The Z6 House in S¬anta Monica, Calif., gets its name from the philosophy behind its construction. Specifically, it refers to the goal of attaining zero levels of these¬ six factors: waste, energy, water, carbon, emissions and ignorance. This philosophy drove the owners and arc¬hitects to use every green building method they could to make a sustainable and livable home. Builders succeeded in producing only a fraction (one-tenth) of the waste typically put out by home construction. How did they do this? By actually building the house in pieces in a factory and then assembling these pieces on-site (which only took 13 hours)? Not only is this method efficient, but it allows the owners to disassemble the house and move it to a new location should they choose. In addition, movable walls in all the bedrooms allow inhabitants to adapt the rooms to their needs.
In their efforts to conserve water, architects incorporated several different green building methods. For example, a green roof with sedums and other plants allows a reduction in runoff. Other rainwater collects in a large water cistern, which irrigates the green roof when needed. Meanwhile, gray water irrigates the plants on the ground. In addition to these features, low flow faucets and showerheads contribute to reducing the amount of water used.
Owners made sure to select materials made with recycled products for things such as tiles and countertops, and even the steel frame. They also chose cork for the floors. Green building experts recommend cork as a practical and sustainable material because it is obtained without needing to cut down the tree from which it grows.
luxury villas
14 years ago
