Glass Houses

If you follow my blog you are aware I love glass houses, this one truly gives you the
experience of bringing the outside indoors. The Fireorb fireplace frees up floor space, and the spindly tables, chairs, and even kitchen counters help the home feel uncluttered.



The dining room opens onto the semi-walled entrance area. The open floor plan and careful window placement eliminate the need for air-conditioning.



The result of a design/build class taught by Jennifer Siegal and Michael P. Johnson, it’s a dynamic, livable house that honors Frank Lloyd Wright’s legacy while tackling important design issues of today, from innovative prefabrication to sustainable systems like solar panels and rainwater and gray-water collection.



Sustainable features and native plants up the ante on a seamless integration of indoors and out.



A grassy roof helps keep the kitchen from heating up in warm months.

Sliding doors let evaporation from the swimming pool cool the house.



The use of a structural steel frame allowed for more flexible floor plans: Someday, for instance, units A and C could be combined to make an apartment large enough to house a home office, an aging parent, or a growing family.



The roof's deep overhang keeps the rooms cool even though the walls are glass.



Geothermal systems that heat and cool the house, and solar panels providing power, let this house sit relatively lightly on a dramatic landscape.



This largely glass house slices across the steeply sloping site, taking advantage of the mature trees, which help preserve some privacy.



As wildfires often ravage this part of the Santa Barbara coast, the architects chose fire-resistant materials (steel, concrete) for the construction.
http://www.olsonkundigarchitects.com/Projects/Type/Featured