This home of sustainability is located in a secluded area of Tehachapi. It is a city in the mountains north of Los Angeles. The house is named “Sawmill” – an industrial name that refers to the valley's historic mining, ranching and lumber industries. The homeowners knew they had previously used the property and wanted their home returned to the land rather than taken from it.
Innovative design – The house of sustainability
The House of Sustainability is located in the harsh, high desert of California. Olson Kundig, led by principal design consultant Tom Kundig, carefully sited the design so as not to impact the fragile landscape. The client's brief called for a self-sufficient, self-powered apartment that maximized relationships between architecture and nature, as well as between family members. The result is a net zero home that incorporates sustainable strategies andReclaimed material usedand works completely independent of the mains.
The so-called sawmill comprises three wings, with the central living area arranged around a central hearth. Here, a 3.7 × 7.9 meter glass wall retracts with the rotation of a wheel and surrounds the outdoor terrace as the fourth wing of the house. The design approach was driven by a minimalist mentality of always doing more with fewer resources, including using salvaged and recycled materials whenever possible, explains Oson Kundig.
Salvaged and recycled materials were used whenever possible for the sustainability home. The architects therefore used sustainable strategies for the design in order to be able to successfully implement the entire concept.
The building consists of three interconnected wings. The residence incorporates durable materials that can withstand the harsh climate of the region. The living space extends around the centrally positioned fireplace, which the architect arranged practically. The glass walls of the fireplace can also be retracted.
The expanding wall of windows recedes with the turn of a wheel. When open, the House of Sustainability includes the outdoor terrace as a fourth wing. The shared living space is intended to bring the family together, although the holiday home is located far from the city.
