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R Heating will be primarily through the radiant floor heating systems and passivesolar systems.R Natural materials will be used to minimize potential indoor environment hazardsfrom synthetic materials.Smart Housing DesignOne of the most important things Ive learned is that the true power of smarthousing design resides in the basic structure, the quality of the foundation,framework and walls/windows. By orienting the building structure correctly forsunlight (spring, summer, fall and winter), by insulating optimally through-out, byapplying shelter from sun, rain and wind using the local environment and simpleshading, by providing natural ventilation in the structure, by putting heat absorbingmass in the water pipe filled flooring and double glazed argon or krypton filled highquality windows on the south side, you get a nearly complete self-sufficient,minimally mechanical, simple to maintain house. These key elements also provide,for the lifetime of the house, free heating, cooling, lighting, fresh indoor air qualityand all water requirements without the additional expense and ongoing expenses ofa furnace, air conditioner, duct work and water systems not quite as cool asphoto voltaic solar panels for power or a fancy modern kitchen or low water/powerdish washers or efficient sealed wood burning stoves, but far more important. Asour architect likes to say it comes down to simple basic quality of design andconstruction of the house.In terms of the finishing details, we discovered that beauty of leaving things basicallyunfinished and open concept is that you are able to make decisions when you c anactually see and feel the space, that you can change things around using simplemoveable walls, closets and doors. Also, through the elimination or minimization oftrim, finishing, paint, façade, and coverings much of the high costs can beminimized and potentially used on the basic quality of the design and structure.Building Code and PermitsThrough the design and planning phases weve learned how the building codestandards have been setup primarily for tract housing developments. The buildingcodes typically define the worst possible design that you can get away with legally.Developers are able to conform to the code, avoiding costly design and engineering230