In Northern California, William McDonough + Partners designs an energy-neutral residence rooted strongly in its surroundings For sustainability guru William A. McDonough, FAIA, buildings aren't vampires sucking up natural resources, but regenerative systems that should improve the environment. “The idea of 'getting to zero' for water or energy use is ridiculous. Is that the best we can do?” he says. This ethos, the guiding principle of his design career, is clearly embodied by the Meadow Farm House, completed in 2013 for a family whose values align closely with his own. The building site, a secluded three-acre perch in northern California,
Site size: 7.2 acres Project size: 1,776 square feet Program: The renovation of a holiday house that preserves existing materials while adding on to suit a growing family. Location: A rural portion of northern New South Wales, Australia with a subtropical climate. Solution: Working within a limited budget, the architects added a new breathable facade along the entire length of the single-story structure. The multifunctional wood frame fa'ade creates an open plan by supporting the ceiling rafters, and contains glazed sliding doors fitted with insect screens and retractable slatted blinds to extend the view and provide security when not occupied.
Site size: 60,711 square feet Project size: 5,431 square feet Program: A family house is integrated into the mountain landscape to offer optimal privacy and tranquility. Location: The base of the Northstar California Resort near Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Solution: The house is conceived in plan as three elongated bars. The largest encompasses the living, dining and kitchen areas, as well as sleeping quarters. A narrow bar of space for services separates the main portion of the house from the third bar'a garage on the northwest side. An insulated concrete wall divides these spaces longitudinally and situates
Architect and developer Jonathan Segal's cast-in-place concrete house for his family in La Jolla, California, brings urbanity to the suburbs. In temperate La Jolla, California, a narrow building lot and a desire for a generous outdoor living area gave rise to the straightforward rectilinear motifs of the 5,300-square-foot Cresta House, a three-story coastal residence designed by San Diego architect Jonathan Segal for himself and his wife, Wendy. “The house wanted to be a pure form on this site,” Segal says. He conceived the cast-in-place concrete structure as an orthogonal volume, slicing and shaping rooms and functional spaces within and around
Site size: 151,584 square feet Project size: 2,720 square feet Program: A new residence connected to a concert space contained within a 1940s barn. Location: Three acres in a hilly and remote section of Beverly Hills, CA. Solution: The architects connected a new house to an existing barn that they repurposed for a recital space. The bedrooms on the second level offer views of the trees and woodland through expansive areas of glazing. Construction and materials: Since the renovated property is situated in a high-fire zone, the use of flame-resistant materials, such as Ipe inside and out, was important. The
RSS
