The owners originally bought this lot for the great views and sun exposure. They were not particularly attached to the existing house and always planned to someday build their dream home on this site. Unfortunately that day came much too soon and traumatically. In this case the clients had a sense of what they wanted in the way of architectural style and materials. Having lived on the lot for several years they also had an appreciation for the microclimate and sun exposure and knew that a passive solar home would be ideal for this site.

This design started with an investigation of the use of concrete, one of the clients preferred materials, in the Tahoe climate. We discovered the TridiPanel system of construction which provides a highly insulated wall with the thermal mass and finish of concrete. It is based on 4 foot wide panels of 5” foam insulation with wire mesh that is covered with a 1½” of concrete on each side. The clients drew a rough sketch of their ideas for the layout of the floor plan and it was developed to work with the structural integrity of the wall system. The final design uses several boxes of individual structural integrity that house separate functions within the overall building.

The floor plan is organized around the boxes that separate the functions of the house. The main living space (Kitchen, Living & Dining rooms), Master Bedroom, Bedroom and Utility space (including a bathroom) are each contained in their own structural component. The circulation space that connects these diverse elements serves as the main street through the house and is delineated by the use of weathering steel on the exterior. A studio is the only room on the upper floor, thus creating a tower component to the mass of the building and additional help in ventilating the interior by the stack effect. The garage/workshop is a physically separate element which creates in inner courtyard for a private outdoor space. The main entry is through a Japanese inspired gate that leads first into the courtyard and then proceeds along a covered walk before entering the structure proper.

Exterior walls are constructed using the TridiPanel system. The result is a well insulated, tightly constructed thermal mass wall 8” thick. Besides being an important element in an energy saving design the wall is also fire and water damage resistant. Domestic hot water is supplied by a solar panel that doubles as a sun shading device for the studio on the upper floor. A trombe wall supplies solar heated air to the utility space and the studio above and provides ventilation for cooling during the summer. The roof system is designed with exposed beams and structurally insulated panels (SIPs) for superior insulation. Hydronic radiant floor heat is used throughout the house.