Modern Home Design, Home Plans, Interior

Modern Home Design - Omena House by Danny Forster

This modern home designed by Danny Forster Design Studio’s that have a philosophy on a blend of intuitive design decisions and design strategies technologically enabled, it is possible to make-beautiful sustainable architecture accessible at a reasonable cost. They said: “While we are well-versed in latest high-tech gadgetry, we see sustainability largely as a matter of careful logic and inventive planning. In other words, why pay for air conditioning if mother nature if dolling it out on the cheap?”

Their vision is exempli?ed in this 2700.sq ft lake house, the ?rst private residence in Lake Omena, northern Michigan, USA, to achieve LEED gold status, (there are 7 total in the state). The Omena Lake house is a project that combines sophisticated energy modeling software, never-before attempted active systems, and basic common sense design strategies that create a contemporary sustainable home whose goal is to connect its residents to the dynamic site on which it sits. Although ?at roofed and geometrically abstract, the house is very much a part of the history of Northern Michigan Lake homes—it’s a modern, sustainable interpretation of the a Lake-side cottage.

The main living area has a 15 ft long thermally broken, fully operable ‘Nano-Wall’, which acts as the main wind intake to passively cool the entire house. The interior ?oors are made of rapidly renewable, locally harvested bamboo. The counter-tops are richlite, made from recycled newspaper. The house is equipped with compact ?uorescents, low-?ow ?xtures, two button toilets, and energy star rated appliances. The façade of the building is clad in vertical cedar. 60% of the home is wrapped in an Ipe-clad rain-screen, used both for solar de?ection as well as passive cooling.

The house is one of the country’s ?rst to use an in-ceiling hydronic radiant heating AND cooling system – there’s no traditional forced air HVAC, just the geo-thermal powered, thermally-active ceiling that can both heat and cool the house. Also 100 % of the roof surface is covered in a unique vegetative roof, used for both solar de?ection and storm water ?ltration. The house was designed using the energy modeling software Eco-tech, to leverage and calibrate both passive cooling, passive solar, as well as basic site orientation. Via.

Modern Home Design - Omena House by Danny Forster

Modern Home Design - Omena House by Danny Forster

Modern Home Design - Omena House by Danny Forster

Modern Home Design - Omena House by Danny Forster