Resting smartly between two irresistible forces at Greenbuild in Philadelphia this week is one cutting-edge, movable object.
Hillary Clinton, former senator, first lady and secretary of state, is slated for the keynote speech today at the world’s largest conference and expo on green building.
Nate Silver, a writer and statistician who predicted the outcome of presidential races in 49 of 50 states in 2008, is scheduled to close out the event with a speech on Friday.
On display in between though, on the second floor of the Philadelphia Convention Center, will be the RES4 Prefab Cabin, a very clever prototype for a hasty escape into the quiet of nature – away from all politics and any manmade distractions.
“It’s based on Thoreau and the intentional escape from society to live a much more simple life – to eat, write and think,” says Joseph Tanney, principal in Resolution 4 Architecture in Manhattan. “It’s a modern interpretation of that intention – away from a life that’s hectic and non-stop, and a decompression that gets back to nature, with all the modern comforts of home.”
The cedar-clad, 800 square-foot home sleeps two at one end of its 16-foot by 52-foot, open-plan tube, with kitchen and dining area at the other. In between is a core, wrapped in hot-rolled black steel, containing bath with skylight, HVAC systems, fireplace, television and audio video equipment.
“It was designed for very simply construction, with a deck and sun shade component,” he says. “There’s a strong visual and physical connection to the land, with shade from the sun.”
This cabin is designed to sit on a concrete stem wall foundation or on piers. At Greenbuild, it’s resting on simple steel frame that’s been custom designed to serve also as its carrier. Resolution 4 has been designing and building modern modular homes for the past decade or so, with a book from Princeton Architectural Press now available.
Their clients range from retirees to the very young, but they share common characteristics. “They’re visually conscious, and interested in the standard tenets of modernism,” he says. “They like clean lines, an open layout, an efficient performance, a strong connection to the exterior, and a lot of glass.”
Most of all, though, they just want to get away.
For more on Greenbuild, go to http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/home.aspx
For more on Resolution 4 Architecture, go to http://re4a.com/
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