Contemporary Design in Detail: Sustainable Environments

31

Left During the summer, the raised concrete

form shelters the interior from the sun, and

the open plan circulates cool air from the

bottom of the slope to the top.  e slope

allows the low winter sun to enter, however,

and creates the feeling of a winter garden.

A constant climate can be maintained in

the space throughout the seasons due to the

modest amount of exterior wall in contact

with fl uctuating air temperatures outside.

12:16 (79°)

10:00

05:03

14:00

19:30

summer solstice

dawn 05:03

noon 12:16 (79°)

dusk 19:30

spring/autumnal equinox

dawn 06:17

noon 12:22 (56°)

dusk 18:26

winter solstice

dawn 07:16

noon 12:12 (32°)

dusk 17:09

12:22 (56°)

10:00

06:17

14:00

18:26

12:22 (56°)

10:00

14:00

07:16

17:09

Site Specificity

32 Sustainable Environments

33

Site Specificity

Travis Price Architects,

Slavin-Arnholz Residence,

Washington D.C., United States

 e design is a four-level addition to the back

of an older home on a steep and narrow site

on Rock Creek Park.  e layered, multiple

decks that terrace down the slope provide

the owners with much-needed outdoor living

space and play areas, since the steep topogra-

phy barred a usable rear yard.  e house cel-

ebrates the tall, upright forms of the existing

treescape. By using a column structure with

pinpoint footings for the addition, all major

trees on the property were retained. Trees

even integrate with the structure, growing

through openings in the lower decks.

Above  e structure approximates the ver-

ticality of the tree trunks on the site without

mimicry of form. Shade from the foliage

helps to lower the cooling loads for the

house, a signifi cant reduction for this warm,

humid climate.  e design also promotes the

natural admission of light and air through

a consideration of the sun angles and cross

ventilation. In addition, a green roof system

helps to keep rainwater runoff to the nearby

stream and park at a minimum.

34 Sustainable Environments

Above Abundant glazing at the house and

frameless glass guardrails on the decks refl ect

the foliage and sky, producing an impression

of lightness as the architecture is sublimated

into the landscape.  e copper and steel

fi nishes of the exterior harmonize with the

natural palette of greens.

Right  e addition more than doubled the

space of an early twentieth-century Tudor-

style cottage. From the street, only a small

portion of the stair tower is visible above the

slate roof of the existing house and barely so

due to the dense foliage.  us, the addition

preserves the small-scale feel of the street.

Saving an existing house and its infrastruc-

ture is a signifi cant strategy in introducing

sustainability to established neighborhoods:

Here, it allowed the owners to stay within

the city limits rather than moving to a more

distant suburb and avoided the wasteful

tear-down syndrome of “monster” houses

replacing smaller ones on urban lots.

MO-08C-SMA.tif

35

Site Specificity

Above Every opening celebrates the chang-

ing light and vistas through the wooded site.

A reveal at the ceiling and fl oor hides the

frame and sill of the window to achieve a

sense of continuous verticality in the view,

which reinforces the forms of the trees

directly outside.  e glass is highly insulated

and argon fi lled.

MO-08D-SMA.tif