Environmental Design + Construction - March 2009 - (Page 28) SPECIAL SECTION GreenDirt A COLLABORATION TO BUILD A HOME AT AN ORGANIC FARM PRIORITIZES SUSTAINABILITY AND FAMILY CONNECTIVITY. By Jason F. McLennan , LEED AP C GIVEN A FINITE SUPPLY OF SALVAGED WOOD, THE DESIGN TEAM FACED THE UNIQUE CHALLENGE OF DESIGNING THE HOUSE AROUND THE MATERIALS RATHER THAN ORDERING SUPPLIES TO SUIT THE PLANS. PHOTO COPYRIGHT © BOB GREENSPAN. all it fate. Call it luck. I call it one of the most fulfilling examples of teamwork that I’ve enjoyed in my career. It all came about when Sarah and John, who had recently relocated from Seattle to Missouri, heard me speaking about green building on a Kansas City radio program. Interested in constructing their own sustainable residence, they contacted me at Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell Architects (BNIM), where I worked at the time. We hit it off immediately, and I committed to the project, inspired by my new clients’ determination to create an earth-friendly home for their family of five. The new structure would be built on the site of Sarah and John’s newly emerging organic sheep farm, Green Dirt Farm, which sells artisan cheeses and grass-fed meat. From the onset of the project, the couple made it clear that sustainability and family connectivity were their top priorities. They were interested in creating a homestead that truly represented their values. So we set out to create a net-zero home that would nurture their family, their property and the greater environment. 28 ed+c M AR C H 09
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