The Courtyards at Belmar by Harvard Communities

The Courtyards at Belmar by Harvard Communities

Green House Design

Designed by Alvarez/Morris as one of Denver's most Innovative Architecture Firms , this Courtyards at Belmar is a unique enclave of ten contemporary patio homes. The Courtyards feature two distinct floor plans each with an open and airy main floor, a private side-yard patio/courtyard for great outdoor living and entertaining, and a two-car garage.


















Interiors feature extensive use of hardwood floors, maple kitchen cabinets, granite kitchen countertops, metal stair rails, and more. Modern architectural style incorporates rich materials creating excitement, drama and warmth…definitely something unique and special!

• An enclave of ten single family homes in an exciting urban environment. Belmar's only single family detached homes! Private court/alley access, adjacent to park/open space. Belmar’s only single family detached homes. Enjoy the privacy of a single family home in an exciting urban environment….a great combination! Click here for a virtual tour.


















• Two different home styles, each with over 2,900 square feet of dramatic finished space. Three bedrooms, full basements and two-car garages. Main floors feature high ceilings, open, airy and light filled spaces, with expanses of glass. Huge private deck off main floor living spaces – for great outdoor living!

• Low-maintenance “patio home” living, with a home owner’s association providing landscape maintenance and snow removal. Interiors feature extensive use of hardwood floors, maple kitchen cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, metal stair rails and more! Home personalization process allows for a wide range of options and finishes.

















• State-of-the-art energy efficiency design and technology makes all Harvard homes approximately 40% more energy efficient than a typical new home. The homes at The Courtyard’s are registered in three energy efficiency/green building programs, including Built Green Colorado, Energy Star and Environments for Living.

• Harvard’s “Home Personalization Program” provides a great opportunity to make the home just right for your needs and personal style. Contemporary yet warm architectural style – perfect for the award-winning Belmar environment. Great style inside and out. Innovative and inspired.

















• 10’ ceilings on the main floor and 9’ ceilings on the 2nd floor and the basement. Open and airy floor plans with expanses of glass. Huge sliding doors open up to private courtyards providing for great indoor-outdoor living. Granite kitchen countertops. Stainless steel appliances. Extensive use of hardwood floorsHigh quality cabinetry with a modern flair. Dramatic modern details throughout including interior trim, railings and fireplace designs. Super energy-efficient construction, with state-of-the-art insulation and mechanical systems. Registration in three energy-efficiency/green building program.

Dorsey House Design Ideas by Coates Design

Dorsey House Design Ideas by Coates Design

Green House Design House Design Ideas Wooden House

Here are Dorsey House design by Coates Design, The house Located in Bainbridge Island, Washington. The Designer created an 18-inch concrete wall that forms two sides of the home’s exterior. These walls provide a poignant counterpoint to the warm wooden and copper box that rests at a slight angle to take full advantage of the site’s water and mountain views. The concrete exterior wall and exposed concrete within the home reduce energy costs by serving as a thermal mass that naturally cools the home in the summer and holds warmth in the winter.

Briard Green Hybrid Residence by Sander Architects

Briard Green Hybrid Residence by Sander Architects

Green House Design

Architects: Sander Architects
Location: Culver City, California, USA
Constructed: 353 sqm
Budget: US $500.000
Photographs: Sander Architects



Whitney Sander, principal architect and founder of the firm, has developed a way of creating residential buildings that is both very green and extremely efficient in terms of construction costs. He calls this Hybrid House: part prefab, all custom ™ as each house is completely customized to each client.Residence for a Briard is a 3,800sf house that is the first example of Hybrid House, the invention of Sander Architects, LLC.



Its structural frames and exterior walls and roof are all prefabricated off-site by warehouse manufacturers and shipped to the site in pieces on one flat-bed truck. This entire shell cost $22,000. These pieces then bolt together like an erector set in three weeks time. Once the shell is complete all interior walls, systems and finishes are completed in a traditional manner. The resulting Hybrid House is therefore custom designed for the client, the site, and local codes, at a small fraction of standard construction cost. The completed cost of Residence for a Briard is $500,000, or $130/sf. Equally important for a designer: the warehouse frames allow the scale of the interior spaces to be magnificent.



Residence for a Briard has 28′ ceilings in the great room. The system is also very simple to erect - the general contractor had never worked with it before and he became an enthusiastic convert.Designed for the President-Emeritus of the Architectural Foundation of Los Angeles, which promotes excellence in modern architecture in the greater Los Angeles area, this house needed to be of great design quality. One example of this is the dominant southern facade, which evolved during many hours of discussions of the arts and painting. The facade derives from a painting of a violin by Braque (”Aria of Bach,’ 1913).



