This vacation retreat, located on an extraordinary beachfront setting, was designed as two separate buildings—one for living and eating, and the other for sleeping. The separate bedroom wing provides extra privacy, so late-night entertaining does not disturb sleeping children or weary parents, as the case may be. Extensive water views, generous decks, and the sheltering orientation of the two buildings contribute to a fluid relationship between living areas and the surrounding seascape.

Located at the northwest corner of Hat Island in Puget Sound near Washington’s San Juan Islands, the home is on a narrow waterfront site situated in a relatively dense beach front development of single family homes. Except for the adjacent development to the north and south, the area is in a pristine marine environment where the experience of the water and wildlife is essential to being there

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Perched in the Oakland Hills on a double-sized 13,000 sq. ft. multi-layer lot overlooking San Francisco Bay, the award-winning Margarido House exemplifies outstanding, sustainable design. Over 4,600 sq. ft. on two levels, the new five-bedroom, five-bath masterpiece features designer finishes throughout, and an open floor plan that takes full advantage of the breathtaking views.

The Margarido House is 55 percent more energy efficient than California’s Title 24 energy standards. The home features extensive green building components such as eco-friendly Western Red Cedar siding, a planted green roof garden and deck, on-site rain and ground water reclamation, in-floor hydronic heating, and solar electric and solar thermal (hot water) systems.

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Carol’s most recent design is a collaboration with her mechanical engineer husband, Fred Berg. Their residence, known as the Ross Street House, was recognized as Wisconsin’s first LEED for Homes Platinum rated residence in July 2009. The home has captured the attention of green enthusiasts throughout the country for far exceeding the requirements to achieve the highest LEED rating of Platinum.

Carol Richard, founding partner of the Atlanta-based architecture firm Richard Wittschiebe Hand, returned home to Madison, Wisconsin last summer to build her house. “When I was a young architect,” says Carol, “I designed and built a house for myself in Atlanta and I’ve always wanted to build again and take advantage of the things I’ve learned over my career.”
Diagrams, drawings, photographs, detailed design information and energy use analysis can be found on the website: www.rossstreethouse.com.

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The House As mountain guides, Scott Schell and Margaret Wheeler are used to the upper reaches of the Cascades. Their site in the foothills above Snoqualmie is not far from work. The house, designed by Johnston Architects PLLC and built by Tall Tree Construction, accommodates both professional and practical demands, but it also fulfills a deep desire to do what is right.

The Schell Wheeler house will soon receive a LEED Silver certification. Blow-down trees from storms provided the logs that were milled into siding, fascias and trim. A ground source heat pump, supplemented by solar water preheating supplies energy to the house. Other strategies are implemented throughout the house, but the overall character of the two buildings complete the goal of sustainability: the complex is extremely livable within its environment. Even on a grey and rainy day this forest retreat is filled with light.

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Marcus O’Reilly Architects has carefully designed a low key, site responsive beach house in Sorrento on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula in Australia. The timber clad structure reinterprets a longstanding beach house tradition in the area. It uses local materials to blend into, respect and compliment it’s sought after, national park adjacent location.

The site, which has been in the owner’s family for more than fifty years, is heavily populated with eucalyptus trees which grow out of the rolling sand dunes of the area. Floating green stained cedar volumes and bleached timbers visually respond to the Eucalyptus canopies. The volumes step up the sand dune allowing it to be virtually undisturbed as it rises to the rear of the site. The front volume is anchored to the ground by canted sandstone walls lending a sense of gravitas to the otherwise light wood framed structure.

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