GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK, THE HAMLET WAY

GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK, THE HAMLET WAY

Can an eco-home be chic, luxurious, historic, glamorous, and even fun? It could be all this and change the public perception and the ho-hum surrounding sustainably designed and ecofriendly green homes. Earth-conscious does not have to mean “doing without.” Quite the contrary: chic, even dazzlingly beautiful homes around the world are now sporting green roofs, drawing power from geothermal energy, and making use of solar panels year round. The technology we currently deem “eco-friendly” will probably be de rigueur in coming years.

Hamlet discusses ways how you could incorporate this by using one of their recent works as a precedent: The Hamlet Cadillac, an eco-friendly designed home in sub Saharan Africa, Uganda

1.Orient your home well

The placement of this house and its decks was dictated by the trees, limiting the number that were cut during construction. In return, the trees provide shade that keeps the house cool. Save trees and trim your energy bill.

2.Put your windows to work

The frontispiece facing windows in the living area allow maximum light to filter in. The large glass panels at the base of the windows open like trapdoors to admit breezes and eliminate the need for air-conditioning.

3.Make use of Mother Nature

Windows cut in the wall bring in breezes on even the warmest day.

4.Choose durable materials.

The house’s cedar-plank siding which is resistant to pests and water, is both strong and low-maintenance. Its beautiful gray patina also means infrequent repainting

5. Bedrooms to the upper level.

The living space and roof deck clear the canopy of trees, while the sleeping areas are shaded by the leaves and feel more private. With mature trees so close to the house, the bedrooms also don’t need curtains.

7.Shade the openings

Made of concrete, this protrusion shade the openings of the sun’s heat and extends about 1.5m beyond the house’s wall, creating ample shade for the windows below.

8.Green Materials

The fundamental material for the internal furniture say barstools is wheat board. Unlike woods and teak, whose harvest requires the destruction of slow-growing forests, harvested wheat replaces itself quickly.

9.Air Circulation

Building ventilation is necessary in providing acceptable indoor quality. It is a process of supplying fresh air and removing or diluting indoor pollution concentration. The Hamlet Cadillac was designed with an increasing awareness of energy saving lately, we tried to rely more on natural ventilation to give better indoor air quality and thermal comfort. However, due to not much of air movement via wind driven in high density urban area, stack effect seemed to be more reliable than cross ventilation. Stack ventilating phenomenon is generated by the differences of inside and outside air pressure to create air flow through its upper most and lowest building openings. Thus, stack effect ventilation is highly depending on the size of the openings which will influence the air pressure inside the building. Controlling the neutral plane level in the house by the sizes of the openings is essential in driving the air in and out. Besides that, the height between the upper most and lowest openings may also contribute to the amount of air driven through the process. While in tropical areas like Uganda, maintaining the indoor temperature lower than the outdoor temperature is also important to keep the pressure difference for wind flow besides providing indoor thermal comfort to the occupants.
The shape of this home with large slits and openings was not just for aesthetics but for natural ventilation. The Large banks of windows capture natural light, and the southern exposure helps reduce the east west direct sun exposure. The  trees in the foreground also shield the house from direct sun.

10. Eco-friendly Energy

This house is totally off the grid: Solar panels and a wind turbine capture the elements to make power; a high-tech solar system purifies wastewater and the solar water heaters for warm and hot water.

At Hamlet, We make use of mother nature, green materials and integrated renewable energy solutions for homes.