The Joinery is a single-family residence north of downtown and is the first project in Oklahoma to seek certification under the Living Building Challenge (LBC), which is organized around seven petals: place, water, energy, health and happiness, materials, equity, and beauty.
PROJECT GOALS
- Connect the community to food, nature, and each other.
- Build a home that is self-sufficient, limited to the resources within its site.
- Serve as a model of innovative, sustainable design in Tulsa and beyond.
PLACE The Joinery is located in an historic district just north of downtown Tulsa with access to mass transit. Robust urban agriculture takes place on site, and the owners regularly host food-related events.
WATER The Joinery paved the way for residential net-zero water projects in Tulsa. JDS played a critical role with the mayor’s office, which approved an ordinance relieving the requirement to connect to City water and wastewater infrastructure. All rainwater will be collected and treated for use as potable water. The project also features an aerobic treatment system, which means all wastewater will be treated on site.
ENERGY The project boasts 12-inch-thick exterior walls of solid masonry which serve to slow temperature swings between the interior and exterior. Pairing the thermal mass walls with a simple mechanical system, LED lighting, ceiling fans, and operable windows will minimize the Joinery’s energy use. All required energy will be generated by the solar array located on the adjacent building.
HEALTH & HAPPINESS The Joinery uses natural materials on the interior to connect with the agriculture surrounding the residence; salvaged materials were used wherever possible to reduce the buildup of toxins in the interior and improve health and wellbeing.
MATERIALS All waste generated by construction activities has been diverted from landfills. The embodied carbon from all materials is calculated and offset. Materials have been exhaustively screened to ensure they are responsibly sourced and free of red list carcinogenic chemicals.
EQUITY Since this residence is intended to be a community hub, the first floor living area and kitchen area are designed to be welcoming spaces for community events.
BEAUTY The Joinery’s historic, craftsman aesthetic, paired with long-standing passive design strategies and new, energy-saving technologies coalesce to meld simple and complex, old and new, past and present in a manner that is emblematic of the design process we champion at JDS. The process, as well as the project, can be beautiful.
