Zero Energy Oakland House. Wonderful scientists home

Zero Energy Oakland House. Wonderful scientists home. Green building

Faulkner Architects | Zero Energy Oakland House. Wonderful scientists home – Orinda, California green home | The green building clients are a couple of environmental scientists. Along with their two sons, relocated from the Oakland Hills to the summer climate of Orinda. So, Their commitment to sustainability, including a request for net-zero energy performance annually, was evident throughout the design process. SEATTLE CABINS

Zero Energy Oakland House. Wonderful green building scientists home. A three-bedroom program began as a remodel of a 1954 ranch house. At the foot of a hill next to a seasonal creek. After finding the existing structure and soils to be unsuitable, the direction settled on reusing the existing footprint under the shade of a Valley Oak that had grown up close to the original house. The surviving portion of the original house is the fireplace. Which, was wrapped in concrete and utilized for structural support. This made additional grading unnecessary and allowed the new house to maintain the same intimate relation to the old oak.

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Entry to the 3,725-square-foot house is from the north, where a steel plate-covered walkway leads to the front door. Inside, one finds light-filled with 20-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling, high-performance glazing builds continuity with the landscape. TERRACOTTA APARTMENT

Zero Energy Oakland House. Wonderful scientists home. A 12-foot-wide (3.6-meter) retractable glass wall opens onto a patio and adjoining garden. Moreover, the family desired an open living layout that connected directly to the landscape. Consequently, a mezzanine plan evolved with a double-height family space nested with a master bedroom and study stacked above the kitchen and nook. Also, a screened pacing deck for long phone calls shades the upper level from the afternoon summer sun. Downstairs, secondary bedrooms along an extendable hallway, wrap an outdoor dining area situated between the kitchen and family room. 10 BEAUTIFULL HOME OFFICE

Construction materials and methods were considered. In the balance between first and lifecycle costs: That’s why the Corten steel rain screen for the exterior skin and, interior wood was chosen. Firstly to take advantage of zero annual maintenance cost. Secondly, a shotcrete foundation allowed formwork to be repurposed for wood framing.

Zero Energy Oakland House. Wonderful scientists home. Single-use material. Selections such as the Corten steel and shotcrete foundation reduced complexity in detailing and labor costs. So it is allowing a larger portion of the budget to be reallocated for upgraded mechanical, insulation, and glazing systems. The same attitude for interior finishes produced acoustically detailed unfinished oak ceilings and walls. Therefore the smell of the oak and the feel of it underfoot build a multisensory connection to the immediate landscape outside.

California green home. The total of the limited and landscape-driven materials presents a relaxed and quiet built environment. So That allows the senses to focus on the natural environment. A haptic connection to the rhythms of our planet is present in the lives of the family. A GEORGIAN HOUSE STYLE

Zero Energy Oakland House. Wonderful scientists home. A 14-gauge Corten rain screen provides no-maintenance skin. High levels of insulation and glazing efficiency reduce heating and cooling loads. An 8.1kW photovoltaic system provides on-site renewable energy. Therefore it produces more electrical energy than the house used the first year. Rainwater is collected via a waterfall from the roof at the end of the hallway. A TROPICAL CONTEMPORARY HOUSE

Faulkner Architects green building california green home

California green home. Buried tanks store water for use in toilets and laundry. Greywater is collected separately and reused for irrigation. Electronically commutated motors and variable speed heat pumps are used to further limit energy use and control heating and cooling. An energy recovery ventilator is used to provide fresh air.

Faulkner Architects Design Team

Greg Faulkner

Christian Carpenter

Jenna Shropshire

Owen Wright

Darrell Linscott

Richard Szitar

Pete Austin

Ben Lueck

Glenn Lutz

Project Team

Architect: Faulkner Architects