Designed by Sander Architects, this part prefab, all custom-made home was recently profiled in the NY Times in an article entitled "Prefab, High-Concept, and Green."  The exposed denim insulation and loft-like interior caught my eye, so I decided to learn more about it.  Apparently, the owners retained Sander Architects to build something that was very green, on a super-tight budget, and amenable to the owner’s large French Briard dog.  The resulting 4,200 sf home, according to the architects, is their greenest Hybrid House ever built.  It features a greywater system, passive heating and cooling, rainwater collection for landscaping, recycled blue jean insulation, sunflower seed wall board, bamboo flooring, marmoleum, structural steel frames from recycled steel, etc. 

I think you’ll agree that this Residence for a Briard is quite the home.  As a custom-built, architect-designed residence of this size, the owners seem to have made out quite well, in California terms.  The completed cost was $500k, or $130 psf.  Here are a few more materials and strategies that help make this Culver City prefab green:

• Rental unit increases density
• Proximate to public transportation
• Basic amenities in walking distance
• Site orientation maximizes passive heating and cooling
• Extensive glazing maximizes natural day lighting
• Multi-cell acrylic panels with high R-value reduce heat gain
• Recycled steel framing reduces overall costs and use of new steel
• Low-water and xeriscape landscaping and plants
• Sustainable kitchen and bathroom cabinetry
• On-demand water heater
• Radiant heat connected to on-demand hot water
• Low-flush toilets and Energy Star appliances
• Low-VOC paints

Photo credits: Sander Architects.