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fluxHome™ is an innovative and affordable model for sustainable living, incorporating
mass customized elements with digital fabrication and smart home technology to create an energy-efficient
prototype for the 21st century.
Drawing upon regional precedents such as the courtyard or patio house and craftsman bungalow,
fluxHome™ is a spatial hybrid that echoes the diverse social, cultural and environmental
Southern California landscape.
The design begins with a simple rectilinear envelope measuring 32 by 34 feet.
Horizontal and vertical volumes tunnel through the house on the north and south side as well
as from above, creating horizontal and vertical courtyards that literally connect the house
with the landscape by capturing the horizon and sky while, on the perimeter smaller volumes
are extracted to create porches and verandas.
One of the first things that is apparent when you approach fluxHome™ is the customized
exterior skin. Consisting of pre-fabricated laser cut metal panels placed over a rain
screen facade, the perforations regulate the amount of thermal gain and facilitate airflow
between the exterior membranes for cooling, as well as offer privacy and lend the house
its unique identity.
PAUSE
Moving around the house we see how the façade changes in response to the orientation and
solar exposure. Apertures are strategically placed to channel prevailing breezes into
and through the house, providing cross ventilation while larger openings on the north, south
and east side are “thickened” to function as porches and verandas and to OPEN the house
up to the outdoors at various times of day.
As we ascend the south ramp, the interior of the house begins to come into view giving
us glimpses of the vibrant interior courtyard and solar chimney. Entering through the south
porch our gaze is simultaneously drawn in several directions: To the right we see a
galley kitchen and island open to the living and entertainment area; beyond is a semi-enclosed
east-facing porch for the family to enjoy breakfast with the rising sun. To the left
of the light and air well we see a state of the art entertainment and home control center.
Panning back toward the center is a courtyard that is easily transformed to accommodate
various activities such as dining and entertaining.
Immediately above the courtyard is a solar chimney that simultaneously works as a lens
for daylight and viewing the night sky and vent for exhausting warm air; operable louvers
modulate the amount of sunlight that enter the house and are easily controlled by the
occupants.
On the right side is a bedroom for two young children. Instead of conventional rooms that
divide the spaces, large sliding doors open “private” zones to the more public parts
of the home, creating a sense of openness and community.
Passing through a set of sliding translucent doors we enter a flexible, multi-use space
that connects the master bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom is another unique feature of
the home consisting of several zones that can be used by family members at the same
time.
An oversized shower and soaking tub have a retractable ceiling skylight to bring the
outdoors inside.
PAUSE
Approaching the north end of the house, we exit through a set of transparent sliding
doors and enter a sleeping porch with a “vertical lawn” or green wall.
Descending down the ramp and circling back over the house we see the solar array and
the apertures for the solar chimney and open air shower, giving us a clear view of the
way that the fluxHome™ integrates passive AND active principles to achieve a net zero
solar energy balance.
The USC fluxHome™ celebrates the idea of change (that is such a characteristic aspect
of contemporary experience) with a strategy of openness and flexible efficiency, as a
viable and sustainable alternative to the suburban tract house.