Green Design
After searching for the perfect location for their holiday home, the clients of Nolaster Architects of Madrid, Spain landed upon the OS House, a modern dream home in an unexpected location.
Perched high above the rocky ocean cliffs in the summer resort area of Loredo in Ribamontan al Mar, Catabria, Spain, this green home sits on a plot of land that many earlier prospects walked away from due to the high-winds of the area. The residents, however, embraced the natural landscape and its resources, and with the innovative work of Nolaster, were able to create a dwelling that was both eco-chic and highly conducive to a family lifestyle.
The facade is comprised of zinc panels that weather well with the salt air and act as folding shutters to shield sun as well as inclement weather. A modular home of sorts, the panels were joined together with nuts and bolts versus welding so they could easily be dismantled, moved, and/or recycled later on. Radiant floor heating is controlled by each room.
The green roof which encompasses the entire home save for one stairwell opening, helps shield winds and capture eco-energies, while the inner yard is protected from the winds while offering rainwater collection and reuse like flushing toilets, and watering the roof and garden. This area also acts as a lounging terrace for taking in the ocean views. An cantilevered staircase alongside the home’s exterior acts as planters for additional greenery.
This contemporary dwelling is visually flush, parallel with the horizon, allowing for uninterrupted views of the coastline from beyond. The front portion of the home overlooks the sea, while the rear crouches into the earth, supported by stilts and sheltered from the direct winds off of the sea. Polished pale wood flooring cascades across the entire home featuring vast glazed picture windows and select doors which open to the outside. The living room, dining room, library and office have mid-century furnishings in white, beige, red, black and warm woods which create a comfortable environment.
The master bedroom is clean-lined with a sliding wall that opens to the well-appointed red-tiled ensuite bath. The children’s bedroom spills unto a designated playroom. In addition, this home can actually sleep up to 24–a true vacation home! Ancillary basic spaces of the home include patios, lounges and multi-use rooms which contribute to the flexibility of the floorplan.
Embracing the winds and waves indigenous to the open land, the OS House by Nolaster provides a low-impact, practical and visually stunning minimalist dream home for a family to relax and grow in.
Posted by Suzanne at 16 May, 2013
LA-based architecture firm, Brooks + Scarpa implemented progressive methods when drastically renovating the Yin-Yang House, an environmentally-sustainable modern dream home suiting a family of six.
Located in a beachside neighborhood of Venice, the 4,700 square-foot L-shaped residence harmoniously combines live-work spaces with the ultimate Southern California living style. The street-facing facade of wood, steel, cement board and glass impresses while creating the illusion of a solid, single-scaled structure. However, once through the recycled steel front door, the dwelling opens to the vast courtyards allowing for seamless indoor-outdoor recreating. From the rear view of the residence, the second level is apparent. The family requested this freedom of shared living spaces in that both parents work from home and the teenage children needed some separate areas when having friends over.
Considered a net-zero energy structure, the home retains passive solar design strategies including a 12 kW system, a tight perimeter/smaller footprint, maximization of sun and wind energies, as well as two green roofs which clean the air and harness storm water runoff. Blown-in cellulose insulation and radiant flooring were used throughout. In addition, 80% of the construction waste was recycled.
The one-room deep first floor features a spacious home office separated from the rest of the residence by a smaller courtyard. The flowing kitchen, living room and dining room on the other side are highlighted by a 50-foot wide sliding glass door which opens to the backyard patio and pool. This ingenious wall gathers optimum daylight and generates natural ventilation. Mid-century modern furnishings fill the airy spaces, while linear bamboo walls and a gleaming white kitchen bring a clean vibe to the interiors.
Four small bedrooms are located at the top of a rear bamboo “stadium” staircase with metal grid railing. The cantilevered roof is laden with solar panels and also provides keen shade for both the bedrooms and open living spaces below. All bedroom have access to both the exterior porch hallway, as well as an internal one. The bedrooms were intentionally designed to be cozier quarters allowing for the rest of the floorplan’s living areas to possess maximum space. Defined linear edges of steel bands across the exterior visually meld the contemporary structures.
With innovative spatial planning and high-caliber sustainable energy systems (the residents have yet to have a power bill), the Yin-Yang residence is a modern “green” dream home in functional and aesthetic balance.
Posted by Suzanne at 15 May, 2013
Sloped into a lush hillside along the River Thaya south of the Czech Republic lies the private Hunting Lodge. Envisioned by architectural firm Basarch, this modern stone and wood structure seems to organically emerge from the earth below. Sporting members and their guests are invited to stay for gaming or simple relaxation on this picturesque property.
Located on a game preserve and tucked into an elevated grassy berm, this eco-friendly project features a green roof which provides insulation and is naturally infiltrated with rainwater. Massive stonework and stacked timber on the concrete-block facade offer additional climate-control for the interiors, as well as a rustic palette which becomes one with the surrounding land. Large sliding glass doors and a rooftop skylight allow for dense natural light to penetrate and reflect off of the white-walled spaces. The lodge itself sits upon a flood plain and despite being consequently raised to accommodate rising water levels, still manages to camouflage effortlessly with the rural landscape.
