ABSTRACT
Globally, lack of time is a major issue. The ‘Rest of the World’ case studies starkly demonstrate that as people earn more money, moving away from traditional ways of life, they have less and less time to build their own homes. Landscaping is a vital theme that binds all of the schemes in the UK and Europe together. Vernacular technologies have been used to great effect in some of these schemes: ventilating chimneys in Swindon that alleviate asthma; the Passivhaus standard, which alleviates fuel poverty; a double-roof system that requires no air conditioning in Australia. Dualchas are working with the Mackintosh School of Architecture’s Mackintosh Environmental Architecture Research Unit to investigate the correct balance between airtightness and breathability, and the impact of east–west orientation on comfort and wellbeing.
