World House Radio

Today we welcome Ernesto Fonseca to the program. He is an architect and energy consultant with the The Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family, a project initiated by Arizona State University which seeks to promote housing that is affordable, dignified and environmentally and culturally responsive. Ernesto has been integral in the design, build and monitoring of the two homes created by the Stardust Center, the Nageezi House and the Guadalupe House. Both of these homes demonstrate the importance of a whole systems approach to the design of conscientious housing. Today, we are going to look at two systems that are especially important in these homes -- the air handling system and the social system. Air handling is how clean, healthy air moves through the home, providing ventilation, heating and cooling. The social system considers how a home allows for social interaction both within it and outside of it as it connects to the surrounding community. Both air and social interaction are esse