A Seattle family tasked Atmosphere Design Build with creating a sustainable dwelling in Nevada City, California, the matriarch's hometown and a historic mining community. The firm's material-driven approach channels the pioneer spirit of the gold rush, without compromising comfort or high-efficiency standards.
Simpatico Homes founder Seth Krubiner has lived in the prefab company’s nearly net-zero prototype since it was customized and lifted onsite in 2011.
Components for low-cost prefab homes designed by Habitat for Humanity and the firm Minarc for South Central Los Angeles were trucked in and assembled over three days. Photos by Art Gray.
Most impressive of all, a solar array on the roof empowers the residents to produce more energy than they consume on-site.
At a net-zero home in San Francisco, the house's green roof is more of a brown roof: a desert-like array of native and non-native succulents that require minimal irrigation. The soil area is maintained with motorcycle tires (including one from a Harley hog), which control erosion. Composting takes place here as well.
Metal shingles cut from scraps of sheet metal mix with new material as well as odds and ends, such as a road sign Baker bought at the Alameda Flea market. Baker designed stainless steel clips that allow any tile to be easily moved or replaced without the use of tools. Planter box panels add functionality to the facade and can be swapped out or relocated throughout the year.
“These are homes that are truly sustainable—they don’t create any waste in fabrication, and there’s no waste onsite.” —Tryggvi Thorsteinsson, Minarc. Photos by Art Gray.
Rather than a one-off custom piece, Baker designed the daybed as a prototype and worked with Ohio Design on its fabrication.
“There’s no drilling or chopping,” says Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir, cofounder of Minarc. “It’s
a very elegant way to build.” Photos by Art Gray.
Bullitt Center (Seattle, Washington: 2013)
Denis Hayes, chief executive of the Bullitt Foundation, said that if the Bullit Center, his organization’s ambitious experiment in creating a sustainable and “living” office building, is still the greenest space of its kind in a decade, it will have been a failure. That’s not bragging, that’s merely an insight into the scope and ambition of this revolutionary structure, a testing ground for water and energy self sufficiency (via rainwater collection, composting, and a large solar array) aiming to be a case study for radical change in how we build. Based on stats released on Earth Day in April, the building’s first anniversary, the structure is currently using 75 percent less energy than a similar structure and is on its way to a net zero energy certification.
Photo by Benjamin Benschneider
Accessed by a ladder with alternating treads, the sleeping loft features custom casework by Kevin P. Clarke Custom Woodwork that holds Kid Robot figurines, Hopi baskets, and an iPhone gramophone by Lawrence LaBianca. Lights by Pablo Designs are perched atop a bed that Baker designed. Peeking out from under the rug (made by Baker’s mother, Emilie) is a salvaged maple floor, which was finished with VOC-free flaxseed oil.
Designed and prototyped by David Baker Architects, the building’s siding was made from salvaged maple flooring left over from another project. Inspired by the Japanese and Finnish practice of finishing exterior wood by charring, Baker used a roofing torch to char the boards and screwed them into vertical cedar battens.
The compact 712-square-foot cottage sits on top of a 430-square-foot workshop, where Baker’s firm prototypes and produces custom furnishings for his practice. “Not only is there room for more density on most residential blocks in San Francisco, but, if thoughtfully conceived, it also enriches our communities and makes our cities more resilient,” Baker says.
As the roof had to be clear for fire department access, Baker developed a cantilevered frame for double-sided solar collectors that is elevated a few feet above the rooftop. The frame’s tilted configuration actually allows the panels to collect more energy than traditional flat designs. Seen here before the panels were installed, the frame holds sixteen photovoltaic collectors and is a 3KV system—large enough to generate more energy than the house requires in a single year.
Outfitted with shelves by EZ Shelving and a generic tool chest, the kitchen’s galvanized steel integrated counter and sink was designed by Baker and fabricated by DeFauw Design + Fabrication. A vintage pair of Norman Cherner’s Plycraft chairs and an A Chair by sustainable furniture-maker David Colwell surround a table by Pacassa Studios, which mounted a custom top on a Herman Miller Eames base. All appliances are electric, including heat-radiating panels, a combo washer-dryer unit, and an induction stove.
Estadio Nacional de Brasilia Mané Garrincha (Brasilia, Brazil: 2013)
Named after a national soccer icon and located in the center of Niemeyer’s monumental planned city, Estadio Nacional de Brasilia Mané Garrincha could not have been a higher profile project. Castro Mello Arquitetos rose to the challenge with the world’s first net-zero energy stadium, an impressive feat of public design and engineering considering the massive energy spikes during big events. A combination of rainwater collection, solar arrays, shading, and a photocatalytic membrane that breaks down pollution makes this a key legacy of the recent surge in Brazilian stadium construction. By itself, the soccer field generates more solar energy than 11 of the competing nations.
Photo by Wikipedia Commons
The deck is framed as an open-air room where the ceiling and walls have been peeled away. The grill is a vintage Weber Genesis 1000. LG solar panels from Pick My Solar contribute to the home’s net-zero energy profile, as does a moisture barrier in the walls that allows heat to escape.
Thanks to a robust solar panel array, the house is net-zero, with enough energy to charge the couple's electric car as well.
Located in Asheville, NC, Deltec Homes offers Net-Zero options with solar panels.
A round Deltec beautifully fits in with its environment. In addition to being stronger than traditionally-built homes, all Deltec models can be configured to be net-zero.
Powered by a 6.5-kWh solar array and equipped with mostly electric appliances, the Waterfall Residence is designed to achieve net-zero energy after it’s been tested for a full year.
Completed for an approximate cost of $2,000,000, the modern, net-zero home features 3,835 square feet and is located in the heart of Suncadia’s master-planned community.
While Joel and Meelena Turkel of Turkel Design have spent the last decade redefining the possibilities of prefab for clients worldwide, they recently flipped the switch and completed their very own net-zero prefabricated residence. Here is a look inside their new home, the Axiom Desert House.
Built to meet net-zero energy and LEED Platinum standards, all LivingHomes are equipped with ultra-efficient heating and cooling systems, all-electric Energy Star appliances, LEDs, low-flow water fixtures, and smart home technology. Timber and other natural materials are used wherever possible in place of concrete.
Brightbuilt Homes has been constructing beautiful modular homes in Maine since 2005. Modular home prices in Maine reflect the somewhat more expensive NorthEast market, reflected here: this tiny but tasteful, fully customized net-zero energy barn runs about $280 per square foot.
Fresh from completing construction on his net-zero home in Los Angeles, actor, environmentalist, and Dwell on Design veteran Ed Begley, Jr., will share images of the finished design onstage, and enlighten the audience on how to build a green home in the city. Begley will sign books at the Dwell Bookstore after his presentation.
Sunday, May 31, 3:00 p.m., Stage A
This net-zero residence by CitiZen Design Studio features Western Window Systems chosen for energy efficiency. The Series 600 Multi-Slide 90-Degree Door is architecturally eye-catching, meeting at a right angle in the home’s great room, and features dual-paned low-E glass.
Method Homes is a custom manufacturer of precision–engineered, prefabricated, modern structures that services the Western United States and Canada, including Oregon. Their homes range in size and style, from 1,200-square-foot rustic cabins to 3,5000-square-foot contemporary residences. Method Homes also has an ongoing commitment to sustainable design, with many of their homes eligible for LEED certification and other environmental certifications; some homes can even be designed to be energy net-zero.
Prefabricated net-zero home by Deltec Homes
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