CATEGORY WINNER + 2011 OVERALL WINNER
AWARD CATEGORY: Residential
Date completed: 2009
Design Team: Daly Genik (Architects), Energy Code Works (Structural Engineers), Title 24 (Consultants), Polly Furr Venice Studio (Landscape Architects)
The owners of this California house wanted to add livable space for their relatives without increasing the site’s footprint. They also wanted to implement sustainable technologies to minimize its carbon emissions.
The addition of an exoskeleton armature of corrugated recycled steel panels supports new balconies, giving this small property 2,300 square feet of total living space. All indoor space opens to outdoor space, maximizing airflow and minimizing the need for cooling in summertime. The exoskeleton also dampens sound and provides shading for the house’s inhabitants.
Solar collectors on the roof provide all of the building’s hot water, which is also used in the radiant heating system. The courtyard is planted with drought resistant plants and a programmable irrigation system that conserves water during the rainy season.
The steel exoskeleton is an easily reproducibly design, a variation of which Daly Genik has already used to upgrade the façade of a charter high school in Los Angeles.