Comments on: Big Dig House: Recycled Residence Reaches Completion

By: KiwiTayl

KiwiTayl — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:35:38 +0000

Based on a PBS documentary story about this house, the steel is heated by radiant heat tubes at the points of penetration. It is claimed that the “thermal bridge” problem is overcome and the heated steel in the structure becomes a heat source, as well.

By: Tamaresque

Tamaresque — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:09:13 +0000

Using the industrial materials has made a house that appears to be too large for human scale and makes for a very impersonal space in the living areas. It looks like an industrial designer’s fantasy!

By: jeanX

jeanX — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:34:55 +0000

How is the house heated?

By: ironworker

ironworker — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:29:18 +0000

I once built a beautiful modern house here in Minnesota, with a W18x76 steel beam running though the facade. Years later, still bothered by this detail, I calculated that this piece of steel is 1000 times more thermally conductive than the nominal R-19 wall it is next to.

Arguably a beautiful house, but can you say “thermal bridge?”