panel house
Facing the Ocean Front Walk in Venice Beach, a series of angled walls flare out to reveal view corridors to the coastline. Pivot windows between the tapered walls enable the modulation of prevailing breezes through the house. A clear span structural system across the narrow site eliminates the need for interior load-bearing walls, facilitating the uninhibited flow of air paths for natural ventilation. A totalizing steel building system of wide flange columns and beams, diagonal brace frames, and composite concrete decking realizes a rigid diaphragm that doesn’t need shear walls.
The building’s skin is made of pre-fabricated refrigeration panels, which have a 6-inch thick foam core skinned with thin aluminum. Each panel is 30 inches wide x 30 feet tall, and light enough (100 lbs) for two people to install each one. The dull aluminum finish subtly changes with the colors of the sky.
Project Details
Year: 2006Location: Venice, CA
Typology: single family residence
Program: 3 bed, 3.5 bath
Size: 3,900 sqft
Sustainable Features:
- photovoltaic panels
- solar collector
- hydronic radiant heating
- automated, natural ventilation
- thermostatic and humidistatic controls
- solar chimney
- prefabricated panels for almost no construction, demolition waste
- aluminum panels with R-48 insulation rating lowers energy use
- steel with high recycled content
- FCS certified walnut cabinetry and counters
2009 American Architecture Award
Press
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