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
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