This 8-acre wooded site is a rare treasure in urban Charlotte, N.C. As such, it deserved a thoughtful, gentle intervention of the kind championed by William McDonough + Partners of Charlottesville, Va. The firm, known for its commitment to environmentally and socially responsible architecture, began by siting the house with meticulous care. A limited palette of colors keeps the structure humble, allowing the natural setting to shine. And an impressive array of green attributes helps preserve other resources elsewhere. “Our inclination was to make a pavilion in the trees,” says project architect Katherine Grove. “The kitchen ties into that idea by anchoring a thickened bar of service areas that are clustered along the northern exposure, so the south-side public spaces could be left open and connected to the outdoors.”
Taking full advantage of the north-south axis plays a key role in passively heating and cooling the house. The kitchen runs along the shady north wall, pushing past the building’s exterior envelope and terminating in windows at each end for cross ventilation. A wall of stacked local fieldstones creates a tactile element in the otherwise sleek space and, with the limestone flooring, acts as a thermal mass to retain warmth or cool in the appropriate seasons. Deeply recessed grout lines and a tightly-fitted random pattern add to the wall’s natural appearance. Forest Stewardship Council–certified beech cabinets with a no-VOC clear finish present a smooth contrast to the stone and match cabinetry in the living area.
Other sustainable features are equally stealthy, which is exactly what the clients and architects sought. With the exception of the halogen cable lights above the island, lamping is fluorescent. Geothermal energy powers radiantly heated and cooled floors. Clerestory windows are part of a daylighting plan to reduce the need for artificial lighting, and recycled-content drywall further adds to the home’s green luster. Grove does admit some appliances fall short of the firm’s typical standards for efficiency, but chuckles that the clients don’t cook that frequently anyway.
architect: William McDonough + Partners, Charlottesville, Va.; Allison Ewing, AIA, principal in charge; Katherine Grove, AIA, project architect
general contractor: Philip R. Thomas Construction, Charlotte, N.C.; landscape architect: Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, Charlotte; interior designer: William McIntosh Design, New York City
resources: dishwasher: Fisher-Paykel; hardware: Hafele, FSB; plumbing fixtures: Dornbracht, Duravit, Franke, Kohler; windows and patio doors: Hope’s Windows
