A New Design Method to Impact the Development and Sustainability of Affordable Housing
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Date
2021-05
Authors
Rader, Zoe
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
This research paper aims to determine a potentially new method of design for affordable housing.
Conventional buildings materials and design techniques often leave residents of affordable housing
paying a high price for utilities. In this research, Passive House design, an extremely sustainable
approach to architecture and design, was examined as a possible tactic to designing affordable housing.
This examination took place through a series of interviews, some via Zoom and others via email. A total
of nine interviews were conducted, three of which were with affordable housing developers in or
around the Columbus area. The other six were with Passive House developers and architects located
across the country. It is often perceived for any sort of sustainable architecture to be extremely
expensive initially, thus many avoid it for affordable housing. Based on the interviews, it was proven that
Passive House design can be designed and built for the same cost, or lower, than conventional, codeminimum buildings. Aside from initial costs, Passive House design has much more long-term benefits
because of its energy efficiency. Through a series of design strategies, Passive House buildings and
dwellings help to lower the use of utilities, in turn lowering utility bills. Even compared to other
sustainable approaches, such as green building, Passive House design tends to be the most beneficial
design strategy.
Description
Keywords
Sustainability, Affordable Housing, Passive House, Green Building