Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
As a first-time competitor, Stanford seeks to bring its innovative spirit to the homebuilding
industry. By providing sustainability at the push of a button, the Start.Home will reshape
how people interact with buildings, seamlessly integrating engineering solutions with intelligent
design.
The Start.Home is built around a core that makes sustainability simple, elegant, and
affordable. Imagine purchasing a product which has been designed from the inside out to be
customizable and energy-efficient -- enclosed in a beautiful, sleek shell, and delivered
ready to start being net-zero from day one.
The house you build around it, therefore, is free to reflect your personal lifestyle.
For the competition, Stanford has designed a home for a young couple from Palo Alto,
CA. They have designed their home to capture the spirit of innovation which they bring
to their careers in the Silicon Valley, while also being a place for social gatherings,
relaxation, and starting a family. It’s the start of a new sustainable chapter in
their lives.
The core nestles into the face of the home, and a mechanical shed can be accessed from
the front garden. Through the front door, we can take off our shoes, hang our coat,
and check-in on the welcome panel to see how much energy we’ve produced during the day,
and set the core to eco-friendly mode for the next hour.
This side of the home is the living room, with comfortable couches and an entertainment
center that is popular with guests.
The living room, kitchen, and office at the end are part of one large open space which
receives shaded views from the south and natural daylight from the northern clerestory. When
windows on both sides are opened we can get a natural California breeze all day. This
face of the core features the kitchen counter and appliances. The flexible kitchen island
and dining table is a perfect place for cooking, eating together with friends and family, or
just hanging out.
We round the corner to the more private areas of the home. The inside of the core features
a laundry closet and a bathroom lit with natural daylight.
The master bedroom is a more intimate space that is perfect for a quiet getaway as the
day comes to an end. More bedroom modules can be easily added to the Start.Home as the
family grows.
Various elements of the great room can be easily configured depending on whether we’re
having a dinner party or a movie night, but the most flexible space of all is the office.
This space has been designed to maximize creativity and productivity when working from home. It’s
the perfect space for arts & crafts, a group hobby, or even the next big startup.
Doors to the backyard deck mean that we’re always connected to nature. The greywater/rainwater
irrigated planters are great for home gardening, and the large sliding doors even let us have
an outdoor picnic.
From the very beginning the Start.Home was designed around the core principles of simplicity,
flexibility, and elegance, and it has never been easier to create a more comfortable,
sustainable home. We no longer have to be experts to lead more environmentally-conscious
lives. If the core were available on the market today, what kind of home would you create?
There’s no better time to start than now. Start.Home.