Sustainable California Homes

6 sustainable homes in California

Sycamore House

Pacific Palisades, California

The Sycamore House is a modern home designed by Kovac Architects located in Pacific Palisades, California. The home blends “art and environmentally conscious architecture” (CODAworx). It is one of the first homes in California to receive a ranking of LEED Platinum. The Sycamore House contains sustainable features including

photovoltaic panels to provide the home power, a green roof for insulation, Energy Star appliances, and “low‑flow plumbing fixtures” (Kovac Design Studio).

Source: “Sycamore House.” (CODAworx).

Source: “Sycamore House.” (Kovac Design Studio).

Caterpillar House

Carmel, California

Feldman Architecture’s Caterpillar House is located in Carmel, California. The design includes repurposed excavated earth for the building of the walls, which regulates the temperature of the home. Three tanks are located on the property to store rainwater for irrigation. A passive cooling system is created by “natural ventilation and operable shading” in the home (Feldman Architecture). The home also features photovoltaic panels to create energy. The Caterpillar Home is the first LEED Platinum Custom Home on the California Central Coast (Feldman Architecture).

Source: “Caterpillar House.” (Feldman Architecture).

California House

Los Angeles, California

The California House in Los Angeles by Gluck+ features numerous sustainable aspects. The home is partially buried into a hillside, creating a passive cooling and heating system. Glass sliders are used throughout the build for cross ventilation. A cistern, a tank to collect rainwater, is used for irrigation on the property (Arch Daily).

Source: “California House / Gluck+.” (Arch Daily).

Hedgegate House

Sea Ranch, California

The Hedgegate House is located in Sea Ranch, California. The main sustainable feature of the home involves the collection of rainwater and greywater. For the living roof, rainwater is collected from several locations including the roof, driveway, retaining wall, and rain room for irrigation. For ground landscaping, greywater is collected (Green Roofs for Healthy Cities).

Source: “Hedgegate House.” (Green Roofs for Healthy Cities).

Quintessa Pavilions

Napa Valley, California

The Walker Warner Architects design Quintessa Pavilions is located in Napa Valley, California. A prefabricated roof made out of highly‑recycled materials is used for cross ventilation in the home. The pavilions on the property are built from concrete paving made locally and fly‑ash concrete, a material with sustainable properties (Walker Warner Architects).

Source: “2015 CA Home+Design Awards: Quintessa Pavilions Win for Sustainable Commercial Design.” (Walker Warner Architects).

Miner Road House

Orinda, California

The Miner Road House is a Faulkner Architects design located in Orinda, California. The home features a 8.1kW photovoltaic system that generates renewable energy. Heating and cooling costs are reduced from large levels of insulation. Greywater is collected for irrigation and rainwater is collected for laundry or toilets (Faulkner Architects).

Source: “Miner Road House.” (Faulkner Architects).