How to build a Sustainable House - 21 Sustainable Home Ideas with Architect Jorge Fontan

[@CS-gw5cq]

Your videos are very educational, and we need more of these on KZbin.

[@amalayday]

I live in my grandmother’s old house, built in 1930, which is a 20’ x 20’ square box, with a partial upstairs coming in at 748 sq feet. Hearing that small square houses are more energy efficient made me so happy. I used to feel ashamed about the size but as I learn more about sustainability I see smaller is better! This little house was built to last! We live in Mass where the Mass Save program will come to your house and install insulation and do the blower door test. We have been making improvements like this since we moved in 3.5 years ago. Thanks for making this video! It will be saved and I’ll come back to it to check in ways to make the house sustainable.

[@chickenwithlaserlegs1485]

Don't ever feel ashamed about the size of your home! The worlds trends makes you think bigger is better because they want you to buy into it. And trends will change all the time and make you think you need to buy into every trend. You do you and you're even doing stuff to make your home more efficient!

[@fishhuntadventure]

Well this video doesn’t cover very much ‘sustainable’ advice. Mini splits and rainwater? I literally am laughing. People survived 20,000 years with no AC! And suggesting wind power? Less than 7% of North America can support the air speeds required for effective wind power, maybe half that 7% is near or over 90% uptime. This guy knows the current trendy new stuff and calls it sustainable cuz it’s the cool buzzword. No reference to the ‘balance’ or downside of these currently popular areas, like cost, manufacturing impact. Mentioned LED lighting but no advice on how to select ACTUALLY sustainable lighting. Sustainable is merely a cool-sounding word people use impress the uninformed and unaware when the environmental cost to produce and implement is far greater than the potential opposing energy savings.

[@hamish8890]

Why?🤪

[@didijustsaythat7236]

I’m listening to do in online class so I can actually understand what they are saying. THANK YOU!

[@jamesortolano3983]

This list should be relevant enough today for all to implement. Yet you are the first architect I see talking about air tests,nd mechanical breathing, of dwelling s. Thanks for this proper list !!

[@rzuue]

Before deciding to built in air-conditioning I think it would be useful to contemplate if it is really necessary. Where I live we had up to 38 or 40 °C in the past summers but we managed to keep it relatively cool and we don't have air-conditioning. I think one part is that we don't live inside the city but next to a field, we have trees and bushes and grass on three sides of our house, a good insulation as well and an open staircase that leads to the basement. Two summers ago we got new blinds, they're sliding metal (?) blinds with small gaps in between. And they cool down the ground floor in summer so much more while also letting in more light. So I believe, that with a good built, that really fits the climate the building will be located in, you don't necessarily need air conditioning.

[@zman10k]

As a solar system engineer; the information presented here are very important to design a sustainable home anywhere in the world.

[@Patryc]

thank you for talking fast and being concise

[@TheGuitarNewby]

Straight to the point. The only approach to sustainable design!

[@mattie91b]

Love this! I plan to build my own house!

[@jasmeetsingh48]

I am an architecture student from India. Your videos are very informative. Keep it up, sir.🙂

[@mjm3205]

very good information. Thanks

[@femmiexx726]

So cool! I want to build a house like this when i grow up. I am so lucky to learn this at the young age.

[@maleekazahra7036]

Really really helpful and educational video, it defiantly helped with my project Thanks!

[@Bmoore126]

Thank you!!! Super simple and easy to understand. Thank you for sharing this information

[@colinjones5209]

Great video Jorge, offset wall with vertical glass at 90deg to wall faces and a reverse pitch roof with eave step to allow sun onto glass in winter works well. Exterior concrete and vertical studs attached to Gyprock to allow air flow from bottom levels up inside walls to upper vents, so air can be pumped along concrete to suck out thermal mass, either cold or hot side of house... to control internal temperature, I have seen this system with DC fans in basement, no air cons, and cool in summer. Computer controlled lines of fans in basement wall.

[@isuckatusernames1]

Hey, I'm a highschool student needing some help with a sustainable home project. Could you dumb down what you said a little bit? I basically need to "build" (draw) a sustainable home. I chose albuquerque New Mexico as my location. Please get back to me if you can help in the slightest

[@annakissed3226]

If your looking to cool buildings look at cultures who have been building that ways for millenia if not centuries

[@DustyAnimations]

Loved the explanation,

[@levicorrigan7270]

very helpful for my assessment thanks for the help

[@abiyshimelis480]

Thank you. That was useful for an upcoming project

[@meztlyhuerta8428]

Great video!!!!

