Lumenhaus: Design within Reach

Congratulations to the Virginia Tech team for winning the 2010 Solar Dacathalon Europe!  Their beautiful Lumenhaus (gorgeous film and interactive site) incorporates beautiful eco-design principles, and its infinite flexibility to upsize and downsize off the central module over a lifetime makes it even more ingenious.

The small 580 ft2 footprint looks and feels more expansive with the connections of the inside with the outside, the abundance of natural light from its wide windows, and its adaptable, multi-use spaces.  I am taken with the passive heating and cooling of the sliding screens and perforated panels that invite or deflect sun, or allow for a lovely cross ventilation.  I'm also in love with the adaptability of the central module - the way the table can be wheeled out to the pavilion patio (a new room in nice weather), and the kitchen counter detaches to additional counter space.  And as mentioned, the central, most expensive pod with the solar cells and controls, can have plugged in shells to expand up to a 4-5BR/2BA house as the family grows, and back down again in downsizing and empty-nesting  How marvelous is that? There's also all sorts of eco-tech features, that I hardly get, like bio-filitering grey water, rain catchment, and a smartgrid that works with the local utility company, both providing energy back to the grid and allowing a data feedback for its own use.  

The linked interactive feature here at the NY TImes gives a better tour and explanation than I ever could, so please check it out.