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A California Home Built to be Sustainable & Energy Efficient

06.16.16 | By
A California Home Built to be Sustainable & Energy Efficient

Spanning three levels and built on a hillside, this Mill Valley, California house was designed by Zack | de Vito Architecture + Construction to be open plan, sustainable, and energy efficient. Part of the design focus was to create an indoor/outdoor relationship, which includes 2,875 square feet of deck space. There are five bedrooms, three of which were designed as flexible spaces – they can be master bedrooms, in-law suites, home offices, or family rooms – to adapt to the owners lifestyle over time.

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The exterior is clad in custom Corten steel, which turns a reddish rust color over time.

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The 4,012-square-foot house incorporated a 10Kw solar PV system that provides the energy for the 300% mini-split heat pump heating and air conditioning. There are large windows helping to reduce the need to turn the lights on, which happen to be 100% LED or high efficacy.

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Materials that were reclaimed or made from recycled content were used whenever it was possible. They also paid careful attention to use pre-finished or naturally weathering materials to keep the house mostly maintenance free.

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Many of the home’s rooms have access to the deck spaces.

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The custom staircase is made from steel and acrylic, which lets light pass through.

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Photos by Bruce Damonte.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.