Comments on: High-Tech itHouse Prefab by Taalman Koch

By: The Revolution Corporation

The Revolution Corporation — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:46:00 +0000

Why would Inhabitat publish an article that speaks favorably of *anything* built adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park?

“future-forward design for the world you inhabit” … I don’t think any of us out here see this as future forward design… And, I really hope that $682/SF was a typo.

By: ansonm

ansonm — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:31:18 +0000

I agree, almost $750 a square foot for a place that cannot keep a comfortable temp is ridiculous. Although the place looks good and has a comfortable connection to the natural setting around it it is simply not livable.

By: fritter

fritter — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:32:54 +0000

This house, like many others like it, is a massive failure. If you read the Dwell article on this same house, the owner/architects admit that the house gets “really hot” and “really cold”. In other words, it is not doing it’s job of keeping the occupants comfortable, protecting them from the environment (drastic temperature swings) and conserving energy.

I personally am getting a little tired of seeing the promotion of these “ultra cool looking” glass houses that are somehow supposed to be green just because they use a pre-fab system. The lifetime energy consumption of the house is a larger factor!

We are nearing completion of a straw bale house. and while not as “off the shelf” as these trendy system houses, it is already staying warm (during the night) and cool (during the day) with no mechanical systems help (and we haven’t even insulated the attic or installed garage entry doors yet!

750K for an 1100 sq ft house that doesn’t work? A tent from Wal-mart is a better deal!