distinction
“Applying our design approach to market-rate housing is an exciting challenge.” Mark Macy, Principal
Top Design Elements for the Sustainable Steel Home shield glass from summer heat gain but allow winter sun to warm the interior. Likewise, the central atrium works with high clerestory windows to naturally ventilate the home.”
photos: scot conti
The home’s green features fit logically into the larger theme of the design, which was intended to be especially low-maintenance and straightforward. “The client is a doctor, a very rational person, and so it was important for the house to be analogous to his interests and personality,” Macy says. “We spent a lot of time simplifying the layout and the various systems.” Additionally, the design is a hybrid that references both Southern California modernism and Macy’s Italian experiences. The steel structural frame is exposed as an expressive design element in the manner of mid-century Los Angeles architects
such as Craig Ellwood and Pierre Koenig, and the placement of the living room, dining room, and master suite on the upper level conforms to the layout of a traditional Italian palazzo. “There’s a relationship to the outdoors in the design, but it’s more about views, sky, and sunlight than the indoor-outdoor flow to a garden,” he says. “There’s a feeling of living above your immediate surroundings that allows you to connect with more than just your property.” LEED projects have become more common for Macy Architecture, and though the firm is currently pursuing a café project that will become one of the first LEED-certified restaurants in San Francisco, Macy remains just as energized about the possibilities and future of home design. “Applying our design approach to market-rate housing is an exciting challenge,” he says. “We like taking on work like that.”
1. Captured rainwater: This is stored on-site using two 1,700-gallon prefabricated underground cisterns, which then irrigate the surrounding landscape that consists mostly of native and drought-tolerant plants; 2. A “cool roof”: This aluminized membrane coating helps cool the home; 3. Hydronic radiant system: This heats the home through the flooring; 4. Recycled insulation: This is made from recycled cotton and soy-based foam; 5. Steel structure: It’s durable and low-maintenance, and at least 25% is recycled content.
MARCH 2011
luxury home quarterly
153