The linear salon features an elongated table with contemporary chairs and a reinforced concrete ceiling with wood impressions which plays well against the minimalist black and white fireplace. Above the hearth, the wall space is adorned with sets of antlers from past hunting expeditions. Furnishings are sparse in wood and earth-toned fabrics.
The ceiling of this main living area is raised towards the skylight, creating height which enhances both ventilation and an airy ambiance. Fully retractable glass walls open to a terrace overlooking the vast preserve roaming with wildlife. Such idyllic design distinctively blurs the boundaries between inside and the great outdoors.
The kitchen is masculine, with sleek stainless cabinetry and black glass tiles and range. Three bedrooms with modular beds and animal skin rugs, clean-lined baths and various work and storage areas complete the rest of the one-story floor plan.
The Hunting Lodge by Basarch exemplifies the natural essence of structural, functional and green modern design.
Posted by Suzanne at 6 May, 2013
With a prestigious LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification, this eco-luxury modern dream home by Maienza-Wilson Interior Design + Architecture is perched above Butterfly Beach in Montecito, California.
With a meticulous two-year build out supported by Santa Barbara county, this modern, sustainable dwelling features grass rooftops to help facilitate passive cooling, exotic ipe wood siding and decks (certified by the Forest Stewardship Council), solar panels built into the butterfly roof, drought-tolerant landscaping such as the Zen garden, radiant floors, Energy Star rated kitchen appliances, and recessed and dimmable LED lighting to name a few energy-efficient elements.
The three cube-like structures of the residence are interconnected by wood decking which flow from the three-car garage with aluminum and glass doors and wine cellar to the glass-tiled, elongated pool with cabana then to the main house. Walls of automated, noiseless sliding glass fully open up around the entire home harnessing natural light while creating a seamless space for quintessential indoor/outdoor California living. Gardens of cacti, bamboo and palms embrace the home, while a fire-pit with lounge seating contributes to the relaxed ambience.
The overall color schematic is beach-neutral in sand, grey, brown, gold and white. Light woods, natural stone and white walls accent the interiors. Furnishings, while sleek and contemporary, manage to conjure cozy spaces. On the main level is the master bedroom and spa-like bath with a deep, white soaking tub and vertical, earth-toned glass tiles. Two additional bedrooms are situated here as well.
An L-shaped cantilevered wood and glass staircase is flanked by sizable plywood “pebbles” and leads up towards the living room, dining room, kitchen and another spacious terrace, which all stun with views of the Pacific.
The talented team of John Maienza and Gregg Wilson achieved innovative design excellence while creating this luxuriously “green” modern dream home.
Posted by Suzanne at 3 May, 2013
In Beverly Hills we’ll take a peak at Jennifer Aniston’s home featured by Architectural Digest. Clearly, for Jennifer the remodeling of her home was a labor of love. Harold W. Levitt was the architect who originally designed the home back in the 70′s and Aniston worked with designer Stephen Shadley on the home for two and half years before completing the project. The home was in poor condition and had to be almost completely rebuilt. Now the home is open and airy with a zen like quality. Jennifer chose to use eco-friendly materials such as fallen trees rather then trees that were harvested through cutting and installed solar panels on the roof. The home was designed for entertaining and has an old-fashioned Hollywood quality. She has a game room with a pool table where guest like to gather and a frequently used piano in the living room.
Posted by KarenShearer at 15 April, 2013
Good things come in small packages, especially in the form of a cleverly-envisioned, 540 square-foot home with an interesting and colorful history. Named Tiny House and described by its designer and owner Jessica Helgerson as an “experiment in reduction and reuse,” this home built of reclaimed materials sits on a five-acre farm in Sauvie Island, Oregon, just north of Portland. While rooted in form and function, elements including the spare ambiance and clean-lined furnishings add a meshing of modern design to this unique cottage.
Housing a family of four, this unconventional dream home was originally built in the 1940s in Vanport Village, a community which housed shipyard-worker families. After a massive flood, this home literally floated down river to Sauive Island and became a goose-check station. Until the designer and her husband purchased the property in 2008, it had been a rental.
Posted by Suzanne at 11 April, 2013
In Southern California, we have the Malibu in the family home of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. They have a 25,000-square-foot adobe style home built on a 150-acre parcel of land that was initially comprised of several properties in the Santa Monica Mountains near Calabasas, California. It was important to the couple to have both a sense of intimacy in their residence and a home that related back to the land on which it was built. It took four years to obtain their building permit due to the sensitivity of the surrounding environmental landscape and the many building regulation in the area. They were granted the building permit and subsequently have created a home that reflects their passions and sense of connection to history and the world around them. Everything in the home was handmade by master craftsman and much attention was paid to exquisite details, such as the river stones in-laid into the wooden floors in the form of spirals and the infinity knot. Exposed ceiling beams were salvaged from old barns and homesteads and a hammered wrought iron railing leads to the second floor.
Posted by KarenShearer at 10 April, 2013
