Not all strategies below are appropriate for all projects. This list is not exhaustive but will be a good starting point in design for adaptability.
SITING
• Choose a site with passive solar benefits. • Avoid building on an unstable site, such as a floodplain or barrier island. • Choose a site near public transit or bicycle paths. • Choose a site (or a position within the site) that allows for building expansion. • Integrate a home into the surrounding site to minimize the need for exterior stairs or ramps. • Preserve room for at least one parking space near a door to the house.STRUCTURE AND SHELL
• Use right angles—rectangles will be easier to modify or add to later. • Design sloped roofs to face south, enhancing the potential for adding a PV system in the future. • Design for energy efficiency. The structure should be airtight and incorporate good insulation; take advantage of natural ventilation; and utilize natural daylight. Unwanted solar gains should be avoided and beneficial ones sought. • Design high ceilings for daylighting and simplified modifications to building services. • Design floor plates that maximize perimeter space for daylighting and natural ventilation. • Design the structure to accommodate additional floors or a green roof. • Design parking garages with level floors and adequate head space for other uses.DIVISION OF INTERIOR SPACE
• Use right angles—rectangles are easier to modify. • Construct walls so that windows or doors can be added easily. • Include multipurpose spaces. • Size and proportion spaces to accommodate various uses. • Avoid partitions, leaving as much open space as possible. Where partitions are necessary, use non-load-bearing, semipermanent walls. • Locate stairs, windows, doors, light switches, and outlets so that future partitioning will not isolate large areas from their services. • Size corridors and doorways to allow wheelchair users to pass. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) calls for an unobstructed doorway clearance of no less than 32” (800 mm). • Include a bathroom on the ground level.MATERIALS AND COMPONENTS
• Use engineered flooring systems. • Minimize the number of connector types and sizes. • Ensure that connector types and sizes are common, so they can be dismantled with simple, universal tools. • Connect parts mechanically, not chemically. (Snapping, bolting, or screwing parts together is generally preferable to gluing, stapling, soldering, or welding.) If chemical connections cannot be avoided, make sure these bonds are weaker than the parts they connect. • Avoid toxic materials, which may prove a future liability. • Use natural or integral finishes where possible.TECHNOLOGIES
• Use redundant or oversized conduits for wiring and cabling. • Use modular access flooring systems or cable trays above dropped ceilings for wiring, cabling, and air distribution. • Design roofs to be PV-ready. • Plumb buildings so that graywater can be separately collected at some point in the future—even if local building codes prohibit doing so today (see EBN Vol. 4, No. 2). • Drain toilets and sinks with “P” traps (through the wall), not “S” traps (through the floor). This allows for easier modifications in location. • Cluster plumbing and utility drops. • Design mechanical systems to support and interact with natural ventilation (mixed-mode). • Design alternative locations for central HVAC plant.DOCUMENTATION
• Label materials and components, especially plastics and other materials that are difficult to identify precisely. • Record information about the life expectancy of materials and components and their warranty periods. • Provide an owners’ manual with appliance and equipment manuals, building permits, information about various materials, maintenance recommendations, and other pertinent information. • Record precise locations of services and structural elements as well as the sewage disposal system, gas tanks and lines, and anything else buried on the site. • Establish a maintenance log and update it regularly.DURABILITY
• Select durable materials that age well. • Build joints, materials, and components to tolerate repeated use. • Provide a layered envelope in which less durable elements can be replaced with minimal impact on more durable elements. • Ensure that the building is properly maintained.STYLE
• Design with classic, conservative, and regionally appropriate styles. • Avoid technological fads—overspecialization leads to functional obsolescence. • Make it beautiful!