[@jasonkleinhans2881]

this is great... thanks bro

[@JorgeFontan]

My pleasure.

[@bridgetcameron8229]

Thanks, great video! Fresh air intake ideas for days when air quality is hazardous?

[@nadiahuang5603]

Hi Jorge, thank you for this great video. I happen to plan to build a new house in the near future, and wonder if you can suggest any builder for customized sustainable house in Southern California?

[@furqankhan9285]

Nice work

[@_____brian7119]

thanks for your share. just finished noting everything down!!

[@bigal7705]

Thanks that helped a lot have a good day

[@Clk4040]

Thank you for your clear explanation.

[@lunanother]

great! I was missing something about cross ventilations?

[@GeoffKnoop]

Thanks!

[@michaeldesanta2109]

My dad built his house in the 90s without the idea of sustainability. One HVAC unit that controls the house with less windows of natural light and traditional insulation. I can see the comparison and contrast between the ideas mentioned in the video with that.

[@GEMINDIGO]

Also the building materials should ideally be able to be recycled at the end of your house life.Don't use materials that just end up in the tip.Consider using plants which can shade the verandah or windows during hot summer months and then drop their leaves to let in sunlight during winter.Natural cross ventilation is a winner - warm air rises and draws out excess heat through vents up high on walls.

[@joannaremaneses]

I needed this video! ✨ Thank you so much! I listed the ideas you mentioned. 📝

[@melonssie5600]

Oh wow, I recognize that picture! I'm pretty sure I read your blog, it was great!

[@JorgeFontan]

Thank You

[@faisalbaira402]

Hi.. . Would you like to share the way of waterproofing the rammed earth walls?

[@khazashahriar9394]

Thank you for making this video. Could you please make videos on home insulation and ventilation system for sustainable building 🏢. And I am studying energy science and engineering. I would like to know the role of an energy engineer in designing sustainable buildings

[@ConstantGardener-q9q]

Thanks for this list!! I bought an old brick house (1960s) and am doing 16, 17 and 19. But I need help finding a sustainable architect to design some creative remodels. Where do I find architects who think creatively in terms of solar, water, wind etc.

[@yunseiprod]

Number 20 is the best point here and also Number 18 that instant hot water is crazy for buildings that aren’t houses, art studios for examples-where you don’t require a bath or shower or laundry

[@shabullum9869]

👍that you brought up floods add tornadoes. Concrete is my direction.

[@basellubbad8705]

This video was used in my classroom for Science?

[@thelittlekitchen3586]

EXCELLENT! Thank You!

[@anb1142]

Is it possible to dig a tube well then filter it to use that water exclusively for every task in the house ?

[@Moluwoi]

Thanks a lot

[@JorgeFontan]

My pleasure

[@NativeNewYawka]

Curious how your nyc home looks. You know what’s really rare but sorta becoming a trend? Geodesic domes built in the roof of building for an extra floor

[@christianemmanuelf.domingo793]

Can u make sustainable war/disaster proof stealth bunker homes? Also include underground high yield farm for food maybe permaculture too with farm animals for meat resource

[@orgeskokoshari]

I purchased a house in Astoria R6B zoning. Thinking to install a backyard office (no bathroom, just electric power/insulated). Lot size 24X100 sq foot. Building size 24x40. My question is - do I need a permit for it and would this office shed (18x10 ) effect building 3/4th floor in the future? Thanks a lot in advance. Hope you have a quick answer for me ;). Thank you

[@SmeeGuitar]

What you might add is: Thermal mass. High Thermal mass makes all "flows" slower. It is basically the resistance of the walls against heat/cold, giving more comfort in winter and summer. You wanna build so you have some mass that can actually store the energy. Americans don't know that cuz they build paperwalls :D (friendly joke, don't hit me) Another big point of sustainability is financial sustainability. It is a topic for itsself tough. But basically you want everyone to be able to afford living sustainable and expensive solutions are not really solutions.

[@sufyanminhas8037]

Wouldn't a natural ventilation be more cost efficient than an erv. Each teacher I have met has different views on this. Amazing video btw.

[@JorgeFontan]

This video is about sustainable houses not upfront cost effective houses. Saving money in the short term to lose money in the long term is not cost effective. Sustainable design is more expensive up front but has long term benefits. When people say cost effective they have to take long term vs short term into consideration. Do you want to use natural ventilation when it is freezing cold outside in the winter or when it is incredibly hot and humid in the summer? I would not. Short term thinking leads to bad decision making.

