With the housing crises well underway, we need to get more creative on housing types and land use. Enter An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). This is a smaller housing unit built on the same lot as a primary dwelling (also known as an Additional or Auxiliary Dwelling Units)—think granny flat, in-law unit, laneway house). It has an arrangement for sleeping, cooking, and lavatory. The uses are myriad—for family members, guest spaces, rental income, or more. Sheri brings 25 attractive, well-designed ADUs profiled coast to coast in the US and Canada and will highlight a few of them in this discussion. This will include information about the type of construction, the major green features, and how it is used. We will also feature two special guest speakers behind the design of 2 of these projects to get their perspective as designers.
Continuing Education Units (CEUS) submitted 1 hour in*
• Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)
• Building Performance Institute (BPI) NonWholeHouse
• Submitted for American Institute of Architects - AIA (HSW)
• Certified Green Professional (NARI & CGP)
• Certified GreenHome Professional (CGHP) Pillar(s): Energy, Health, Materials, Water, Place
• American Institute of Building Designers (AIBD)
• State Architect / Builder License may be applicable
• Building Science Institute (BSI) Verifier
• Society of American Registered Architects (SARA)
Lessons Learned
1. Understand that ADUs can promote health by providing affordable and accessible housing for individuals who may not have access to it otherwise.
2. Analyze the safety features of ADUs to ensure they are secure for occupants and do not pose a risk to the primary dwelling or surrounding community.
3. Introduce regulations that prioritize the welfare of occupants and ensure that ADUs meet certain standards for living conditions, such as adequate ventilation and natural light.
4. Articulate the importance of sustainable construction practices in ADU design, including the use of environmentally friendly materials and energy-efficient systems, to promote long-term sustainability and reduce the carbon footprint of the housing sector.
Need CEUS?
Take the Quiz here:
Speaker Author:
Sheri Koones is a widely respected author who helps readers understand that getting the house of their dreams can be done in an ecologically responsible way.
Her books explore the variety, beauty and eco-friendly benefits of prefab homes. Her books have evolved from just profiling the variety of prefab methods in her first Prefabulous book to showing how energy efficient and sustainable houses can be with Prefabulous + Almost Off the Grid: Your Path to Building an Energy-Independent Home and Prefabulous + Sustainable: Building and Customizing an Affordable, Energy Efficient Home. Prefabulous World: Energy-Efficient and Sustainable Homes around the Globe (explored the beauty and efficiency of houses around the world, from France to South Africa and Japan to Australia), Prefabulous Small Houses. Her latest books are: Downsize: Living Small in a Big House, Bigger Than Tiny, Smaller Than Average, and her latest Prefabulous For Everyone.
Her latest Book Prefabulous for Everyone shows how beautiful and efficient prefab houses can be on a small scale. She hopes to inspire homers to consider the most efficient and eco friendly methods of building their homes.
Her next book, Perfect ADUs will be released in March 2024.
She has won the prestigious Gold in the Robert Bruss Real Estate Book Awards from NAREE in 2013, 2011, 2008 and 2011.
Speakers:
Tessa Bradley is a co-principal and architect at Artisans Group, a Pacific Northwest-based sustainable architecture and planning firm. A tenacious, award-winning architect and an expert in building science and sustainability, she has designed some of the most energy-efficient homes in the country. Hundreds of her designs have been built and are scattered across the map in the Seattle, Olympia, and Portland areas and as far south as Austin, Texas.
Jamie Wolf, President at Wolfworks Inc.
Lfetime experience in guiding the design and construction of residential homes, both new and existing, that look great, work well, and feel good to be in. The focus of this work is on achieving high performance with exceptional health, comfort, durability, and energy security while using materials responsibly.
