Called Lake June Pointe House, a lakefront home was designed by Bluarch (architecture, interiors and urban planning) and completed in March 2009 is Modern green house with modest budget uses traditional air-cooling methods for greater energy efficiency. Lake June Pointe House in Lake Placid, Florida, United States, is the first modern non-speculative house to be certified ‘Green’ by the Florida Green Building Coalition. Given the low budget available ($80 USD per sq. ft.), the ecological approach to green house design was mainly based on natural and established techniques used in Florida before air conditioning became mainstream. An extensive study of vernacular architecture was conducted, and simple and effective methods of cooling were extrapolated.

Modern Green House with Modest Budget in Florida United States

The clarity, the colour and shape of the lake and sky, the orange grove and the sand of the site itself are seen as dynamic entities, which adjust and interact with one another. The three volumes reflect the sharp differences of these entities, and appear to slide along with a shifting Nature. The overall shape of the Lake June Pointe House is elongated and orientated to maximise use of daylight. The floor plans are organised to take advantage of cross ventilation. Further, a slim double height above the dining area works as a solar chimney, and allows for warm air to ascend and be dispersed through the aligned skylight above. Deciduous trees were planted to shade the building on its south-east side, and drought-resistant sod was laid. The cypress trees were used to counterpoint the horizontality of the architectural design.

Exterior facade Modern Green House

The green home features a 15-SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rated HVAC; among the most efficient residential HVAC systems available. Additionally, MERV 10 filters were installed in the return air grill. Use of air conditioning is also minimised through the use of fans in each room. Where applicable, all Energy Star appliances and light bulbs were installed. All faucets have aerators, and the toilets and the shower heads are ‘low flush’ to save water. All paint is low-VOC, and all other finishes are ecologically sound.

Greater Energy Efficiency Modern Green House Design

With a budget of $80 USD per sq. ft., this 3,200 sq. ft. 3-bedroom house transcends the upscale setting of the gated lakefront community, by demonstrating that being environmentally sound does not necessarily mean expensive.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 11th, 2009 at 2:46 pm and is filed under Green Buildings, Home Design. Tags: Air conditioning, architectural design, Building biology, Building engineering, cross ventilation, Florida Green Building Coalition, greater energy efficiency, green building, green home, green house design, Heating ventilating and air conditioning, house design, HVAC, Low-energy building, MERV 10, Modern house, residential hvac systems, Solar architecture, united states house design, vernacular architecture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.