This modern house designed by Carol Richard, founding partner of the Atlanta-based architecture firm Richard Wittschiebe Hand( RWH Design ) in collaboration with Fred Berg located in Madison, Wisconsin. This house design is a simple form with cues taken from the south facing lot. The southern facade was designed to capture as much of the winter southern sun as possible while shading the sun in the summertime. The concept of a box camera generated the form with the roof gently sloping from south to north. Sunlight that enters the home is controlled with fixed louvers attached outside the south facing windows.

In the exterior wall, a dark color for the siding and roof were chosen so that the house would appear smaller than it actually is. In contrast, the interior materials are very light in nature. Locally harvested maple and light colored walls make the inside of the house appear larger than it is. The main level is an open plan with service elements on the west side and living spaces on the east side. An open stair visually connects all three floors and is anchored by a three-story high wall. The upper level has a study opening onto the living room and a master bedroom suite. The lower level has additional bedrooms, a beer making room, storage, and a workroom.

The house was designed to minimize air infiltration to less than 1 air change per hour through the incorporation of spray foam insulation and the careful sealing of all doors and windows. Forced ventilation is necessary to provide healthy air in the house. This is accomplished efficiently by using an energy recovery ventilation system and incorporates a 3-stage high efficiency furnace. Outside the home, the front and back yards are transformed into garden spaces. An overall incorporation of native perennial plants and no turf grass make the yard low-maintenance. This house was recognized as Wisconsin’s first LEED for Homes Platinum rated residence. – via
Photographs : Zane Williams

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 3:29 pm and is filed under Modern House Design.Tags: air infiltration, box camera house concept, Carol Richard architects, energy recovery ventilation, exterior wall, facing windows, garden spaces, high efficiency furnace, House Design, Interior Design Ideas, interior materials, LEED House, living spaces LEED house, Madison LEED House, master bedroom suite, Platinum LEED House, Richard Wittschiebe Hand, roof design, room storage, ross street, Ross Street House by RWH Design, RWH Design, turf grass, ventilation system, workroom
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