1. Architecture

The ENJOY house is a prototype whose design challenges traditional building techniques and suggests a new method of approaching high-performance energy-efficient housing.

Precast insulated CONCRETE panels are selected as the primary construction material in order to minimize construction time and for its thermal properties. Concrete's thermal inertia allows walls and floors to be warmed by the sun during the day and radiate heat into the space throughout the night.

Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems are consolidated within a CENTRAL CORE around which the house is organzed. The house is designed to be disassembled into modules sized for shipping, one of which contains the central core. This modularity allows for ease of prefabricated assembly and delivery.

The ROOF's inverted hip-shape. designed for a north-facing site, is calibrated for optimal solar and rainwater collection. A band of CLERESTORY WINDOWS just below the roof creates an illusion that the roof is floating, visually lightening the heavy weight of the concrete roof.

Cutting-edge solar, fabrication, and environmental intelligence of today's smart homes meet the age-old technology of CONCRETE.

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2. Interior

The ENJOY house's interior takes the formal qualities of the house and strives to enhance them, while speaking a consistent language between the exterior and interior of the house. Continuing the theme of concrete as a versatile material several of the ENJOY house's interior elements have been custom cast of concrete as well. The entry closet is formed from bed cast concrete using foam voids to create a beautiful series of shelves. The kitchen counter is made of a high-quality finished concrete with the kitchen basin cast in seamlessly. Even the bathroom sink and shower bench are made of concrete, and appear to float off of steel supports in the wall.

The interior is composed of a uniform finish of white concrete on the walls, core, and roof, with a dark slate polished concrete floor. The lighter finish of the walls highlights the floating roof and central core, two important architectural elements of the ENJOY House. A bonded poly carbonate is used for interior doors and closets, creating a vivid red transparent pattern when light passes through it and adds visual interest and texture. Stainless steel is used for all fixtures and exterior doors, complementing the concrete and polycarbonate.

The plan of the house is based upon universal design principles, creating an open plan that provides for access and usability of all spaces, facilitating wheelchair accessible circulation space around the core and in all the rooms. The floating fixtures, used throughout the house allow a person in a wheelchair to have full access to the bathroom and kitchen. The universal design principles introduced into the house can be continued as the resident ages in place and allows the house to remain comfortable and accessible.

The inverted hip shape roof rising from the central core opens up the east and west living spaces with high ceilings, providing natural light and voluminous spaces in a small one bedroom house.

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3. Landscape

The landscape was designed to promote an outdoor life-style and complement the ENJOY house's sustainable features.

Our decking and planters perpetuate the theme of modularity found throughout the design of the ENJOY house. Each modular unit is designed to be easily shipped and assembled on site. The modularity also allows for easy customization of the decking and landscape design. Damaged modules can be easily replaced, greatly reducing the cost and labor involved in repairs.

The inverted-hip shape of the roof has been designed for optimal solar gain and rainwater collection. There is no water recycling system in place during the competition due to lack of possible points earned for water conservation. However, in the future the ENJOY house can be easily adapted to a grey water recycling system to supply non-potable water for watering the garden and flushing toilets.

The vegetable planters are sited on the South and East sides of the ENJOY house to maximize sun expoure during the summer months. A variety of vegetables and herbs such as tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and basil can be grown within feet of the kitchen. The ease of planting in these raised beds promotes the healthy and sustainable lifestyle that the ENJOY house embodies.

The plant palette is comprised of specimens commonly found along the Northeastern Coastline. Drought and shade tolerance, low pollen allergy issues, and native habitat creation were the important issues that were considered when researching and selecting plants for the ENJOY House. The chosen landscape plants will require little to no maintenance when established. Their water and fertilizer demands are very minimal due to their natural subsistence in bare coastal soils.

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4. Lighting

The lighting of the ENJOY house is designed to enhance natural light and complement the architectural design of the house. The artificial lighting is secondary to the conceptual ideas of the house rather than being a displayed object itself. Its purpose is to accentuate the house's spaces. All of our lighting fixtures have been recessed so as to not overwhelm the space with light. The up lighting, located around the perimeter of the house and the central core, is designed to imitate natural day light and ephasize the "floating roof concept". The vertical light fixtures recessed into the walls are carefully configured to emit the correct amount of direct light into the space.

The ENJOY House utilizes a combination of low-e glass and suspended film technology, giving our glazing system superior insulating performance over typical windows. The combination of technologies encourages the naturally occurring convection process in windows while minimizing the sun's powerful radiation and allowing maximum light transmission. The low-e coating is a microscopic metallic oxide coating that reduces the radiative heat flow. Suspended film complements the low-e coating, by increasing the refelction of heat and UV radiation. Our windows also employ fiberglass frames, or mullions, which are more energy efficient than windows with typical wood, aluminum or vinyl frames. Fiberglass dramatically reduces thermal bridging and loss of heat through conduction due to its material properties, it also allows the frame to be stronger and last longer than conventional window frames.

Perforations, small openings that punctuate the concrete walls, have been strategically placed to offer light in the darker corners of the house while adding to the architectural language of the house. Each perforation holds a small insulating glass unit that provides the interior with ambient daylight. The light diffusion and transmittance of the honeycomb insulation and glass skin delivers diffused, glare-free daylight further into a space compared to typical clear glass. With an R value of 20, the honeycomb technology thermally performs better than typical clear glass, which has an R rating of about 5.

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