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Alternative Housing
Alternative housing is a category of domicile structures that are built or designed outside of the mainstream norm e.g., town homes, single family homes and apartment complexes. In modern days, alternative housing commonly takes the form of tiny houses, dome homes, pyramid-shaped houses, earth sheltered homes, residential tree houses, abandoned factories and hospitals and even up-cycled vans or buses. The motivation to create alternative homes can arise from destitution or lack of resources to buy or rent a typical home and therefore include improvised shacks in shantytowns, buses, cars and tent-like structures. While the cost of living in an alternative house can be more economical than a traditional home, the start-up cost can be quite hefty. More commonly in the 21st century than ever before in history, alternative housing offers more functionality to many, as well as an unconventional living arrangement. Some alternative housing can be as small as while others can be as l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Townhouse
A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of Terraced house, terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of Townhouse (Great Britain), city residence (normally in London) of someone whose main or largest residence was a English country house, country house. History Historically, a townhouse was the city residence of a noble or wealthy family, who would own one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year. From the 18th century, landowners and their servants would move to a townhouse during the Season (society), social season (when major Ball (dance), balls took place). United States and Canada In the United States and Canada, a townhouse has two connotations. The older predates the automobile and denotes a house on a small footprint in a city, but because of its multiple floors (sometimes six or more), it has a large living ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adaptive Reuse
Adaptive reuse is the reuse of an existing building for a purpose other than that for which it was originally built or designed. It is also known as recycling and conversion. The adaptive reuse of buildings can be a viable alternative to new construction in terms of sustainability and a circular economy, and it has been used to create affordable housing, among other developments. Definition Adaptive reuse is defined as the aesthetic process that adapts buildings for new uses while retaining their historic features. Using an adaptive reuse model can prolong a building's life, from cradle-to-grave, by retaining all or most of the building system, including the structure, the shell and even the interior materials. This type of revitalization is not restricted to buildings of historic significance and can be a strategy adopted in case of obsolete buildings. Some urban planners see adaptive reuse as an effective way of reducing urban sprawl and environmental impact.Joachim, M. 2002 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laneway House
A laneway house is a form of detached secondary suites in Canada built into pre-existing lots, usually in the backyard and opening onto the back lane. Most laneway houses are small. However, public concern has been raised in some communities about the impact that larger forms of this type of housing may have on privacy. Laneway houses are found in densely populated areas in Canadian cities, including Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver. Edmonton In Edmonton, laneway homes are called garden suites and the numbers keep increasing as the City changes bylaws to increase density. The suites are very popular as Airbnb properties, as retirement homes and for mortgage helpers. Toronto During the 19th century, back lanes were used by Toronto residents to house accessory buildings, including garages, storage units and/or stables. A number of these stables were mews, which included a residential area on its upper levels. The earliest modern laneway home was built in 1989 at Kensington Marke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Friggebod
In Sweden, a friggebod is a small shed or cottage which can be built without any planning permission on a lot with a single-family or a duplex house. It is named after Birgit Friggebo, the Minister for Housing in 1979 when the new type of building was approved. The word is a portmanteau of Friggebo and ''bod'' 'shed'. Typical uses for a friggebod are a greenhouse, a workshop, a guest room, or a home spa. Restrictions Originally no more than , the maximum size was raised to in 2008. The friggebod regulations also allow the building of a canopy and a wall of wood or brick to protect a patio. The buildings do not have to follow zoning regulations, but they have to comply with the building code and cannot be built closer to a neighbour's lot than without the neighbour's permission. Sources See also *Alternative housing *Cottage * Tiny house *Construction trailer *Simple living Simple living refers to practices that promote simplicity in one's lifestyle. Common practice ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earthship
An Earthship is a style of architecture developed in the late 20th century to early 21st century by architect Mike Reynolds (architect), Michael Reynolds. Earthships are designed to behave as Passive solar building design, passive solar earth shelters made of both natural and Upcycling, upcycled materials such as earth-packed Steel-belted radial, tires. Earthships may feature a variety of amenities and aesthetics, and are designed to withstand the extreme temperatures of a desert, managing to stay close to 70 °F (21 °C) regardless of outside weather conditions. Earthship communities were originally built in the desert of northern New Mexico, near the Rio Grande, and the style has spread to small pockets of communities around the globe, in some cases in spite of legal opposition to its construction and adoption. Reynolds developed the Earthship design after moving to New Mexico and completing his degree in architecture, intending them to be "off-the-grid-ready" houses ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beach Hut
