Designs That Work
Hot-Humid Climate - New Orleans
Introduction
The Habitat Congress Building America Case Study Houses are designed to
be climate-specific, affordable, energy-efficient housing prototypes. As a
Building America house, the design also works towards the following
objectives:
- Produce homes that use 30 to 50 percent less energy.
- Reduce construction time and waste by as much as 50 percent.
- Improve builder productivity.
- Provide new product opportunities to manufacturers and suppliers.
- Implement innovative energy- and material-saving technologies.
To reach these objectives, the basic Hot-Humid Climate house plan
presented in this package uses a systems engineering approach. This means
that a significant amount of analysis and refinement has gone into the
design. The Building America design team has considered the interaction
between the building site, envelope, mechanical systems, and other
factors, recognizing that one feature of the house can greatly affect
others. The team has then evaluated its design, business, and construction
practices to identify cost savings, which have then be reinvested to
improve energy performance and product quality.
There are two influences on this process that should be explained
before you examine the Hot-Humid Climate house plan: an understanding of
the regional climate, and building science knowledge and experience.
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