House by the Pond

Project Details

Project Description

House by the Pond

The overall design of this new house was a direct response to an array of environmental regulations, site constraints, solar orientation and specific programmatic requirements.

The design strategy was to locate a two story volume that contained all of the bedrooms and baths, running north/south, along the western side of the site. An open, lofty, single story pavilion, separated by an interstitial space comprised of two large glass pivot doors, was located parallel to the street. This lower scale street front pavilion was conceived as a breezeway connecting the light and activity of the yard and pool area to the south with the view and wildlife of the pond to the north.

The exterior materials consist of anodized aluminum doors, windows and trim, cedar and cement board siding. They were selected for their low maintenance, modest cost, long-term durability, and sustainable nature. These materials were carefully detailed and installed to support these parameters. Clearstory windows above deep overhangs flood the interior spaces with daylight, limiting the need for summer air conditioning and allowing solar heat gain in the winter.

Specific zoning, an efficient geothermal heating and cooling system, highly energy efficient glazing and an advanced building insulation system resulted in a structure that exceeded the requirements of the energy star rating system. Native, low maintenance, drought tolerant landscaping was utilized to transform much of the site from its former suburban, over planted state to one that calmly co-exists with the new structure.