New compact house designs: 27 award-winning plans, 1,250 square feet or less

Don Metz, Ben Watson

Storey Communications, 1991 - Architecture - 188 pages

Houses of the future will be smaller, more energy-efficient, and better suited to their environments. And intelligent design solutions can help expand the scope and livability of a compact house, making it elegant as well as practical.In 1990, Storey Communications sponsored the Compact House Design Competition, a juried contest open to architects, designers, and architecture students. From the numerous entries that were received from all over North America, professional architects Don Metz and Peter Woerner selected the best and most innovative designs to include in "New Compact House Designs". Although the top three designs received cash awards, all 27 of the designs in this book are winners--and each design illustrates a classic or contemporary approach to living gracefully in a small house.The basic guidelines were clear: design a single-family house with a minimum of two bedrooms whose gross floor area does not exceed 1,250 square feet. Aside from these stipulations, almost anything went, and the broad spectrum of designs included in this book reflects the geographical and stylistic diversity of the winning entries--from a classic New England farmhouse to a sophisticated postmodern design, from a New Mexican desert hacienda to a fanciful house with Elizabethan overtones.The perfect idea book for current and future homeowners, "New Compact House Designs" will also appeal to anyone interested in architectural design. Each entry included in the book features a site drawing, floor plans, elevation and section drawings, judges' comments, and a complete description of the project. Addresses for architects and designers are also provided for readers interested in obtaining scale plans or more information on any particular house.

About the author

Editor and professional architect Don Metz is a partner in the architectureal firm of Metz and Thornton. He started his career in the energy-efficient house design business in 1972 with his award-winning Winston House. He was the consultant for the book The Underground House Book by fellow Storey author Stu Campbell. Don also wrote Superhouse and edited Storey's New Compact House Designs, and edited The Compact House Book. Metz has also written two novels, Catamount Bridge and King of the Mountain. He lives with his wife in Lyme, New Hampshire.

Ben Watson is an automotive technician upgrading instructor for industrial training services and theCanadian Institute of Technology.

Bibliographic information

• Title: New compact house designs: 27 award-winning plans, 1,250 square feet or less
• Authors: Don Metz, Ben Watson
• Editors: Don Metz, Ben Watson
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Storey Communications, 1991
• ISBN: 0882666665, 9780882666662
• Length: 188 pages
• Subjects: Architecture / General; Architecture / Residential; Architecture, Domestic; Architecture, Domestic - Awards - North America; Architecture, Domestic/ Awards/ North America; House & Home / Design & Construction; House & Home / House Plans; Small houses; Small houses - North America - Designs and plans; Small houses/ North America/ Designs and plans