Architect: BuildSense
Project Location: Creedmore, NC
Project Completion Date: July, 2014
Short Description: The Horseshoe Farm Residence is the last of a series of new structures interspersed with older farm outbuildings. The clients desire to grow old in a warm, modern, comfortable, and healthy home that compliments their lifestyle and the site. The sun-tempered design includes expansive southern glass capturing views of the farm and warmth of the winter sun. The shed roof, precast concrete walls, corrugated metal siding, and reclaimed lumber interiors reinforce the rustic simplicity of the farm while higher tech systems including a photovoltaic array and reclaimed water flushed toilets assure they will enjoy their home without paying utility bills.
Architect’s Statement: The Horseshoe Farm Residence is the forever home for a sustainable minded couple who lived upon and utilized their site for over fifteen years before moving forward with the design and construction. They told us the story of their grandfather on whose farm nothing went to waste. He would deconstruct older structures when beyond repair, remove every nail, and fastidiously hammer them back to straight form for reuse. New structures were planned for durability, utility, and longevity. Our clients expressed a love for the simplicity and cleanliness of modern design, but also desired the rustic warmth of a farmhouse. The home and shop/garage were planned on the East-West axis for maximum southern exposure. The home is a simple rectangular form with a shed roof and an interior stacked service core. The expansive glass of the southern exposure provides and abundance of natural light and views across the site. The broad southern overhang of the shed roof is sized to shade the high summer sun yet allow penetration of the low winter sun when desired. The Quonset Hut form of the shop provides the simplest structural means to gain the most space and its curvilinear surface affords the greatest ease to mount a photovoltaic array at the most efficient sun angle. The structure and cladding of the home’s interior core are reclaimed brick and barn siding. The materials provide a texture and warmth which both contrasts and compliments the more modern trimless smooth white walls and ceilings. The exterior material palette is corrugated metal siding, pre-cast concrete panels, reclaimed brick, and exposed exterior grade framing. The site materials include gabion retaining walls of stone and reclaimed concrete slabs as well as two prominent repurposed grain silos now serving as rainwater collection cisterns for toilet flushing and landscape irrigation. Some of the homeowners’ favorite design details further emphasize the nature of both comfort and utility in the home. Integrated in the core on both floors are sleeping nooks sized for queen beds. The home sensibly accommodates four couples without giving up exorbitant space “and guests never want to leave the nooks,” says the homeowner. On the lower floor, the cold waste air of the heat pump water heater is exhausted to the adjacent modern day root cellar where the homeowners store their home-brewed beers, home-made jams and jellies, wines, and fruits and vegetables for proper keeping and aging. Grandfather would be proud of this comfortable, sensible, sustainable, and low maintenance home in which nothing goes to waste.
Type of Construction: The home’s main floor is built of engineered wood stud in-line framing over an insulated pre-cast concrete panel ground floor. The simple shed roof structure is built of LVL rafters with continuous exterior insulation and high density cavity insulation. The LVLs allow for an extensive southern overhang to shield high hot summer sun while allowing for penetration of winter sun. The core of the home is expressed clearly from the ground floor through the main floor in both plan and with reclaimed masonry and wood materials. PME home support systems are logically stacked within the core from floor to floor allowing more important spaces to benefit from the abundance of natural light along the exterior walls. The exterior walls are clad with low/no maintenance corrugated metal over continuous insulation over a spray applied weather resistant barrier. In the yard, two recycled grain silos serve a new life as cisterns capturing 10,000 gallons each to service the home and farm. A photovoltaic array mounted on the adjacent storage/shop building produces enough energy to pay all utility bills with a surplus. Notable Materials or Systems: · High R-value BIBS insulation; continuous rigid insulation on the roof, floors, and walls; spray-on house wrap; 1.3 air changes per hour; 27 HERS score (73% more efficient than a typical new home); NGBS Emerald Certification (highest certification of NAHB). · Sun-tempered heating and cooling through the floor plan, orientation, window openings, glazing, cross-ventilation, shade trees, and roof overhangs. · Collected rainwater used for irrigation and toilet flushing. · Low-flow and high-performance WaterSense fixtures for water conservation and luxurious bathing. · 2×6 advanced in-line framing; engineered wood studs, joists, and rafters; insulated headers and 2-stud corners; and a larger insulation cavity. · Recycled or re-purposed siding, brick masonry, gabion retaining, steel, interior paneling, and interior pivot doors. · Manifold “home run” plumbing system with dedicated delivery lines for decreased water and energy use and increased comfort (hot water fast). · Highly efficient heat pump water heater with waste energy used to cool the beer and vegetable cellar. · Extremely high-efficiency ductless mini-split system for heating and cooling. · Concrete or wood floors, central vacuum, walk-off deck, and low and no-VOC finishes throughout for health, durability, and efficiency. · Energy recovery ventilator for consistent and balanced ventilation. · Low maintenance precast concrete basement walls and galvalume metal roof and siding.