Every year The American Institute of Architects selects outstanding residential designs for their Housing Awards. This year the majority of the houses in the One/Two–Family Custom Housing category featured green design and energy efficient ideas. One of the awards was given to a 3,000-square-foot San Francisco residence designed and built by Jim Zack and Lisa de Vito of Zack / de Vito Architecture.
The eco-friendly design includes a translucent staircase that creates a light shaft from the skylight to the basement, wood that was harvested sustainably, and solar panels. Most of of its frame was built off-site and then put together in its final location. This process of construction reduces waste and saves time and money.
The house by Zack / de Vito Architecture and other winners of AIA awards are highlighted on the WSJ website. To learn more about the projects check out AIA website.
Photo: WSJ
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Comments (4)
I love this neighborhood! Also, FYI, the Glen Park Festival to benefit the neighborhood is this weekend on Sunday the 26th from 10-4.
Isn't a 3000 sq ft eco-friendly house an oxymoron? Seriously. The first principle of green design should be to build as small as possible. If you fail that step, you fail period at building green, eco-friendly whatever you want to call it.
depends on how many people are living in it before you make that judgment. and it's not like it's sprawling with a huge yard. nevertheless, it's gorgeous
ilima,
No matter the size of the structure, my understanding of building "eco-friendly" or "sustainable design" all comes down to the materials used and how a majority of the energy is obtained (ie solar panels, direct solar, photovoltaic cells etc) in order to "give back" to the environment and reduce carbon emissions.
Just look at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. It's a whopping 412,000 sq feet and it won numerous awards for sustainable design, such as the Platinum LEED award, the EPA's regional 2006 Environmental Award and the North American winner of the silver Holcim Award for sustainable construction.
Therefore, I don't believe the smaller, the greener.