Project Details
Project Description
From the project’s inception, the design had to enhance and compliment the vernacular of East ________. The 1200 Pennsylvania site lays within the environs of the 1208 Delaware Street a “listed property”, subjecting the design to the regulations of __________’s Historic Resources Commission. However, we took several cues from the surrounding context as inspiration, revealed in features such as the sliding barn doors, the window proportions and the gabled roof forms to satisfy the HRC’s requisites while maintaining a contemporary, refined aesthetic. The site itself also had a tremendous impact on our design. The building sits on a prominent corner lot, with the main forms facing 12th Street. The house occupies a lot and a half and generously engages the site. It wraps around a south-facing courtyard that becomes the focal point of the house as nearly every room opens to it through full height windows. The courtyard is open to the sun but protected from the north winds to maximize its use throughout the year. 1200 Pennsylvania embraces sustainable design features in many ways: through passive solar heating strategies, an air tight highly insulated thermal envelope, efficient light fixtures and appliances as well as a high performance energy recovery ventilator system. These design characteristics in combination with a five kW photo voltaic array on the roof assures the owner little to no energy costs over a calendar year. Additionally, the house incorporates numerous recycled materials, which we have refinished to complement the aesthetic. Western Red Cedar siding was reclaimed from retired logging bridges in the Pacific Northwest. We milled various sizes of wood to produce over three linear miles of siding. The marble counter tops, which play a major role in our house’s interior design, were rescued from a nearby high rise built in the 1920’s when it was converted into residential apartments. This project has a HERS rating of 12 and will achieve LEED Platinum.
