The Green House Is No Longer A Solarium

January 17, 2011

One of the next dreams I'm going to manifest is a Green House, but I don't mean a place to grow tomatoes. I mean a residence which has a heck of a lot more sustainability than the majority of urban architecture. Having spent almost two decades engaged in the design, redevelopment, and sales of adaptive reuse conversions into loft domiciles, I've always celebrated historic preservation, advocated the re-use of original materials, upgraded with natural materials, and lobbied for the most energy-efficient building components. Now I'd like to do this from the ground up. But wait... I'm getting a little ahead of myself as I still have to navigate through the renovation of my loft in The Movie House, a charming intimate conversion located on College Street in Little Italy that was the third development I was engaged in back in 1997, before I realize this next quest.

In the interim, I'm actively sleuthing for inspiration and elevating my knowledge and awareness. This stellar west coast property, featured recently on the great site www.ArchDaily.com, serves as a brilliant example of modern sustainability. Designed by Coates Design inside and Outdoor Studio outside, this contemporary residence is the first LEED Platinum home outside the city of Seattle. As the article says:

"The design limits its impact on the environment with a multitude of sustainable practices. Through implementation of geothermal, photovoltaic, solar hot water, and advanced heat-recovery technologies this home has succeeded in reducing the energy consumption by more than 70% compared to a typical home construction. The home also makes use of rain water cisterns for irrigation of native landscaping and a vegetated roof. The project’s ecologically small footprint was not just constrained to the construction of the new house. Rather than demolishing the existing structure on the site, the team deconstructed it, effectively diverting 98% of its material from the landfill."

Here's a cross-section of the house which illustrates part of the green design program:

As a reader of my blog you may already know that I believe the most effective way to create timeless design is through the use of natural materials. I love stone, metal, wood and glass. This house has it in spades! As contemporary as this property is, I don't consider it 'flash in the pan trendy'.