zeroHouse by Specht Harpman

Categorized | Features, Sustainable Design

Posted on 27 April 2008 by aline chahine

” The zeroHouse by Specht Harpman, a New York City-based firm, is deliberately placeless. It could be erected in Vermont or in Texas, where its unbuilt design won the 2007 Studio Award from the Texas Society for Architects. A slew of high-efficiency techniques afford the house its full energy independence: solar panels store and produce power, allowing a fully charged zeroHouse to operate continuously for up to one week with no sunlight; a rainwater collection plane gathers and diverts water into an elevated 2200-gallon cistern; gravity-fed plumbing fixtures eliminate the need for power-consuming pumps; a compost unit beneath the house processes organic waste and converts it into clean, dry fertilizer that needs to be removed only twice a year; and a high-efficiency heating and air-conditioning system is separately zoned for sleeping and living areas.

The structure of the house contributes to its low environmental impact. Made from prefabricated components, the walls, roof, and floor are all insulated with closed-cell structural foam and achieve a thermal resistance rating of R-58. The full-wall windows in each room are triple-insulated and fabricated from low-e heat-mirror glass. Exterior doors feature vacuum-sealed aero-gel panels to maintain maximum thermal performance. Last but not least, zeroHouse employs a helical-anchor foundation system that touches the ground at only four points and requires no excavation, meaning minimal disturbance to the earth.

While it’s Specht Harpman’s smart design that keeps the house running on nothing, all functions of the house are monitored by an array of sensors and regulated by a “house brain” that can be controlled through any laptop computer. Fully customizable for personal usage patterns, zeroHouse can be used as a weekend getaway or for an extended stay.”

Images are courtesy of Specht Harpman

Formal name of project: zeroHouse

Location: The zeroHouse is being marketed worldwide. It has been designed to work within an operational range of 36 N to 36 S latitude for year-round occupancy, and 47 N to 47 S for partial-year occupancy.

Gross square footage: 650 sq. ft.
Completion Date (Month and Year): Unbuilt
Total construction cost: $350,000

Architect: Specht Harpman - http://www.spechtharpman.com/
338 West 39th Street, New York,
New York 10018

Popularity: 23% [?]

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2.8 (1 person)

7 Comments For This Post

Tom (About Us) Says:
May 9th, 2008 at 12:43 am
Please. Please. Where can I get one? Not a joke. Please.

Tom
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2.5
aline chahine (About Us) Says:
May 9th, 2008 at 12:52 am
well you can email the architects and ask for an offer -

Specht Harpman - http://www.spechtharpman.com/
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3.1
luis mella (About Us) Says:
May 10th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
me gustaria sabeer mas de la casa
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2.5
FELIPE (About Us) Says:
May 10th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Please. Where can I find more pictures?
Thanks
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2.5
Jorge Reyes (About Us) Says:
May 13th, 2008 at 12:25 am
I´m very interesed in your zero house, please send more information to my e mail, we are look.ng for new project to be incorporated to a bussines round for house construction program in Valencia, Venezuela,
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2.5
G Sarin (About Us) Says:
May 15th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Interesting concept…shame about the unimaginative architecture.
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2.5
D R S (About Us) Says:
June 13th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
If only there was a 2nd bathroom….
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2.5

competitions & events

dubai next: face of 21st century culture
June 5, 2008 - September 14, 2008
vitra design museum (fire station), weil am rhein, germany
curated by rem koolhaas & jack persekian
http://www.design-museum.de

the exhibition 'dubai next - face of 21st century culture' was conceived in collaboration with and on behalf of the dubai culture & arts authority and curated by rem koolhaas and jack persekian.
Will Alsop: OCAD, An Urban Manifesto
June 13, 2008 - October 5, 2008
The exhibition features British architect Will Alsop’s preparatory work for the Sharp Centre for Design at the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) in Toronto and reveals specifically the role of painting in his design process. More here
Vintage photography exhibition
June 20, 2008 - August 3, 2008
kunsthaus - Zurich

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of photography 1989, the Kunsthaus was fortunate enough to receive one of the most generous gifts in its history: an outstanding selection of 74 photographs – predominantly “vintage prints” – tracing the course of art-photography since the mid-19th century.
Website: http://www.kunsthaus.ch - Telephone: 41.(0)44 253 8484

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