[@sufyanminhas8037]

@@JorgeFontan I see. Thank you so much.

[@annamattes6771]

I dont know why it is such a problem for Americans to just open windows to let in air :D Cold winter air is also good to get humidity out in the morning. You can still have an AC system for summer, if needed.

[@JinMeowsoon]

@@annamattes6771 Yeah I’m from France and here we open windows several times a day to air rooms, even in winter. It’s very uncommon to have AC in homes like the ones they have in the walls/ceiling in the US. In winter we wear warm clothing inside and turn the heater on if we’re cold and turn it off as soon as we leave a room. In summer we sleep with the window opened and a fan if necessary. It helps our homes aren’t made of cardboards though.

[@humairaemad]

I am making a model of this type of house for a school project can you please give me some tips. I'm using Foam boards and Cardboard as materials.

[@lookingforwardto]

Nice video. Could you pls suggest me where sustainability can be learned,? If anyone wants to pursue career in it.

[@NativeNewYawka]

Also, as far as lighting WYZE COLOR bulb is 4 for 40 @ 16 million colors. You can set the mood accordingly with timers to mimic the sun

[@Patryc]

hell yeah bro, I don't want a fancy house, I want a practical house

[@jcj1888]

SO sad this Architect lecture/share the idea of substainbility so much better and clear than my master degree tutors

[@abbyabroad]

I scouted some lots in Tennessee to build a small cabin, only to be told off by local agents who said that "larger is better" (minimum 1200 sq feet). I've lived comfortably both in the US and abroad in 300-500 square feet, so this was frustrating.

[@saranbhatia8809]

Way forward

[@jerrybillett3558]

Hi George, Great content do you accept new clients or have calls with potential clients?

[@sk1ppman]

What's your opinion on geothermal HVAC over microsplit? We're in the early RFP phase of our home construction and I'm leaning heavily towards geothermal HVAC with a desuperheater and tankless water heater. This will be built in Florida where the water table is fairly high making the thermal exchange a lot easier on the system. Do you think geothermal is as viable long term as the microsplits you propose in your video?

[@h7opolo]

wow, misspelled "siding" at 0:14

[@tuxedojunction9422]

Living in California, I probably would have put a graywater system on the list. Rainfall collection isn't so useful when all your rainfall is concentrated in the winter and then you go for six months with basically none.

[@bramWB]

Hey man, are you ever going to build another minecraft house? The video was really interesting.

[@vkastrati2184]

In order to build does it need to be 2500 lot?

[@ivecadit]

Good video, but closed cell spray foam is not very good for the environment. There are more eco-friendly insulation options

[@aarononeal9830]

You need to make a video about ecosia they are a search engine that plants trees

[@rick-yo]

Good vid Jorge. How can architects address the huge carbon footprint of cement production? Can be upwards of 8% of global co2 emissions. Steel as well requires mining and huge amounts of energy to produce.

[@pervezak]

How can we deconflict the two concepts : a home designed on Passive solar principles and an airtight envelope by keeping element like wind out? Sustainable home should be able to take advantage of natural element like wind, sun, geothermal. This particularly in sub tropical climates. Waiting for a solution.

[@aaronvanhoucke2065]

i think the therm "breathble wall" might be misunderstood in this video. to my knowledge, a breatheble wall breaths vapor not air. we use blown in celluoloce and the wall needs to be air thight but vapor open. athorwise condecation wil take place inside the wall. light staw clay walls finisht whit a natural plaster breathts, and is a lot more sustainble than synthetic or miniral insulation. it alos creats a haelty inviorment. Unlike pur and pir insulation. An athor alternative for the instant hot water is a heat battery. like a salt hydrates or phase change battery. This way you don't need t store electricity in battery's. Wich are more expansive and less sustainble. The heat battery can be charged with solar hot water collectors and a heat pump powerd by green enegry. A house schould indeed be build to last a long time. But, ad the end of its life. The materials used, schould not and up on a landfill. but be biodergdable or endlessly recycled.

[@magnolia8626]

Really great tips! I feel like more people should do low flow water and the zone heat/air. Also, it's so hard to heat and cool tall double ceiling rooms. The heat just goes up. Speaking from experience.

[@dlg5485]

Better insulating and air sealing the building envelope can help with that, but most American homes fail in both areas.

