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02.03.2025 - Monday - Environmental Science
Building and Eco House in California
We’ll be modeling and designing an energy-efficient home in California with a limited budget. Our challenge will be to incorporate our home into one of the BIOMES of California in such a way that it blends with the existing environment. Take some time to defamiliarize yourself with the various BIOMES in California. Then, choose a location for your home and answer the following.
- Choose one of the California BIOMES in which to build your house.
- Your budget is going to to be $500,000 (half a million) US dollars.
- The budget will include both building materials and the cost for the land.
Research
- Name three examples of PASSIVE energy conservation regarding heating or cooling a home. For example; In a warm, desert, environment - windows that open automatically at night to let cooling breezes through the home while closing during the day and reflecting the infrared radiation from the environment.
- Depending upon the BIOME chosen for the home; name three unique challenges to building a home in that environment. For example - Choosing a Redwood Forest to build a home might mean taking into consideration the damp, humid condition and a lack of direct sunlight.
- Name three ways a a home might incorporate energy NOT connected to the public power grid. For example - Solar or wind power.
- Name three materials that are both biodegradable and efficient to use as INSULATION - keeping heat in or out.
- Give the approximate LONGITUDE and LATITUDE of the location for your eco-house.
