Being water sensitive means reducing hard surfaces, which can be achieved through smaller-footprint homes. If indoor space is a must, consider building up instead of out.
Smaller, taller houses are perfect for WSUD outcomes, allowing for the smart use of outdoor spaces. This 100m2 house shows that a lower footprint doesn’t have to equal less space. With an open, light-filled design, this house spreads floor areas over two levels and maintains a spacious feel.
Benefits of a smaller house are many, from reduced maintenance requirements to less resources needed for construction. From a WSUD perspective, small-footprint houses are ideal:
- Mature trees can be kept, helping to create a cooler microclimate for the occupants
- The extra backyard space includes room for WSUD features like raingardens, swales and tanks (in this case, for a 5000 litre rainwater tank for toilet, laundry and garden use)
- A smaller footprint means less hard surfaces, encouraging rain soakage into the surrounding soil rather than running into the drains and stormwater system.
At 400m2 the block size is slightly above the Adelaide average, however with a house footprint of 100m2, this development has a site coverage of only 25%, a third of the typical site coverage in metropolitan Adelaide today.
Source: Levesque and Derrick Architects, lada.com.au