Living Spaces: Better Design, Smaller Footprint
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Eric Storm and Beth Meredith of the design firm Living Spaces. Eric and Beth stumbled across my site and invited me to lunch to discuss ADUs.
Without going into too much detail, we had a great conversation about the ADU program, it’s shortcomings, and how the city could tweak a few things to improve adoption. We all agree that the city’s code needs some updates, and it’s good to find like-minded folks who see the potential for ADUs in Portland
What I like most about Eric and Beth is that they see the merits of small, efficient design. Their portfolio has some excellent examples of how small, organizational changes can have a profound impact on the efficacy and enjoyment of the home.
In addition to their work, the design duo have some great articles/essays on their site. Here’s one excerpt I found to be particularly compelling:
The fact is that the greenest solution is one that involves the least building possible…
Pretty courageous coming from folks who make their living from building design! Kudos! A while back I wrote an article that discussed the decidedly disturbing trend of “trophy green” – remodeling for the sake of vanity or prestige. It’s great to see building designers who consider the decision to build as a part of the green equation.
Here’s another quote from Beth that I found very fascinating:
Today people in the U.S. live in about three times as much space per capita as they did in the 1950s. Older homes that housed a family of four are now seen as inadequate for two people. One reason for this is that we now bring into our houses many of the activities that once took place outside the home. In addition to sleeping, eating and socializing, many people now expect to have separate places for a media center, home spa, children’s play space, home office, work-out space, party space, laundry facilities, guest room, plus storage for even more options.
The fact is that bigger homes, even very green ones, use significantly more resources than smaller conventional homes. In other words, living well within a smaller space is one of the greenest things you can do.
If you have a moment, check out Eric and Beth’s site. There is some fantastic food for thought, and the two of them seem like great resources for those considering green design in Portland!