Contemporary Design in Detail: Sustainable Environments

127

Above Underground, a fi ltration system

treats household effl uence biologically and

percolates the black water through graduated

layers of gravel and soil under the planters

to nourish the gardens.  e system accom-

modates wastewater from adjacent houses as

well. Just as communal waste is treated, ex-

cess energy generated by the photosynthetic

skin in the future will be shared.

Hydrological Systems

play area

native landscaping

gray water storage

“living machine” (waste treatment)

community gardens

reclaimed water for subsurface irrigation

sunlight

rain rain

ventilation

prevailing summer winds

128 Sustainable Environments

Jestico + Whiles,

A House for the Future, St. Fagans,

Cardiff , Wales, United Kingdom

 e vegetated roof curves down on the

north side of the house to a large and deep

metal gutter used for collecting and storing

rainwater. In fact, this outsized container is

capable of holding more than 3 cubic meters

(105.9 cubic feet) of water. Based on the aver-

age rainfall in the region and the roof surface

area, the architects have calculated that the

house collects approximately 56 cubic meters

(1,977.6 cubic feet) of rain each year.  is

quantity represents the conservation of about

a quarter of the water used by an average

four-person household in Wales.

OC-06E-SMA.eps

129

Above and Left Planted with sedum, the

green roof helps fi lter some of the rainwater

but also absorbs solar radiation and carbon

dioxide in the air. Sedum is often employed

on these extensive green roofs for its shallow

root system.  e stored water passes through

a fi lter for nonpotable uses within the house,

such as fl ushing toilets and doing laundry.

Appliances such as the washing machine

or dishwasher accordingly meet low energy

and water consumption requirements. On

the opposite side of the house, the rainwater

fl ows down the slope to a gutter, where it is

channeled to the garden in front.

Hydrological Systems

130 Sustainable Environments

Pool Architektur, T.O. Penthouse,

Vienna, Austria

 is studio apartment is transformed when

the furnishings are rolled out from the wall.

What appears to be a dark gap around the

headboard of the bed is actually the profi le

of a table that extends into the same zone.

When not in use, bed, table, and adjacent

storage closet neatly disappear, leaving a

painted panel fl ush with the wall.

131

Bercy Chen Studio, Residence on Beverly

Skyline, Austin, Texas, United States

 e focus of the design was to connect the

house with the site, a garden of indigenous

plants located on a steep gradient with a

creek at the foot of the slope.  e result is

an architectural intervention that addresses

conditions in the humid subtropical climate

by collecting rainwater in pools at the ground

fl oor of the house and channeling it down the

slope to a storage tank near the creek.  e

system alleviates runoff from thunderstorms

that can cause fl ash fl ooding in lower parts of

the city.  e harvested rainwater is then used

to irrigate the garden and will provide water

for an intended outdoor shower.

Above In the evening, as the garden below

disappears in the darkness, the illuminated

pools form a dramatic foreground to distant

panoramic views.  e glazed walls fold

open and stack to the side so that the pools

become part of the living space. With the

built-in seating, nothing mediates between

the inhabitants and the calming presence of

the fl owing water.

Left Water rushes through a tube from the

upper level to one of the cascading pools

that wrap around the sides of the house.  e

pools are constructed with poured-in-place

concrete and salvaged steel sheets.

Hydrological Systems