Two pods, three levels and a bridge that’s an Art Gallery. Quiet, humidity controlled, and only a tiny mechanical room. Zone control systems are notorious for being noisy and/or failing to control humidity. The Air Distribution System had to be accurately calculated and designed, and since all of the ductwork would be buried within the structure, never to be seen again, balanced only from the mechanical room. As with many Modernist designs, if you get this one wrong, it’s forever!

Modernist homes, above others, should have a thoroughly designed, aesthetically pleasing, superbly functioning HVAC system; and be insulated to levels that put them on a credible path toward a future of producing as much energy as they consume.

A simple form with exposed concrete and steel, very clean lines and no trim can be challenging. The volume of space was almost 100,000 cubic feet with plenty of glass, so I began by calculating the airflow requirements of each room, sketching out an Air Distribution System and catching up with the architecture and structural engineer.

Presented with a 23,000sf home to be built of steel and concrete, the prospect of “mass” was overwhelming. Radiant floors and Autoclaved Aerated Concrete blocks became appealing.

Integrating a modern heating/cooling system within classical architecture requires more than just finding supply and return grilles that aren’t objectionable and hiding them around corners. To maintain “modern” levels of comfort requires some planning. The Air Distribution System must properly yet unnoticeably mix air into rooms, or the home has the potential to feel and smell rather “old world,” too. And of course, there is the wine cellar: beautiful, 55 degrees and 70% RH with no equi...

Natural materials fit in with a boulder-strewn forest setting. They are less likely to off-gas harmful chemicals, and become sort of a “third skin” that insulates but allows moisture to pass gracefully through.

There is probably not a more perilous residential construction than an indoor pool, and this one came with additional challenges. It was one half of a 10,000sf recreation-entertainment guest house with a commercial kitchen. A pool isn’t fun to swim in until it’s about 82 degrees and the air temperature, close to that, if not a degree or two higher. So, half the house is warm and wet while the other half needs to be cool and dry. Complicating things was the commercial range hood which was s...

A private school with a commitment to sustainability: high levels of insulation, solar and geothermal systems. But the biggest challenge may be managing moisture in a humid climate where multiple campus buildings sit empty at night and on weekends, then suddenly have scores of students going in and out doors. Dense Pack Cellulose acts as a giant hygro-thermal buffer, while full airflow with staged cooling equipment meets the demand without over-cooling.

Built in about 2000, this was one of several 20,000+ square foot homes we were involved in.  In addition to learning how to design decorative air supply and return grilles, this homeowner came back from Paris with what I heard referred to as a “French Master Chef Kitchen.”