A GREEN, UNIVERSALLY ACCESSIBLE HOUSE for WOLFBACK RIDGE SAUSALITO, CA
Featured on the 2008 AIA/Dwell Home Tours
Designed to feel as if it has always been there, the Final(ly) House atop Wolfback Ridge is precisely executed for its owners and its unique site. The universally accessible design reconciles the need for a flat house on a sloping site, meeting the needs of the owners who are nearing ninety years of age. Green elements are integral to the overall design principles and ultimate expression of the house.
- living roof
- high efficiency PV panels (2.5kW)
- FSC-certified wood
- reclaimed local 100 year-old redwood siding
- leach field waste water system
- cork flooring throughout
- no carpeting
- radiant heating / no air conditioning
- high efficiency boiler + tankless heater
- fly ash concrete
- low-e insulated glazing
- low V.O.C. finishes
- minimal construction footprint / site disturbance
- balanced cut & fill
- dissipater to prevent concentrated rainwater runoff
- micro-climate native palette for all landscaping
- southern brise soleil
- optimal passive solar orientation
The south-facing ridge top site flows into the natural habitat of the Marin Headlands, with 180o panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Pacific Ocean. The site affords maximum solar exposure, bracing maritime breezes and cloaking fogs. Minimal and honest expression of materials and speed and simplicity of construction result in a modern form clad in a combination of glass and 100 year-old locally reclaimed redwood.
The house is at once intimate and vast. The structure is rooted in the earth on the north side by exposed concrete walls framing near green views. The building gradually dissipates southward into the expanse of the distant parkland views as the materials lighten into a sliding glass wall leading to a delicately railed cantilevered deck beyond. The exposed rhythmic post-and-beam structure unites the house, forming a trellis supporting the living roof. A continuous floor-to-ceiling curtain wall and double retracting glass passageway offer vistas and southern sun while creating a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces sheltered from the stiff winds.
