P. Hawken, H. Lovins, A. Lovins – Natural Capitalism
The project site and context, the Owner’s needs and expectations, and the Designer’s intent, and construction requirements are all necessary elements of any project.
With this project, we attempted to optimize the design and construction process through focused collaboration. Bringing everyone together early in the design process, enabled the team to realize synergies that informed the design form and system efficiencies, resulting in more successful solution.
A major feature of the design is the open-air courtyard, which was created by removing part of the original warehouse roof. An alley entrance leads to this private garden space signifying arrival to the residence. Oriented towards the south, the open courtyard offers solar access to the loft interior. The courtyard and loft are conceived as one space. A large glass window wall separates the interior space from the elements while permitting daylight access and views of the courtyard.
The window wall also facilitates the use of passive heating and cooling strategies. During the summer months, when the sun is high in its zenith, the interior is shaded by the roof overhang and kept cool. Sliding doors provide access to the courtyard deck and encourage passive ventilation. A re-purposed skylight, equipped with a large ventilation fan, further daylights the interior and functions to cool the space by exhausting the hot air collected by the loft’s high ceilings. In the winter months, when the sun tracks lower in the sky, the suns rays are permitted to pass deep inside the space daylighting and passively heating the interior. The masonry walls absorb the sun’s energy during the day and radiate that heat as temperatures fall during the night. A wood-burning stove provides supplemental heat in the coldest months.
A primary goal of the project was to make the space appropriate and liveable as a home, while remaining true to its original nature. Retaining the structural clay tile walls, ship-lapped wood floor decking, and exposed roof framing and decking were key to nurturing an authentic aesthetic. New work is intentionally distinct and articulated as such by creating a new insertion within the existing warehouse shell. This insertion, referred to as the “wood box,” contains many of the programmatic needs, such as the bedroom, bathroom, laundry and kitchen.
Consolidating this program allowed for effective insulation of the most temperature sensitive areas within the loft and maximizing efficiencies of the mechanical and plumbing systems. The courtyard preconditions the elements before they enter the loft, which preconditions the elements before they enter the “wood box,” and vice versa. The loft becomes the first step outdoors and the courtyard is the first step indoors.
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