Architecture

When architects talk about ecological buildings, which meet the requirements of the words “ecology” and “environmentally responsible design”, they are trying to comply with four basic rules: zero energy consumption, zero water consumption, zero garbage and zero gas emissions.

Even though this is the language of architects, the person who is responsible for building the first one hundred percent ecological house, in the United States, is not an architect, and the house will become the residence of a normal family. The one responsible for this project is in fact Steve Glenn, software entrepreneur and founder of the web development company PeopleLink Inc.

As Glenn himself says, his childhood obsession was to make Lego buildings. He never acquired the formal skills to become an architect but developed the capacity to dream of the possibilities of bringing to life buildings that were not just excellent designs but also guaranteed that their owners would enjoy a fuller and healthier life, living in harmony with nature.

Having built his internet empire, Steve Glenn decided to make his dream come true and looked to one of North America’s foremost architects for help: the Californian Ray Kappe, who immediately adopted Glenn’s ideas and made his talents available in making the dream a reality.

The site chosen for construction was in Santa Monica, and the ecologically responsible approach to construction began the moment the site was selected: a good proportion of the construction materials were recovered from the house that was already on the site. So rather than demolition, Glenn and Kappe applied the principle of dismantling in order to reduce the quantity of waste that would require disposal.

The next stage was to consider which ecological principles to apply to the construction in delivering the dream, and in this process their imagination knew no bounds.

Visitors to what is now known as Glenn’s house cannot hide their surprise as they encounter the clever solutions implemented by its creators. The 4 KW solar energy system, using solar panels that generate 50% more energy than conventional models, demonstrates a level of efficiency that is obvious to everybody. It enables the house to generate all the energy that it consumes. In the same way the photovoltaic cells on the roof use solar energy to heat the water used in the showers and washrooms.

This same energy source feeds under floor heating that naturally keeps the interior temperature comfortable and reduces the ingress of contaminants.

One of Steve Glenn and Ray Kappe’s best ideas was to use glass for a large part of the construction. However they did not use conventional materials, but used glass made up of double panels of polycarbonate which have three times the thermal insulation properties of normal glass.

The house does not rely on the city water supply for watering the garden, but rather uses a 3,500 gallon rainwater tank installed for this purpose. Waste water from showers and washrooms is also recycled, helping to ensure that the lawns and plants thrive all year round.

The designers’ eye for ecological detail extends to incorporating products manufactured by environmentally responsible companies in the fixtures and finishes, including the bath tub, Jacuzzi and furniture. Moreover, the garage incorporates a system for controlling carbon emissions, and houses a BMW Hydrogen 7, which is the first luxury sedan that runs on hydrogen.

Steve Glenn’s project achieved such high standards of design and ecologically efficient construction that it was the first residential project to be awarded Platinum status by the USA Green Building Council. The Council was established in the year 2000 to recognize developments that met the requirements of ecologically responsible architectural design principles, and over the past 8 years only twenty projects have achieved its highest award.

Now this house joins this select list, and marks Steve Glenn’s departure from the world of software for a life dedicated to designing and building beautiful homes that are healthy both for their owners and for the planet.

For more information visit www.livinghomes.us