Frank Lloyd Wright

[Jeff Handley]

We are gonna do a Frank Lloyd Wright house. Don't get many jobs like that. I have to meet with the architects and engineers today.

[jutkhvac]

That's a pretty cool job. Which house/ building is it?

[Jeff Handley]

It's called the Bachman Wilson house. Here is a link to the press release. http://crystalbridges.org/press-rele...ural-treasure/

[mark beiser]

Put a multisplit system in it with wall hung air handlers!

[Jeff Handley]

I bid in ducted mini splits but we actually settle on ground source. It doesn't really matter to me what equipment we use, it's all about the install.

[vstech]

that house is fantastic! a buddy of mine has a house with many of the design features of that place incorporated into it (poorly, but it looks good) it is one of the houses I planned to copy in some ways at my own house... I've ALWAYS loved FLW's designs.

[vstech]

I just realized the house, designed for NJ is going to the south... AK or MS? wow. is the construction being changed to compensate for the climate?
what kind of heating system is in the place now? I know the house incorporates solar gain, but does it have a boiler? gravity heat? what?
I'd LOVE to have this thread updated as you get more info on the systems going forward!
it'd be cool to have modern insulation/air sealing installed when the house is settling in... radiant heat in the floors, etc.
it looks like the area has a good water table and river system nearby... perfect for WSHP's, but that floorplan NEEDS invisible installs... I would not like to see ductwork crammed all over that place. spacepac maybe... I wonder if wetwall provisions are in the house?

[ACFIXR]

I just realized the house, designed for NJ is going to the south... AK or MS? wow. is the construction being changed to compensate for the climate?
what kind of heating system is in the place now? I know the house incorporates solar gain, but does it have a boiler? gravity heat? what?
I'd LOVE to have this thread updated as you get more info on the systems going forward!
it'd be cool to have modern insulation/air sealing installed when the house is settling in... radiant heat in the floors, etc.
it looks like the area has a good water table and river system nearby... perfect for WSHP's, but that floorplan NEEDS invisible installs... I would not like to see ductwork crammed all over that place. spacepac maybe... I wonder if wetwall provisions are in the house?

Amen on updating this thread. Post lots of pics too.Is this the house? http://bachmanwilsonhouse.com/

[Jeff Handley]

Yes it is the Bachman Wilson house. It is to be moved from New Jersey to the Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, AR.
The house does have central HVAC installed now with the equipment on the roof. If you watch the walk through video on youtube you can spot the thermostat on the upstairs balcony wall and see a glimpse of a white aprox. 12x12 vent in the ceiling of the bedroom. It also has radiant floor heat installed.
We are gonna do away with all of that and are in the process of designing a system that is virtually unnoticeable. We will have some kind of vent thru the floor, I suggested something like the spacepak linear slot diffusers. We are gonna expand from there and probably have each boot custom made to fit the application where it is used. All the glass is single pane and so we are gonna have to keep dry air on it constantly to avoid it sweating and staining the wood. The house is going to be on a suspended concrete slab with equipment in the basement. All ground source.
The architects and engineers are working on the final design and I met with them last week. I have a meeting next week with the suppliers of the diffusers and possibly the floor boots. I like the 9/16" opening of the spacepak boots, but we are gonna need something a little wider, maybe an inch to get enough cfm and velocity to keep our glass dry, and still be virtually silent.
My understanding the first semi is loaded already. You have to understand this house will not be moved the conventional way, it will be very carefully dismantled in sections and packed in boxed semi trailers for transportation.
The house will be open for tours when it is completed and my understanding the equipment room will also be toured by students and professionals in the architectural and engineering fields.

[vstech]

transportation.
The house will be open for tours when it is completed and my understanding the equipment room will also be toured by students and professionals in the architectural and engineering fields.

Hmmm. I'd like to have information on that...

[vstech]

I'm surprised the radiant heat is being removed. it's very efficient, and invisible...

[clokwork76]

Wow, how exciting! Good luck with this project, very cool! Keep us updated. Want to see those pics!

[COOLJIM]

hi guys frank lloyd wright interested me, so i visited his summer school outside of maddison WI, and hs winter location outside of scottsdale AZ , great tours , my next trip will be to see, falling water near pittsburgh PA. Cool project for you to work on, congratulatins jim

[vstech]

I went on the FSU tour of his only institutional project, the largest single collection of FLLW buildings. I've got a few of the coffee table books showcasing his works, and I sought out a house designed by a student of his works, here in Charlotte, NC... combines several of his structures, and did a nice job of it, on a small scale.
I'd ABSOLUTELY love to have a few features of his works incorporated into my old house... I want to build a nice large cantilevered terrace, and have some solar lighting too...

[energy_rater_La]

please do post more! another FLW fan!

[Jeff Handley]

I will be picking up a revised print today. The reason we are looking at doing away with the floor heat, is we feel the need for warm dry air blowing on the glass to keep it from sweating is more important. Our biggest thoughts this week have been towards where to get return back from inconspicuous locations. The you tube walk thru video shows a approximately 12x12 grille in one bedroom ceiling. We don't want any of that if it can be avoided. One thought is to try to use some of the concrete block cores to pull air back to the basement. I still would like the return to be open in the basement so we can pull from numerous locations without a cluster of return duct.

[r-290]

One thought is to try to use some of the concrete block cores to pull air back to the basement.

You would need to seal those cores or the whole place might smell like the basement :-o
At least the block homes here have that smell as they are not insulated and only painted.

Sounds like a lot of planning, but also sounds like your having fun too!

[Gus-Herb94]

A place with as much glass as that needs radiant heat to be comfortable in the winter, especially if the floor is concrete. But if it's gonna be a museum, and located in the south I suppose it could get away without.

FLW homes were never known for their good HVAC. I've been to the Robie house, built in 1910 and on the tour they claimed that the house never could warm above 55 degrees in the winter. It originally had cast iron radiators and they didn't leave nearly enough room for large enough radiators.

I've been to Taliesin West in Scottsdale too, it was 110 outside and 95 inside with the A/C going...

[energy_rater_La]

some had ducts in fur downs that were part of the design not an
add on eyesore but a feature that most didn't notice housed
ducts. just what I noticed.

[Gus-Herb94]

I should add that Taliesin West was never designed to be used in the summer, so I shouldn't have included it. I still would have to assume that these homes mostly had HVAC installed as an afterthought or with very restrictive limitations.