SIZE AND FOOTPRINT

 

 

What’s the right size and shape, form and footprint to create a Healthy Home? To design an optimal home it needs to contain comfortable and quality spaces. An effective way of achieving this is to create a compact and efficient layout. The most efficient layout is naturally the best starting point for an economical build, allowing the budget to be spent on items which add to the environmental comfort of the building. The design aspects contained in this section offer pointers relating to the size and footprint of your house and should be taken into consideration when putting together the brief for your home. There is an intrinsic link between both the size and footprint of the floor plan and influence on the overall carbon footprint. New Zealand builds the third largest homes on the planet but they are very poor in terms of thermal comfort and energy efficiency. http://demographia.com/db-intlhouse.htm. The other unenviable statistic is that it’s the second most expensive place to build a home. The average house size in New Zealand has increased from 113m² to 205m² in the last 70 years, but are now starting to decline. https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/new-homes-around-20-percent-smaller.

 

Larger houses require more resources and materials, meaning more embodied carbon due to their manufacture, transport and installation, as well as more ongoing maintenance due to the sheer size. They will typically need more heating (and cooling) to maintain a comfortable temperature, meaning they use more energy (with associated greenhouse gas emissions). For more information see the energy (operational and embodied) section. The recent news is that house sizes have recently started to decline https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/new-homes-around-20-percent-smaller.

 

Research also shows that a larger home is often not necessarily a warmer home. Large homes are also typically poorly performing in terms of energy use and thermal comfort. A better alternative is of course to have a home of optimal design form, and size for your needs, with improved quality and performance that will inherently also be a more comfortable, warm, dry and healthy. Generally, it will be a home that is more environmentally sound. A starting point is to start the design with as small a building as you can have to meet your requirements and then work your way up to a size that then feels comfortable. Through the design process, it is always easy to add extra space into a building, yet often very difficult to remove it. This point alone aids the gradual increase in building sizes to a point where they are all bigger than required.

 

It is best to design and build only what you need, a spatially aware and efficient layout with the right flow and no wasted space. A super rule is to try to stick to only spaces that you will use every day. Think quality not quantity.

 

When thinking about the size of the house think about what you and your family need, not what might sell better in the future. No one can predict the future and if you build a house bigger than you actually need you have to pay the additional building costs and the heating, cooling and maintenance costs for these unused spaces.

 

Key design aspects to be considered: Size, Footprint, Space, Form, Flow, Feel & Orientation:

 

Size

 

● Bigger isn’t always better – Quality over quantity is key.

 

● Smaller homes are generally more efficient, use less energy and easier to maintain.

 

● Look to reduce wasted space, i.e. circulation space.

 

● Put the space where it counts, where are you actually going to need this extra space. It’s not about having a large house and just reducing the scale down, look at removing things not needed. Making spaces not used smaller but still keep useable space where you need it.

 

● Think about having adaptable / multi-purpose spaces.

 

● Think about the detailing, how can you make the space feel larger?

 

● Ensuites can define a room as a bedroom. If you instead create a bathroom accessed from the hallway, the ‘bedroom’ can be used for many purposes.

 

Footprint

 

● Consider simplifying shape to optimise the perimeter length to create the optimum surface area to volume ratio. This has a direct on heat losses, energy efficiency and build cost.

● Consider density ratio, look at the option to go up as opposed to out.

 

● The footprint should be in proportion with the site. When looking for a site consider the site size in relation to the building size and shape. If the building is small, why not get a smaller and possibly cheaper site, or look to buy a smaller site in a better location, perhaps closer to work.

 

● Work with the site, not against it.

 

● Make sure to achieve functional/desirable outdoor spaces. Large outdoor areas cost substantially less than buildings.

 

● Discuss with your designer what space you currently need and what you might need in the future, allow for future extensions when the time comes.

 

Space

 

● Make sure every space in the house is functional.

 

● Items in the house should be fit for purpose including considering future accessibility.

 

Form

 

● The form and overall composition, should be considered carefully in relation to the context of the site and its features, including existing landscaping/natural features, sun and prevailing winds etc. along with basic fundamental passive design principles to achieve different zones within a house, natural cross ventilation and solar gain/shading as appropriate.

 

● Work with the site as opposed to against it.

 

● Complex shapes are typically harder to achieve efficient performance with and can impact cost efficiency.

 

Flow

 

● Reduce wasted space.

 

● Zones within house to work together.

 

● Universal Design principles, doorways and hallways wide enough for wheelchair access, at least one level entry into the home refer to Universal Design.

 

Feel

 

● A well-considered design will enhance the overall feel and enhance the user/habitants experience.

 

● Creates a healthier environment which assists in increasing one’s wellbeing.

 

● Inspiring and relaxing spaces, special moments and super view lines assist in creating a home vs. a house.

 

● Biophilic design; The human connection to nature.

 

Orientation

 

● Be sure you get the right amount of sun – plenty in winter and in cooler climates.

 

● Ideally sheltered from strong/cold winds but can take advantage of the natural breeze to cool your home when it is too warm.

 

● The house warms up with the morning sun but does not overheat with the afternoon sun. Don’t forget to allow for shading from the hot summer sun.

 

● Positioning of room types appropriately. For example, ideally bedrooms not on the west side so they don’t overheat.

When you're designing a home, there'll also be other considerations such as local climate, view, terrain, vegetation, street access and noise. You'll need to balance these against the benefits you can achieve through harnessing the sun's energy for heating and breeze for cooling.

 

Quality architecture is all about understanding how people use space, the flow and feel. An understanding of space and planning it well to create a successful floor plan is crucial in planning a functional home that works, flows and also has an appealing feel. The feel is where the magic happens, the wow factor and the big ideas. A professional design expert is invaluable as they live and breathe this stuff. Getting this part of the process right can be the difference in creating a home that is loved for many years to come or ending up second guessing, or worse, building something you may regret that does not quite work well enough. The right design will mean you avoid the second best or third best design, falling short of what could have potentially been realised.

 

Recommended Healthy Home guidelines for Size & Foofprint are set out in the table below: