The phrase “saying it, doesn’t make it so” needs to be permanently tattooed on the arm of everyone even remotely within the realm of anything and everything related to sustainability given the fact that there are very few other sectors of the marketplace where  arbitrary and unsubstantiated claims are commonplace and constantly made; particularly when it comes to green building and sustainable architecture. Daniel Libeskind has now joined in the fray, with his new ‘prefab’ Villa house, which he claims is both sustainable and affordable. But if one looks more closely at both of these claims, it becomes obvious, to the discerning observer, that neither of these statements are entirely true.

Beauty With A Little Braun (Sustainably Speaking)

I’ll say it from the onset, The Villa is eye-catching and it’s fairly obvious that a prolific and accomplished architect (Daniel Libeskind) is behind the design of such a structure. That being said, high profile architects have a tendency to forget what the ‘common-folk’ of the world consider to be approachable, affordable, sustainable, and practical when it comes to construction. But let’s forget, for the moment, the fact that in most locations around the globe, the necessary expertise needed for the  assembly of a structure like this would be nearly impossible to find, or at the very least extremely expensive. Simply taken at face value; is The Villa a sustainably designed structure? Let’s look.

What one will probably first notice off the start is the huge expanses of glass windows on the structure. Essentially half of the exterior skin is glass, so orientation would be a huge variable in its energy efficiency. But even if optimally orientated, The Villa would still most likely sacrifice a good deal of energy efficiency due to the fact the expanses of glass are on almost all side of the facade. The Villa claims to boast some sort of wood fiber-based dense thermal insulation which is intended to give a better insulating effect than standard insulation. There are also renewable aspects to the project as well. From Libeskind’s website:

“The Villa employs onsite renewable energy sources for heating, electricity and water. Its standard configuration includes a solar thermal system which is invisibly integrated into the zinc façade, as well as a geothermal system with a high-efficiency heat pump. In addition, electric power may be generated from photovoltaic thin film, while rain water can be harvested from the rooftop for use in the garden’s irrigation system.”

The Villa: A Name That Denotes Affordability

While there are no specific numbers on how much The Villa will cost, it’s safe to assume that it’s ‘affordability’ is going to be a very relative term. Considering the systems, finishes, complexity of assembly, and construction materials, it’s very hard to believe that The Villa will be any less expensive than its already numerous high priced ‘boxey’ prefab counterparts currently in the market. With an average per sqft cost of ~$225 per/sqft, the ‘greenish’ prefab homes already in the market are anything but affordable considering the fact that many of these homes cost almost twice as much as the would if they were conventionally built on-site. The allure, and stated claim, that many prefab manufacturers market, is that prefab homes are less expensive, but the reality, in most cases, is just the opposite. This too would almost certainly be the case for The Villa as well just from a materials and systems standpoint alone.

The Good: A unique design that is intended to be a unique aesthetic/sustainable alternative to what are often times box-like prefab homes. Renewable energy systems have been integrated into the design and construction of The Villa.

The Bad: A niche product that, despite its own claims, will be expensive to produce and install. Sustainability claims are unsubstantiated and the systems employed on the structure have an ‘add-on’ feel to them making the structure, without them, conventional from an energy-efficiency point of view.

The Bottom-Line: To be honest, there seems to be more emphasis on the design, finishes, and features on The Villa, than it’s actual affordability and sustainability. The claims of both affordability and sustainability, till proven otherwise, are empty. It’s as if Libeskind, who is no stranger to robust sustainable design, said “hey I got this house I designed, but it’s not that green. I know, let’s slap a geothermal and solar thermal system on it. There we go. Tah-dah!”

OUR SUSTAINABILITY RATING:

YOUR SUSTAINABILITY RATING:

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