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First Optimum Performance Green Home
Green Building Methods
By: Gary Reber - Saturday, May 24, 2008
Source: Gary Reber Designer
The article will document the design and construction of the first Optimum Performance Home. The project has been selected by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for inclusion in the national Leadership In Energy & Environmental Design (LEED®) for Homes pilot program, their new green build certification initiative, and the goal is Platinum certification.
The home is being built at The Sea Ranch, located in Sonoma County, along the Northern California coastline of the Pacific Ocean, approximately 110 miles north of San Francisco.
The showcase project is exemplary of the “Ultimate Home Design®” concept, which integrates age-friendly universal design with the best sustainable building practices, while exerting minimal impact on the natural environment. Universal design is the inclusive, non-discriminatory design of products, buildings, environments, and urban infrastructure; as well as information technologies that are accessible to and useable by (almost) all. With respect to home design, the idea is to design and build homes that have no physical barriers, thus sustaining people of all ages and all capabilities in a functional, comfortable, and aesthetic lifestyle.
A building-science systems approach to home building is the cornerstone of the project, with emphasis on the relationship between the home’s components and the envelope they create. Also paramount is good stewardship—proper regard and respect for the rights of neighboring homeowners and the surrounding natural setting, and resource efficiency. The goal is to optimize occupant health, comfort, and safety; maximize energy efficiency and structural durability; and minimize environmental impact. In addition, the aim is toward providing a nurturing home environment to support independent living and sustainable lifestyles.
The goal is to demonstrate how modern building products and methods can make life safer, more comfortable, and more enjoyable. The science of optimum performance homes concerns itself with building structures that use less energy, are quieter and more comfortable, have fewer problems with material degradation, provide clean air and water, and do less damage to the environment. As an integrated and holistic design, the house will serve as a permanent residence that allows its occupants to age in place.
The high-performance building systems to be employed are designed to exceed California building code requirements and resist natural disasters more effectively than a code-minimum house, even with the new California code requirements that require use of non-combustible or fire ignition-resistant building materials. Built with stronger building materials and superior techniques, the home will be safer, allowing homeowners greater peace of mind. The Optimum Performance Home qualifies for the Fortified…For Safer Living® program of the Institute for Business & Home Safety (www.ibhs.org/business_protection). This program specifies construction, design, and landscaping guidelines to increase a new home’s resistance to natural disaster.
In addition, the home will meet the guidelines and qualifications for the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection’s ENERGY STAR®, the EPA’s (Environmental Protection Agency) WaterSense™, and the American Lung Association® Health House® programs. It also will meet the requirements of the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Model Green Home Building Guidelines, the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) Green Building Guidelines, and the “Green Points” program. Sonoma County and The Sea Ranch Association are now considering this program for adoption. Furthermore, the home’s design was the subject of a case study analysis presentation before the Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN), Full Spectrum Practice Convention of the American Institute of Architects on October 20, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois.
The home is also a case study of the California Energy Commission in terms of energy-efficiency applications and an advanced water-saving plumbing plan.
Finally, the home is a national showcase for CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association), and is the subject of a series of articles on the design and installation of the electronic lifestyle components in the home. These articles are featured in CEDIA’s Electronic Lifestyles® quarterly magazine.
The Sea Ranch Design Committee imposes upon designers architectural building blocks derived from the original rural structures found on the northern California coast. Designers are expected to apply their creativity to render various arrangements and deviations to arrive at a custom solution that specifically responds to the site. Successful proposals submitted to the Design Committee address the issues of passive solar positioning, wind, glazing (window) layout, privacy between neighbors, vegetation protection, view preservation, topography and grade changes, roof slopes, appropriate exterior materials and finishes, and other exterior design considerations—all within the building and site design.
A focus of the Optimum Performance Home’s design is to stand as a showcase for the “green” movement and demonstrate means of reducing a home’s impact on the planet through the use of Low-Impact Development (LID) and environmentally responsible and sustainable building materials. It is hoped that the home will become a case study for a “Green Points Program” suited to the scale of The Sea Ranch.
The home’s 3,272-square-feet living space (4,441-square-feet total building “footprint,” including garages, covered walkways, courtyard, and decks) will be arranged in a three-building compound using a well-sealed, well-insulated, super-tight building envelope that reduces temperature fluctuations and enhances overall energy efficiency. This arrangement provides for an alcove courtyard protected from the prevailing wind from the northwest. The home is designed with differing spatial experiences throughout to encourage exploration. The home will display innovative interior design and be furnished in a contemporary Frank Lloyd Wright style appropriate to its dimensions. The home design connects the indoors and the outdoors with covered walkways, a courtyard, decks, and a garden to expand livable space, without requiring heating or air conditioning. The home is designed in accordance with biophilic design principles with abundant and excellent use of natural light and natural indigenous landscaping planned.
The main-floor living area is designed to accommodate the capabilities of all occupants without any challenging physical barriers, even for the elderly and disabled. The home design features a ground-level open plan for the living room, dining room, master bedroom suite, and spacious kitchen with solarium, exhibition cooktops, and home management system.
The second building in the compound is designed to accommodate a large state-of-the-art Optimum Performance Home Theatre™ with integrated rear-screen projection room and a home office.
The third building will include a two-car and boat garage, workshop, main-level guest bathroom, and laundry room. The second level of this building will have two guest bedrooms, a bathroom, and a dedicated library/home theatre/surround music room distinguished by a high-tower feature. To insure universal access to this floor, the design provides for an Otis® Gen2 residential elevator.
The entrance and walkways that connect the three buildings and the solarium will be enclosed with insulated- and solar gain-reduced-tempered glass. There will be a seating area at the vestibule entrance to the home. The main entrance vestibule will serve as an oversized mudroom. The driveway, area around the garage, guest parking, and entrance to the home—as well as all paths—are designed in accordance with The Sea Ranch guidelines governing exterior hard-surfaced paths. All such surfaces are pervious to virtually eliminate water runoff. The surface will be packed with decorative gravel to enhance the natural appearance of the home’s setting.
The home site is nestled on an almost-acre parcel at the edge of a forested area of the southern section overlooking the Pacific Ocean, offering distant water views. The orientation of the home on the site is designed to take advantage of natural lighting and passive solar heating and cooling. Good site and land planning will result in minimal land disturbance and preservation of natural features and environments.
Landscaping will consist of The Sea Ranch-approved indigenous vegetation with low-water requirements and unique water conservation features, including two ponds and a stream supported by rainwater catchment and captured runoff. Site grading has been specifically planned to enhance the project’s placement in the watershed, and the design incorporates the principles of Low Impact Development to minimize runoff from impervious surfaces and mimic the natural hydrology in overall effect. The resultant water harvesting will then minimize the use of irrigation, and the increased infiltration and retention will passively support the native landscape. Additionally, a gray water system will be used for undersurface plant irrigation.
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