Contemporary Design in Detail: Sustainable Environments

41

Site Conservation

Above Construction materials were kept

simple and natural, including woven linseed

fi ber insulation and cold-pressed linseed oil

fi nish for the pine exterior walls. All of the

wood, including the interior birch plywood

fi nish, was obtained from a local sawmill.

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43

Site Conservation

Travis Price Architects, Price Residence,

Washington D.C., United States

 e street façade of the architect’s residence

is an abstract patinaed copper curve that

hangs from two 18-inch (457-millimeter)-

diameter, 66-foot (20.1-meter)-high red

columns anchored by steel cables at the edge

of a cliff .  e tree trunk that seems a part of

the house’s structure hints at eff orts to keep

changes to the site at a minimum. A section

of the wall cuts inward to accommodate the

tree, which is framed by a glazed vertical

slot. Although the front of the house appears

broad, the building in fact approaches the

ground with a small square base where the

heavy columns sit on 10-foot (3.1-meter)-

deep post foundations.

Above Left A view through the treetops

reveals multiple suspension points for the

structure and the cupola on the open roof

terrace.  roughout the house, the unique

structural system is left exposed and painted

a consistent red.  e proximity of the large

oak and birch trees is also evident—the de-

sign saved all the large trees on the site.

Left  e property backs onto the Rock Creek

Park area where a stream bed feeds the creek

that leads to the region’s major waterway.

Because the project required signifi cant

environmental and planning review, the

design minimally aff ects the soil and trees,

and the building is literally suspended above

the ground by the cantilevered system.  e

house contacts the ground at a few points

only: the large columns, the 40-foot (12.2-

meter)-long anchor in front, and a vertical

support for the deck at the back.  e rest of

the building cantilevers off this system using

solid suspension rods, cantilevered steel-tube

beams, and counterweights.

44 Sustainable Environments

Above  e building is wide, relative to its

narrow section.  is balancing act is clear in

the rear elevation, which reveals the similar-

ity of the structure to a suspension bridge.

 e large expanse of insulated storefront

glazing brings the outdoors inside.

Opposite  e counterweights are steel tubs

that weigh 5 tons (4.5 metric tons) each

and serve to stabilize the building against

hurricane-force winds hitting the back wall.

Beyond the weight, a notch is visible in the

curved deck that wraps around a tree trunk,

almost in line with the tree on the front

façade.  e design circumvents the problems

of building a large footprint along an uneven

and steep terrain that is complicated by the

combination of disturbed fi ll and underlying

bedrock.

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Site Conservation