Mill Valley Straw Bale House, Mill Valley, California
From Archiplanet
 | Mill Valley Straw Bale House |
| Designer | Arkin Tilt Architects, Berkeley, California, USA |
| Location | Mill Valley, California, USA |
| Date | 2002 |
| Building Type | Small House |
| Construction System | straw bale, wood frame, stucco, Meadowboard |
| Climate | Mild Temperate |
| Context | Suburban |
| Architectural Style | Neo-Vernacular |
| Street Address | |
| Notes |
Contents |
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| Building Details | |
| Area | 1860 sq. ft. (173 sq. m.) |
| Stories | 1 |
| Height | 16.5 feet (5 m) |
| Length | 64.5 feet (20 m) |
| Width | 33.5 (10.2 m) |
| Program | four bedrooms, two bathrooms, great room, office, trellised patio. |
| Awards | {{{building_awards}}} |
This four-bedroom, two-bathroom house in Mill Valley, California was built for a young family and sited beside a goat pasture.
The house is composed of a single long wing capped by a clerestory over the open great room and kitchen. Entry and secondary service spaces are found at either end of this wing. Along one side of this open space is a wall composed entirely of built-in bookshelves, which separates the public and private areas of the house.
Entries into the bedrooms punctuate the shelf wall, while the doors slide on a continuous track hung from the shelf. To maximize space in the relatively small bedrooms, each has a bed alcove that takes advantage of the extra thickness of the straw-bale walls.
The design and construction of this house emphasize energy conservation. Most exterior walls are made from stacked straw bale with a sprayed earth finish. Deep roof overhangs minimize summer solar gain, while generous windows, including the clerestory, provide ample daylight. The roof employs cellulose insulation and is finished with Meadowood, a rye-grass composite board.
[edit] In The Creator's Words
"Set against the western edge of a goat pasture, this 1860 s.f. (173 sq m) passive solar straw-bale home illustrates solutions to ecological living. A compact four-bedroom plan also allows for a future office addition in the cupola."
"Although oriented on a north-south axis to maintain neighbor’s views, the interior temperature of the home stays within 5 degrees of 68 degrees Fahrenheit (within 2.8 degrees of 20 degrees Centigrade) without additional heating or cooling."
"Other ecological features include built-in composting and recycling (hatches in the backsplash allow recyclables to be placed in bins which are accessed from the outside), high efficiency lighting, Fire-slate countertops and many reused doors throughout the house."
[edit] Awards & Publications
- Environmental Design + Construction’s Excellence in Design Award
- Sunset/AIA Special Design Award
- The Green House
- The New Strawbale Home
- Casaviva June 2004
- Real Simple April 2002
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[edit] References
[edit] External Links
http://www.arkintilt.com/projects/residential/breeze.html
