Michael and I interviewed three architectural firms for our project, and while each had its strengths, none had the enthusiasm for our idea to integrate sustainability with design and affordability as much as Merten. Rob’s openness to new ideas and dedication to finding solutions to all of our design challenges has been remarkable. Michael also appreciates the detail in his construction documents and is confident the end product will be better as a result.
Rob, a LEED Accredited Professional with the USGBC, is Merten Design Studio’s Project Architect and has been interested in and practicing sustainable design principles for over 10 years. Rob received a Masters of Architecture from Texas Tech University in 1999.
Hi Rob,
Thanks for your comments. I agree that all too often the site is minimized or ignored as part of the design process; however, I believe it can be successfully addressed without compromising time, cost, or vision. Although with the engineered mechanical systems available today, designing to the site it is an easy thing to ignore. I generally try to incorporate the site orientation and climate into any design to the greatest extent possible given the lot I have to work with. On this particular home we did a little give and take between the use of the sun and the details of the Art Moderne style. The final design takes advantage of the solar heat gain in the attached greenhouse by appropriately sized overhangs and recovering and redistributing some of the heat with the returns on the HVAC system. We did in a few other locations opt for no overhang protection on some of the southern glazing but kept the size of glazing minimized to reduce overheating.
On another note I am excited about the permaculture landscaping Michael and Andrea will be pursuing; we kept the footprint of the building much smaller than required for this oversized lot to take advantage of open space on the site for local food production.
I hope we get a chance to meet in the future.
Sincerely,
Robert
Robert,
Nell, a friend of mine suggested I take a look at your site. Looks like a nice design and seems like you’ve hit a good portion of design constituting “green” architecture. As we know, high efficiency envelopes are really and truly the linchpin to high efficiency design. After that, the rest falls into place…if not just for the marketability and less of a function to the system. We once designed a home with such a tight envelope and R-value that the home didn’t need an HVAC system…and it was in a “heating climate.” The engineers didn’t believe our models, either. Goes to show that people still aren’t ready to accept a real paradigm shift towards creating TRULY sustaining design. So much is market driven.
I would like to ask, however, in the world of sustainable design, especially regarding green architecture, is it not a facet to design for the site? Anyone can design a “green” structure in a perfect and imaginary location utilizing many of the techniques you have displayed with this model, but to design for a particular micro as well as macro-scale climate takes a deep understanding of its geographic location, as well as the location and orientation to the given site. Of course, nowadays, architects and engineers don’t have the time, nor is it cost appropriate to be the Roark of the modern day.
Just my two cents. Keep up the great work. Maybe we’ll run into each other at a BNI meeting?
Kind Regards,
Rob Irwin
Co founder
re-thought
http://www.re-thought.org