[@RifqiFardiPradhana]

Some of peoples has their own priority, maybe can have our own for the best effectiveness that based on this list, thanks anw

[@FakeNewsNetwork-t9m]

If this video had slightly better production value, i think it could easily go viral

[@zahid1103]

Cute

[@Lululemon2023]

I open the windows to ventilate my house no need for Machanical venting.

[@tealkerberus748]

Avoiding VOCs is kind of impossible when we release them by metabolising, by cooking, and by cleaning. I think we need to move on to accept they're going to happen and just wash them out of our air.

[@NickVarn]

You know this guy is on the Sun’s payroll with how much he was pushing solar energy.

[@ennelya]

Not breathable walls - what about mold?

[@fishhuntadventure]

The idea is to keep moisture out of the building envelope because it increases heat conduction which reduces efficiency. So a non-moisture permeable insulation layer is lower energy/higher efficiency. Sustainable? I guess by present vernacular. That mindset doesn’t account for other negative environmental factors, however. Back to mold: mold needs heat, moisture, and food (cellulose) to propagate. By mechanically ventilating, the efficiency gained by the insulation is greater or equal to the cost in energy of running the electrically driven fan(s). And because it keeps moisture levels healthy and low, even if ‘glass insulation were used there a) isn’t much to infiltrate the insulation and b) the high-R of foam isn’t going to be cold enough for moisture to condense in the envelope. Breathable walls are more likely to allow mold to begin.

[@tealkerberus748]

Make your house disabled accessible - you'll be able to find a code for that somewhere. Remember that the disabled person in the house could be a child with a broken leg, or could be an elderly grandparent, or could be a pregnant mother with complications that put her in a wheelchair for the duration but she still needs to be able to read the older kids to sleep at night. Build your house to last. If you can change from the modern standard of a 50 year design life to a 500 year design life, you just reduced by 90% the annualised embodied energy of that house. So think about durable materials, a long-term-viable location, and planning for the future. People 500 years ago weren't thinking about indoor plumbing, never mind electric lights or wifi to every room. Will your house accommodate new plumbing and wiring expectations? How much of it will actually last 500 years, and how much is going to need replacing every century or so? Are your electrical and data cables in conduits so that the lines can be replaced easily in future? Are the waste water pipes in a place that you can dig them up and replace them too? If a new room type arises, like the indoor bathroom that isn't just a bath by the fire and a pot under the bed, do you have a space that can be converted to that new use? If working from home becomes the norm for everyone, can this house still handle a family? Houses in Europe built in the aftermath of WWII are barely habitable now because they get so hot in summer - is your design ready for several centuries of worst case scenario global warming or cooling?

[@MhUser]

"heating and air conditioning is a greatest expense of energy" NO; it was in old poorly designed buildings; nowadays when you build passive, insulated and airtight buildings highest expense would be domestic hot water and electricity

[@JorgeFontan]

Most homes are not passive, nor have good insulation, and are certainly not air tight. So heating and air conditioning is still the greatest expense of energy in a home in the United States. You can look up the Department of Energy statistics on this if you like. You will find that space heating is double the energy use of water heating for the average home. I am discussing national averages, not isolated high quality homes, and certainly not just new homes. I doubt new homes alone even qualify due to what low quality construction people proceed with in most cases in order to save money. Here are the numbers from the Department of Energy: www.eia.gov/energyexplained/use-of-energy/homes.php

[@MhUser]

@@JorgeFontan new houses should be like i described, old should be thermaly modernized

[@JorgeFontan]

@@MhUser Yes that's the entire point of this video.

[@GreenHomeBuilderscom]

Jorge, looking for an California Architect, that you know, who is into sustainable design.

[@samuelebadasa9694]

Chi qui per Landmarks ?

[@rachael6504]

Some places in Australia you just want the heat out of the house

[@brynfreeman785]

Brick or concrete could be a good option then

[@bigal7705]

damn i came on here to learn about my architecture project didnt expect to be hit with this my god

[@theps4player898]

I’m only here for class

[@gonzalocabrera3940]

Next generational architects will end up hiring a psychologist to study their clients' best needs, to not only apply design but routine based on their profession.

[@MsChitterchat]

Useful video. However that concrete house is awful (and I love concrete and steel and glass). Beauty is also sustainable…never gets a mention.

[@raimiss8]

Why not make that house ventilated itself pasively. There is better ways to do

[@ishaniweerasinghe2806]

a

[@amin_maredia]

Who would eant to live in a concrete house. Adobe houses have been used for thousands of years. Don't give me that crap Architect. Not surprised you live ina concrete jungle there in New York.