly hot days there are motorized solar shades which can be lowered to keep the sun out of the interior spaces. The stairway was also designed to provide natural ventilation using a solar chimney effect. The “Bubble” located at the top of the stair has operable windows which, when opened, create a natural convection effect pulling warm air up the stair well and out of the house.

托马斯生态屋按楼层之间的功能划分.主楼层被厨房、餐厅和起居室等一般生活空间占据。这一层的平面图是开放的，从地板到天花板的玻璃向视图开放。上层包括睡眠空间和阅读阁楼，该阁楼通向下面的起居室。火柱在两个空间之间提供了独特的视觉和物理联系。楼梯塔一直向上延伸到一个被称为“气泡”的特殊观测空间。这一地区有玻璃墙和天花板，充分利用了广阔的视野和夜空。屋顶甲板可以从气泡中到达。较低的楼层是一个日光层，已安排，以便它可以作为客人宿舍或作为母亲在法律公寓。所有四层都有抛光的混凝土地板，这增加了未装饰的房子的美学。建筑形式简单，遵循室内空间的布局，强化了整体的效率策略，这是设计背后的动力。

The Thomas Eco-House is divided by function between floors. The main floor is occupied by general living space including Kitchen, Dining and Living Room. The floor plan on this level is open with floor to ceiling glass opening out to the views. The upper floor contains the sleeping spaces and a reading loft which opens to the living room below. A fire pole provides a unique visual and physical connection between the two spaces. The stair tower continues upward to a special observation space nicknamed the “Bubble”. This area contains glass walls and ceilings which take full advantage of the expansive views and the night sky. A roof deck is accessible from the bubble. The lower floor is a daylight level which has been arranged so that it can be used as guest quarters or as a mother in law apartment. All four floors have polished concrete floors which add to the unembellished aesthetic of the house. The building forms are simple and follow the layout of the interior spaces reinforcing the overall strategy of efficiency that was the driving force behind the design.