Small Exterior Design Ideas with a Green Roof
Jessica Helgerson Interior Design
This little house is where Jessica and her family have been living for the last several years. It sits on a five-acre property on Sauvie Island. Photo by Lincoln Barbour.
SALA Architects
The homeowners sought to create a modest, modern, lakeside cottage, nestled into a narrow lot in Tonka Bay. The site inspired a modified shotgun-style floor plan, with rooms laid out in succession from front to back. Simple and authentic materials provide a soft and inviting palette for this modern home. Wood finishes in both warm and soft grey tones complement a combination of clean white walls, blue glass tiles, steel frames, and concrete surfaces. Sustainable strategies were incorporated to provide healthy living and a net-positive-energy-use home. Onsite geothermal, solar panels, battery storage, insulation systems, and triple-pane windows combine to provide independence from frequent power outages and supply excess power to the electrical grid.
Photos by Corey Gaffer
South Park Design Build
New 2 Story 1,200-square-foot laneway house. The two-bed, two-bath unit had hardwood floors throughout, a washer and dryer; and an open concept living room, dining room and kitchen. This forward thinking secondary building is all Electric, NO natural gas. Heated with air to air heat pumps and supplemental electric baseboard heaters (if needed). Includes future Solar array rough-in and structural built to receive a soil green roof down the road.
CSI Architects
The house is located on a hillside overlooking the Colorado River and mountains beyond. It is designed for a young couple with two children, and grandparents who come to visit and stay for certain period of time.
The house consists of a L shaped two-story volume connected by a one-story base. A courtyard with a reflection pool is located in the heart of the house, bringing daylight and fresh air into the surrounding rooms. The main living areas are positioned on the south end and open up for sunlight and uninterrupted views out to the mountains. Outside the dining and living rooms is a covered terrace with a fire place on one end, a place to get directly connected with natural surroundings.
Wood screens are located at along windows and the terrace facing south, the screens can move to different positions to block unwanted sun light at different time of the day. The house is mainly made of concrete with large glass windows and sliding doors that bring in daylight and permit natural ventilation.
The design intends to create a structure that people can perceive and appreciate both the “raw” nature outside the house: the mountain, the river and the trees, and also the “abstract” natural phenomena filtered through the structure, such as the reflection pool, the sound of rain water dropping into the pool, the light and shadow play by the sun penetrating through the windows, and the wind flowing through the space.
SAMUEL KENDALL ASSOCIATES LIMITED
A courtyard home, made in the walled garden of a victorian terrace house off New Walk, Beverley. The home is made from reclaimed brick, cross-laminated timber and a planted lawn which makes up its biodiverse roof.
Occupying a compact urban site, surrounded by neighbours and walls on all sides, the home centres on a solar courtyard which brings natural light, air and views to the home, not unlike the peristyles of Roman Pompeii.
SPACELINEDESIGN ARCHITECTS
Curvaceous geometry shapes this super insulated modern earth-contact home-office set within the desert xeriscape landscape on the outskirts of Phoenix Arizona, USA.
This detached Desert Office or Guest House is actually set below the xeriscape desert garden by 30", creating eye level garden views when seated at your desk. Hidden below, completely underground and naturally cooled by the masonry walls in full earth contact, sits a six car garage and storage space.
There is a spiral stair connecting the two levels creating the sensation of climbing up and out through the landscaping as you rise up the spiral, passing by the curved glass windows set right at ground level.
This property falls withing the City Of Scottsdale Natural Area Open Space (NAOS) area so special attention was required for this sensitive desert land project.
Haywood Design Studio
Carriage house, laneway house, in-law suite, investment property, seasonal rental, long-term rental.
David Coulson Design Ltd.
An exterior shot of the 900 sq.ft. Japanesque style studio with a green roof.
Donald Lococo Architects
Designed in 1970 for an art collector, the existing referenced 70’s architectural principles. With its cadence of ‘70’s brick masses punctuated by a garage and a 4-foot-deep entrance recess. This recess, however, didn’t convey to the interior, which was occupied by disjointed service spaces. To solve, service spaces are moved and reorganized in open void in the garage. (See plan) This also organized the home: Service & utility on the left, reception central, and communal living spaces on the right.
To maintain clarity of the simple one-story 70’s composition, the second story add is recessive. A flex-studio/extra bedroom and office are designed ensuite creating a slender form and orienting them front to back and setting it back allows the add recede. Curves create a definite departure from the 70s home and by detailing it to "hover like a thought" above the first-floor roof and mentally removable sympathetic add.Existing unrelenting interior walls and a windowless entry, although ideal for fine art was unconducive for the young family of three. Added glass at the front recess welcomes light view and the removal of interior walls not only liberate rooms to communicate with each other but also reinform the cleared central entry space as a hub.
Even though the renovation reinforms its relationship with art, the joy and appreciation of art was not dismissed. A metal sculpture lost in the corner of the south side yard bumps the sculpture at the front entrance to the kitchen terrace over an added pedestal. (See plans) Since the roof couldn’t be railed without compromising the one-story '70s composition, the sculpture garden remains physically inaccessible however mirrors flanking the chimney allow the sculptures to be appreciated in three dimensions. The mirrors also afford privacy from the adjacent Tudor's large master bedroom addition 16-feet away.
SPACELINEDESIGN ARCHITECTS
Curvaceous geometry shapes this super insulated modern earth-contact home-office set within the desert xeriscape landscape on the outskirts of Phoenix Arizona, USA.
This detached Desert Office or Guest House is actually set below the xeriscape desert garden by 30", creating eye level garden views when seated at your desk. Hidden below, completely underground and naturally cooled by the masonry walls in full earth contact, sits a six car garage and storage space.
There is a spiral stair connecting the two levels creating the sensation of climbing up and out through the landscaping as you rise up the spiral, passing by the curved glass windows set right at ground level.
This property falls withing the City Of Scottsdale Natural Area Open Space (NAOS) area so special attention was required for this sensitive desert land project.
Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects
Spiral stair to putting green on the roof. Photography by Ben Benschneider.
Small Exterior Design Ideas with a Green Roof
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