This was especially appropriate as the client is also a music critic. As such, he requested that the house be a place where string quartets could come and play for an audience. So we provided the house with a great room surrounded by a suspended balcony. The long side of this balcony is a shallow stairway with long treads that are wide enough for two chairs side-by-side facing the performance area below. Beyond this is a flat, large landing where additional chairs can be placed. The handrails for both these areas are transparent glass, with grasses laminated into the glass below eye level. As well, the home makes extensive use of ecological/sustainable materials, systems and strategies, making this one of the greenest residences built in California to date. (See attached notes). We aimed to create an eco-friendly Case Study House for the 21st Century using construction strategies that radically reduce standard construction costs for custom homes. These strategies include the use of prefabricated structural frames and components, which allows for a construction cost far lower than competing fully-prefab modern homes.



GREEN MATERIALS AND STRATEGIES used in Residence for a Briard

* Rental unit creates increased density (less land use per person)
* Proximity to public transportation + all basic amenities within walking distance
* Site orientation maximizes passive heating and cooling
* Extensive glazing maximizes natural day lighting
* Multi-cell acrylic panels (with high R-value) for glazing reduces heat loss/gain
* Super-insulated building minimizes energy requirements to heat/cool.
* Recycled steel framing reduces overall building cost / reduces amount of steel
* Grey water system for landscape irrigation.
* Low-water / xeriscape landscaping and plants
* Bamboo flooring
* Sustainable kitchen / bathroom cabinetry
* Stained concrete floors: original concrete slab (fewer materials used)
* On-demand water heater
* Radiant heat connected to on-demand hot water heater
* Recycled steel framing
* Recycled denim insulation
* Eco-resin panels
* Low-flush toilets
* Linoleum flooring and wall covering in bathrooms
* Low VOC paint
* Energy star appliances
* Fluorescent light fixtures w/ programmable dimmers

The Maurer Residence by Allen + Maurer Architects

The Maurer Residence by Allen + Maurer Architects

Green House Design

This residence is designed by Allen+Maurer Architects, located in Naramata, British Columbia, Canada.

From the architects:
No tree was cut, no rock was blasted, no contours remodelled. 4 small buildings surrounded by existing trees form a private, tranquill garden. The simple shed roofs flow with the land toward a splendid view of Okanagan Lake.



“Form-Follows-Physics” guided the design: simple roofs, no roof intersections, large overhangs, good ventilation, finishes that are durable and appropriate to the climate: tile flooring, metal cladding and -roofing, state-of-the-art Low-E glazing.

Placement of buildings, roof overhangs, existing mature trees, performance of glazing product, thermal mass of concrete slab and tile flooring, all reduce heat gain in summer and made air conditioning unnecessary.

Caretaker's Residence by Aidlin Darling Design

Caretaker's Residence by Aidlin Darling Design

Green House Design Natural House

This Single-story home "Caretakers Residence" was designed by Aidlin Darling Design. The residence is placed between a forested mountain and rolling vineyard, a rammed-earth wall demarcates the primary spaces of this single-story house. Built of native earth and woven among existing trees, this monolithic wall anchors the building structurally, ecologically, and experientially. Floor-to-ceiling glass completes the building envelope and captures panoramic valley views. The glass and earth walls work together to orchestrate indoor-outdoor living and to provide passive heating and cooling.






















About the architects design philosophy:

Aidlin darling design balances the demands of artistic endeavor, functional pragmatics and financial considerations. The firm’s design approach is client and site specific while questioning conventional assumptions. A collaborative process including clients, fabricators and builders inspires a creative exploration resulting in appropriate solutions.






















The inherent spirit of place is uncovered and constraints are transformed into unique design. The individual character of each project emerges through poetic spatial relationships, material richness and exacting detail.

Modern Green Alley House for sale at $770,000

Modern Green Alley House for sale at $770,000

Green House Design

Designed by UrbanMix, this Alley House is a newly finished green home located in just one mile from downtown Seattle in Madison Valley. This high-performance home just received LEED Platinum certification last week and, for those that are interested, is on sale for ~$770,000. The home is on an advantageous urban infill lot and features some high-end finishes such as Caesarstone countertops, Kirei doors, and a Liebherr refrigerator.





















General Property Information :
SQFT: 1900
Year Built: 2008
Fireplace: 1 Views: Yes
Garage: 1+Car Off-Street Parking
Roof: Flat
Heat: High Efficiency, Radiant
Fuel: Natural Gas

Floors: Concrete, Other Renewable
Interior: Bath Off Master, Walk-in Closet
Exterior: Cement/Concrete, Stucco, Wood Products
Site: Cable TV, High Speed Internet, Nat. Gas Available





















In addition to a private bamboo garden, this home has some of the following green features :

· 50-60% Reduction in energy consumption
· Radiant in-floor heat, 5 controllable zones
· Green Roof & Rain Garden
· Bamboo courtyard
· Rainscreen siding system
· Solar Hot Water & Solar PV pre-wire
· Drainwater Heat Recovery
· SIP construction & ICFs
· Structural insulated panel (SIP) construction
· Insulated concrete forms (ICF) with high R-value
· Zero VOC finishes

Located at 222 26th Avenue, the Alley House will be open for public touring on Saturday, August 23. You already recycle, bring your own bags to the grocery store and drive a hybrid, so step up to Platinum and live your ideals.