The initial structure for this house in Venice, Calif., dates back to¬ the 1920s with a renovation 10 years later. In 2005, owners decided to renovate sections of the house as well as add portions, increasing it to more than twice its original size. These changes, which focused on making the structure more sustainable, included adding a "solar umbrella" of panels which ended up providing 95 percent of the home's energy.
Construction materials used for the renovation included concrete that is 50 percent fly ash and recycled mild steel as well as other recycled materials. Because they started with an existing structure, the builders were able to forego using a significant amount of new material. Not only that, but builders recycled about 85 percent of the waste that resulted from construction.
The amount of water runoff from the house is low as well, thanks to gravel that lets water seep into the ground. Eighty percent of the water that doesn't enter the ground doesn't turn into runoff either because of a water retention system that collects the water in a basin.
luxury villas
13 years ago
