LEED Platinum Modern UR 45 Home

Just a quick jaunt north of Dallas right off of Central Expressway, there's a small community called Urban Reserve. In Urban Reserve, all the homes are modern and sustainably designed -- the minimum standards require Energy Star and a HERS of at least an 80. This home is just one of several architecturally unique homes in the development. Referred to as UR 45, the LEED Platinum certified home was designed by Shipley Architects for an executive of the development company, Rick Fontenot.

The 1500 square foot home has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large porch on the westerly side that's shaded by a generous overhang. One of its unique aspects is the ramp walkway to the door that gives the home a houseboat feel (see top image). It helps that the home sort of floats in the air on six concrete piers.

UR 45 is wrapped in southern yellow pine, but below that, there's spray foam insulation for energy efficiency. The interior uses reclaimed and recycled materials, and the home is cooled by a geothermal powered air conditioner. Not to mention the house is close to the city's DART light rail. For some of these reasons, GreenSource called it their Best Green House of May 2009.

[+] May 2009: Best Green House by GreenSource.