Rollingwood Modern

Project Details

Project Description

FROM THE FIRM:

Originally built in the early 1950s prior to the introduction of air-conditioning, this home was constructed almost entirely of concrete, including: the exposed slab floor; eleven inch thick roof with four foot overhangs; all of the eight inch thick exterior walls; and many of the interior walls.

Renovated in two stages, the first phase added a new master bath on the exterior and remodeled the kitchen and an existing bath. To avoid unnecessary demolition work to the existing concrete structure, existing spaces were reorganized and better utilized. The only square footage added was at the new family room desk alcove and at the master bath.

The master bath was conceived as an all glass room to contrast with the existing concrete walls and is attached to an exterior wall adjacent to the master bedroom. An existing window was removed and the concrete wall below the sill cut away for a new doorway. Similarly, a section of the existing concrete roof overhang was sliced out and the new volume inserted, including a continuous bank of high clerestory windows below a wide flat roof -- providing even more natural light in a space already defined by its glass block exterior walls. In the center, a freestanding, cast concrete countertop with recycled glass chips separates the toilet and shower compartments from the vanity area.

The kitchen was entirely gutted and rebuilt with high efficiency lighting, low formaldehyde cabinets, zero VOC paints, and a custom-formed, cast-concrete and recycled glass island strategically placed in the center of the room.

In phase two, an entirely new second floor master suite was built on the roof. The second floor addition continued the green theme of the previous phase, utilizing many of the same materials and forms. In this phase, another section of the original concrete roof was carefully removed and a metal clad, two story stair tower inserted. A cast concrete and recycled glass landing at the bottom of the steel stair mirrors the concrete island in the kitchen. The inverted “butterfly” roof was selected not only to be in keeping with the aesthetic of the 50’s era original home, but also to facilitate rainwater collection. Like the roof of the original house, the broad roof overhangs on the second floor protect doors and windows and shade the exterior walls.

LED lights were used throughout the second floor and expanding half pound foam insulation was used in both wall and ceilings. A 5kW photovoltaic solar array was constructed on the roof of the stair. R30 rigid insulation covered with a reflective, commercial grade TPO membrane was added to the existing concrete roof deck.

Inherently more sustainable than new construction, this renovated home received a 5-Star rating by the city’s Green Building Program-- the highest offered. The addition of modern windows, lighting, plumbing, and insulation to the original concrete structure has resulted in an energy and resource efficient house which retains the thermal mass benefits of the original concrete core.