OUTin (2004-2005)
ecoMOD1 – the OUTin house (for Piedmont Housing Alliance) is the first two-unit condominium in central Virginia, and was sited in the Fifeville neighborhood of Charlottesville. The data from the monitoring system thus far indicates the high performance structural insulated panels (SIPs) are helping it to outperform a comparable conventional home of the same size by 65 to 70%. OUTin includes energy efficient construction methods and strategies and a landscape of native, drought tolerant plants.
Technologies and features include a potable rainwater collection system (the first in the city of Charlottesville), a solar hot water panel, low impact finishes and sustainably forested wood flooring from Virginia. The primary design strategy of the OUTin house is to make the entire site habitable and usable. Rather than a rectangular box without functional outdoor spaces, the OUTin house is placed to merge outside and inside places.