2009 – The Nauhaus Prototype was made possible by a private venture of highly passionate and driven building professionals and volunteers. The Nauhaus Prototype is a building system born from a simple thought: a whole systems building design approach that combines the best of cutting edge modern building science with the advantages of traditional building materials and techniques.
Through a combination of passive solar design, a super-insulated building envelope, interior thermal mass, high performance windows and doors, and careful construction detailing, the Nauhaus Prototype was designed to be 80% more energy efficient than present code mandates, creating a healthy, comfortable indoor environment without need for a furnace or air conditioning. This substantial decrease in energy use allows renewable energy systems to be downsized. The consequent reduction in price brings self-sufficient power production and even carbon neutrality within reach. This “state of the art” building science is combined with site-harvested materials, rainwater harvesting, greywater irrigation, extensive outdoor living spaces, a lush edible landscape, small scale animal husbandry, and wildlife habitat to make sustainable homesteads a possibility even in densely populated urban neighborhoods.
Natural Building Features
- Passive solar design
- Superior insulation: exterior walls constructed of Hemcrete®, a mixture of industrial hemp chips (shiv) in a lime-based binder.
- Interior floors and walls constructed of compressed earth blocks made from subsoil excavated from the building site.
- Earth plaster interior walls (also from site subsoil) and lime plaster exterior
- Natural non-toxic paints and sealers by Earthpaint, a local company
- Abundant edible landscape and wildlife habitat
- Rainwater catchment and greywater irrigation
- 3 bedroom, 2 bath; configured to allow for separate apartment in lower level
- 1,375 square feet of interior living space with 300+ square feet of covered outdoor living area