A beach hut (also known as a beach cabin, beach box or bathing box) is a small, usually wooden and often brightly coloured, box above the high tide mark on popular bathing beaches. They are generally used as a shelter from the sun or wind, changing into and out of swimming attire and for the safe storing of some personal belongings. Some beach huts incorporate simple facilities for preparing food and hot drinks by either bottled gas or occasionally mains electricity. Locations At many seaside resorts, beach huts are arranged in one or more ranks along the top of the beach. Depending upon the location, beach huts may be owned privately or may be owned by the local council or similar administrative body. On popular beaches, privately owned beach huts can command substantial prices due to their convenient location, out of all proportion to their size and amenity. A pre-war wooden beach chalet at West Bexington, Dorset sold at auction for £216,000 in 2006, and a beach hut on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cottage
A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide some form of service to the manorial lord.Daniel D. McGarry, ''Medieval history and civilization'' (1976) p 242 However, in time cottage just became the general term for a small house. In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cosy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location and not necessarily in England. The cottage orné, often quite large and grand residences built by the nobility, dates back to a movement of "rustic" stylised cottages of the late 18th and early 19th century during the Romantic movement. In British English the term now denotes a small, cosy dwelling of traditional build, although it can also be applied to modern construction designed to resemble traditional houses (" mock cottages"). Cottages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Affordable Housing
Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median, as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on affordable housing refers to mortgages and a number of forms that exist along a continuum – from emergency homeless shelters, to transitional housing, to non-market rental (also known as social or subsidized housing), to formal and informal rental, indigenous housing, and ending with affordable home ownership. Demand for affordable housing is generally associated with a decrease in housing affordability, such as rent increases, in addition to increased homelessness. Housing choice is a response to a complex set of economic, social, and psychological impulses. For example, some households may choose to spend more on housing because they feel they can afford to, while others may not have a choice. Increases in any housing supply (wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yurt
A yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger (Mongolian language, Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered and Thermal insulation, insulated with Hide (skin), skins or felt and traditionally used as a dwelling by several distinct Nomad, nomadic groups in the Eurasian Steppe, steppes and Tian Shan, mountains of Inner Asia. The structure consists of a flexible angled assembly or latticework of wood or bamboo for walls, a door frame, ribs (poles, rafters), and a wheel (crown, compression ring) possibly steam-bent as a roof. The roof structure is sometimes self-supporting, but large yurts may have interior posts or columns supporting the crown. The top of the wall of self-supporting yurts is prevented from spreading by means of a tension band which opposes the force of the roof ribs. Yurts take between 30 minutes and three hours to set up or take down, and are generally used by between five and 15 people. Nomadic farming with yurts as housing has been the primary way of life in Cen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earth House
An earth shelter, also called an earth house, earth-bermed house, earth-sheltered house, earth-covered house, or underground house, is a structure (usually a house) with earth (soil) against the walls and/or on the roof, or that is entirely buried underground. Earth acts as thermal mass, making it easier to maintain a steady indoor air temperature and therefore reduces energy costs for heating or cooling. Earth sheltering became relatively popular after the mid-1970s, especially among environmentalists. However, the practice has been around for nearly as long as humans have been constructing their own shelters. Definition * "Earth-sheltering is [...] a generic term with the general meaning: building design in which soil plays an integral part." [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Recreational Vehicle
A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and campers), fifth-wheel trailers, popup campers, and truck campers. Typical amenities of an RV include a kitchen, a bathroom, and one or more beds. RVs can range from utilitarian – containing only sleeping quarters and basic cooking facilities – to luxurious, with features like air conditioning (AC), water heaters, televisions and satellite receivers, and quartz countertops. Types RVs can be either trailers that are towed by vehicles or vehicles that can be driven themselves. Most RVs have one level, but there are also some with two levels. To save space while traveling, larger RVs often have slide-outs or canopies that open up when parked. RVs that can be driven can be categorized "motorhomes", which will have the engine in front ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minimalism
In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-minimal art practices, which extend or reflect on minimalism's original objectives. Minimalism's key objectives were to strip away conventional characterizations of art by bringing the importance of the object or the experience a viewer has for the object with minimal mediation from the artist. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Donald Judd, Agnes Martin, Dan Flavin, Carl Andre, Robert Morris, Anne Truitt, and Frank Stella. Minimalism in music often features repetition and gradual variation, such as the works of La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Julius Eastman, and John Adams. The term has also been used to describe the plays and novels of Samuel Beckett, the films of Robert Bresson, the stori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
