With the carbon footprint of the world continuing to rise each passing day, ‘green‘ houses that do not increase global warming have become a dire necessity. The move towards nature is slowly being embraced by every one in all countries of the world. In this regard, the home created for a client by Travis Price Architects (a company based in Washington DC), is indeed commendable.
The creators of the Bruneel Residence have creatively used a copper exterior throughout. This makes the building green in every sense – visually and in its carbon footprint. The outer copper shell is highly sustainable because copper happens to be a material with longest life and lowest environmental impact.
At first glance, the building looks like two huge rising walls, twin peaks separated by multiple bridges in glass. However, there is a lot of intelligence in the design
.
The glass bridges allow sunlight into the building in an elegant manner reducing the electrical-lighting load. The exterior material and color ensure that the building stays as cool as it looks!
Several other ‘green’ design elements are embedded in the building. Its alignment is such that it allows for passive solar heating during the winters.
The glass, though large, is operable to ensure a passive cross-ventilation which also helps to keep the building cool. Some amount of the final power needs are met by the high efficiency heat pumps that are part of the building.
Once inside, there is real luxury built in the least ‘polluting’ manner possible. Most of the rooms and living spaces afford great views of the scenic surroundings. The kitchen is large and spacious, with modern ecological appliances.
At night, the building appears like a shining jewel which it is in terms of architectural beauty and green-ness.
