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An Architecture of Preparedness
This “blogging” thing is new for me, but Hurricane Sandy and her after-effects have moved me to start writing. We live on the eastern tip of Long Island, extremely exposed to the elements, and potentially isolated from the world. Now, most of the time I am energized by that exposure, and I relish the times of quiet isolation. But those are choices, not forced upon me by necessity, emergency or disaster. Hurricanes make one pause to consider how one might adapt, to be more flexible in the face of adversity: how to be more resilient.
I am not talking about going all “Grizzly Adams” here. There are web sites for any who would like to delve into the world of the “Prepper,” or for how to become a Survivalist. And those resources share a lot of basic, useful information. Likewise, good emergency preparedness guides are generally available to help people be ready. However, I am writing as an architect, someone whose business it is to help people live their dreams, to live well and beautifully, in a finely-crafted, functional and elegant home. So where (I hear you ask) does the “resilience” part come in? There are some really basic steps one can take when designing a home that can help you weather a storm.
Keeping the Home Fires Burning
Consider the fireplace. These days, one tends to think of a fireplace as a hearth, an anchor to a main gathering space in the home, a feature that adds warmth more metaphorically than for, well, warmth. But how many homes were without heat during these recent storms? Power was out, so anyone with electric heat was in the cold. Even oil and gas-fired heating systems were knocked out, since electricity runs the ignition systems, pumps and the like on a furnace or boiler. A fireplace, either wood-burning or gas, makes a great back-up heater. Most fireplaces built these days are not very efficient as heating devices, but there are exceptions: the Rumford fireplace, for example. Or a high quality wood stove or fireplace insert, some of which emit less carbon than a fallen tree rotting in the woods! All of a sudden, that decorative feature in your living room can make life at home in an emergency bearable. And even fun.
A good fireplace is by no means the only home design step you can take to keep you warm at home during an emergency. Good overall house design is as important as having a heat source. Even the most basic passive solar design, i.e., proper solar orientation of a house and its windows, can help heat your home, and a tight, well-insulated building envelope minimizes heat loss. A solar PV installation on the roof, combined with battery back-up, can also provide for a minimum “baseline” amount of power if there is an outage.
Food for Thought
What about cooking? Electric ranges are out; even if you ran a generator, it wouldn’t help there. A gas stove is a better choice (as long as you have a good supply of natural or LP gas, of course). Personal Note: I confess to having an electric range in our old house, but at least I have our camping stove as a backup. And the fridge? Frankly, your best bet here is to use a generator, because although gas refrigerators do exist, they are just not up to the design and capacity standards desired by most modern homeowners.
When the well is dry, we know the worth of water. -Benjamin Franklin
Then there is water. “No problem,” you say, “We are on a well.” Well. How is the well pump powered? Hmmmm. Maybe we should have some way to plug that equipment to the generator. Or have a PV solar-powered setup. Failing that, you could at least be sure to have a bathtub or two to fill before the power goes out. Even some rainwater collection barrels can be great, when the alternative is not being able to flush the toilet. All of a sudden, that home in the village, hooked up to town water, doesn’t sound so bad, either.
Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine. -Thomas Aquinas
Having hot water during an emergency doesn’t have to be out of the question, either. Again, being able to connect a boiler to a generator for the electrical power needed would be great. Even better, a solar thermal rooftop installation is well worth considering. Most typical installations will not provide for 100% of your domestic hot water needs, but we are talking an emergency here. So whatever you can get is a bonus. And don’t forget the wine cellar.
There are many “just in case” issues to consider when designing or renovating a home that can help get you through a disaster. Start looking around: Do you know how to manually release your electric garage door opener? OK, you have a fireplace… but do you have a good, dry wood supply? The list goes on, and given where we live, it makes sense to give some thought to resilient design.
