Strickland-Ferris House by Frank Harmon
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 01.11.08
Houses can really muck up a site or they can tread lightly; Frank Harmon raised the Strickland-Ferris House off the ground on columns to preserve hydrological patterns and save surrounding trees. "We knew we had to raise the house up off the ground and let the water flow under it" says Harmon. It also helped preserve all the major trees in the 150 year old forest.
It also has a butterfly roof to collect rainwater, Hardipanel and sustainably harvested timber cladding, and houses a great collection of modern furniture.
According to Architectural Record, "The juxtaposition of luxurious materials like polished cherry and rough ones like plywood and scrap steel reminds Harmon of Japanese temples where gold leaf sometimes coats rough-wood columns."
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Looks like Cameron Frye's house from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
In my dream house I want a butterfly roof that waterfalls into a glass enclosed space so I can watch from my living room and then falls into an underground tank for storage.
I know, I'm dreaming! :)
I think this house is a complete marvel, I love it
Eco-Pioneering Minnesota Group Earns First USGBC Platinum for Green Remodeled Home
Wayzata Minnesota-based environmental organization Live Green, Live Smart™ announces
The Live Green, Live Smart Sustainable House™ received Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council™ (USGBC), for the ambitious remodeling of a 1948 rambler, located in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The award is the Council’s highest level certification for residential Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design™ (LEED). This is the first remodeled home to be certified Platinum by the USGBC, the most widely recognized green building standard-setting organization in the country.
The original house and landscape underwent major alterations focused on energy efficiency, water conservation, habitat protection, resource efficiency and healthy occupancy. Renewable energy systems utilizing solar, geothermal, wind and innovative electric co-generation were installed to make the house operate at close to zero-emissions. The landscape was restored to more nearly pre-development condition, materials from the existing home were recycled into the remodel or other applications, and new technologies were utilized to provide both sustainability and occupant comfort. The house will be monitored by its occupants in a demonstration of sustainable practices in homebuilding and remodeling, the focus of Live Green, Live Smart’s educational mission.
The House is in a typical suburban teardown-prone neighborhood. Live Green, Live Smart executive director and founder, Peter Lytle explains that home building and operation use up to 40% of the world’s resources annually. To test the feasibility of remodeling existing homes with both green technology and highly designed living spaces instead of following the trend to replace them with larger stick-built homes, Lytle assembled a team of innovative architects, contractors, and consultants - including the Alliance for Environmental Sustainability of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the Neighborhood Energy Connection of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
“We know that green remodeling will make an essential contribution to our planet’s survival by preserving existing resources and fostering more sustainable systems and practices in both remodeling and new construction of homes” says Lytle. A website documenting the construction of the Platinum remodel and providing information for those interested in greening their own homes is available at www.livegreenlivesmart.org
This is a great practice, I built two log homes in japan similar to this method.
keep going,
Scott
I love how energy-efficient houses made of glass are!
@Anonymous
it really depends on the climate, the R value of glass will never be as high as other insulating materials