A Christian Science Monitor OP-ED piece recently bemoaned that the "Big house, better house" concept of home design is "so 2007". Prof. Maxwell points out some excellent points about the importance of HOW we use space versus how MUCH space a home has.
It has been over 10 years now since Sarah Susanka published her watershed "Not so Big House". The real estate community treated it as a niche market for empty nesters and spinsters, less space for people with less. It is time for us to revisit the Not So Big House for what it is; a sustainable solution for housing development. One that looks at efficiency of use to preserve material and land while minimizing energy and other resource use and maximizing the user experience of the space. If you haven't read Sarah's books, you should. If you are thinking of down-sizing/right-sizing your living arrangement, there has never been a better time.
(On a side note one of Sarah's former architectural partners was Dale Mulfinger, one of my early mentors. Their architecture office's work is worth some perusal- SALA Architects)
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