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Dwelling Within the Forces of Nature
What nature can teach us about building better structures
Building a shelter is a normal response
to one’s environment. Wind, rain, heat,
cold—they can all wreak havoc on us
and our shelters. Structures that work
in harmony with our environment will
survive longer than those that ignore local
conditions. So, if you improve your shelter’s
design and make it more adaptable, you
and your shelter will survive longer in a
greater range of harsh conditions.
Our buildings have a major
environmental impact. The energy they
consume—in their construction and daily
use—represent the largest single area of
energy consumption in the U.S. There are
many ways to make buildings more energy
efficient and ecologically sustainable. Many
of the construction techniques we already
use mimic how insects and wildlife build
their shelters. But there is more we can
learn and apply to our “green” building,
carbon footprint, financially down-sized,
conservation-minded world.
Exploring the interconnectedness of
our shelters and nature is the central idea
behind the Bell Museum’s “Sustainable
Shelters” exhibition, which runs through
July 17. The exhibit includes scale model
homes from the past 150 years and their
respective carbon footprints, a display
that describes the lifecycle of various
construction materials, and a 12’ square
wood stud wall “house” to experience the
safety and security shelters provide. Also
included are side-by-side comparisons of
window glass, foundation walls, permeable
pavers and lighting. The exhibit is funded
by a grant from the U.S. Department of
Energy.
“Visitors will see how animals and
insects usually build only as much shelter
as they need,” says exhibits curator Don
Luce. “Humans, on the other hand, have
social and cultural objectives in mind when
building a shelter. Sometimes, this leads us
to build more house than we need, thus
building less sustainable shelters.”
Current home construction principles
urge builders and homeowners to think
of their shelters as systems—each part
affecting the others. The Sustainable
Shelters exhibit hopes to take visitors
a step further and view their homes as
part of a larger, environmental system.
The Sustainable Shelter exhibit contains many interactive features, including a two-person biosphere
that provides a nose-to-soil view of plant communities.
Photo by David Hansen
Photo by Martin Moen
Pavers that let water through rather than run off the surface
can retain more water on the landscape and lessen the
impact of significant rainfall events.
“Our climate is changing. Our sources and
cost of energy are changing. Can we help
visitors understand that houses have a
lifecycle, and that how we live our daily
lives is the most important way to relate to
nature? Are the building renovations we’re
embracing today—solar panels, tighter
building envelopes—well-suited to the
future?” Luce asks. “Those are some of the
questions we hope to explore with visitors
to this exhibit.” –Martin Moen
Visit the
U Solar House
As part of the “Sustainable
Shelter” exhibit, the selfsufficient
solar house, designed
and built by university
students, is available for
tours. The 500 square foot
house finished fifth in a 2009
international competition in
Washington DC. Learn more
at www.bellmuseum.org.
PrOFilE solutions
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