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The Point Loma House, designed by Macy Architecture/Macy Jensen Architects is compact, yet imposing. It is simple, yet clever. Most importantly and strikingly, however, it is fully sustainable. According to the team that designed it, 95% of its projected electrical needs will be covered by a roof-mounted photovoltaic system. This clever technologic design twist is not the only way in which the Macy team attempted to create a resource-friendly, ‘green home’. Its compact shape (48’ L x 40’ W x 23’ H) minimizes the exterior surface area, maximizes thermal efficiency and reduces electrical and plumbing runs to an absolute minimum. Overall, the home was thus placed in the path of the wind and the sun, so as to make full use of the site’s particularities and available passive ventilation and heating resources. “Horizontal sunshades shield glass from summer heat gain, while the interior is naturally ventilated via the central atrium and clerestory windows.” More concern went into creating a structure that would stand tall and unaffected in the face of the frequent San Diego earthquakes. The home’s apparent steel frame is seismic-resistant and it is infilled with a rain-screen façade system that makes use of super-durable phenolic wood paneling. Rainwater is collected for the irrigation of the home’s garden, which consists mostly of drought-tolerant, native plant varieties. The building received the Home of the Year 2009 award from the San Diego Home & Garden Magazine.
The project, located at 4520 Coronado Avenue, San Diego, CA. was helmed by Mark Macy himself, and elaborated together with three members of his multiple award-winning team. It is a perfect illustration of the practice’s philosophy, part aesthetics-oriented, part utilitarian and quintessentially ‘green’: “to realize optimal architectural solutions using the best of current technology within the parameters of each project. We listen carefully to our clients in order to be responsive to their needs while always framing our work within the larger social and environmental context. We realize design solutions that are sensible, handsome, durable, cost-effective, resource-efficient and environmentally sensitive.” All photos taken by Scot Conti.
(Source: MacyArchitecture.com)
[...] Ever had that feeling, after a stressful day at work, that you just want to float away on a sea of colorful plastic bubbles? Ever envied kids’ play areas at the mall, with those seemingly bottomless pools of rainbow colored balls? Well, Polish designer Bashko Trybek has created just the chair you need to fulfill those dreams and wishes. It is available in a small version, which features 128 anti-stress squeezable balls, and a large, 240-ball model. The balls sit on a wire frame structure, in either yellow, black or cyan – whichever color you feel will best help you relieve stress. Think of this chair as a tangible canvas, which you can color in with magenta, cyan, yellow, black, and white rubber balls. The user can create virtually any pattern they like, as the chair is not just for sitting; it is also for creating and releasing negative ideation through a fun form of art. Read more [...]