The red house is actually green
The F10 House serves as the case study for The Architecture Handbook. Students explore the important sustainable or green features designed to work with the natural environment rather than working against it. The F10 House was one of the winning designs in the City of Chicago’s Green Homes for Chicago competition in July 2000. The Department of Environment and the Department of Housing opened this international architecture competition for designs of affordable homes that would use innovative and energy-efficient building methods.

Designed by EHDD Architecture, the F10 House takes its name from the idea that the home would reduce its negative environmental impact by a factor of 10 compared to the average American home. In 2004, the F10 House was awarded a “Top Ten Green Project” honor by the American Institute of Architects.

This 1,800 square foot home has simple floor plans and elevations which are basic enough for students learning to draft. Although the design of the home may appear more modern than many typical new homes, the typology, lot size, and floor plan arrangement is one that many students in urban areas will recognize and relate to.

The Architecture Handbook is organized into 6 projects, each focusing on the critical concepts within different types of architectural drawings. Students in an architectural drafting class can use the construction drawings of the F10 House to learn technical drawing skills and investigate the home’s block plan, site plan, floor plan, elevation, and building section. As part of the book’s final design project, students are given guidelines for creating their own design for a green home.