IN 2021, PETE AND BECKY MEIER HIRED LANDSCAPE DESIGN WEST, LLC, TO CREATE AN EXTRAORDINARY RENOVATION DESIGN FOR THE CANYON PASS HOUSE LOCATED IN THE GATED COMMUNITY OF CANYON PASS AT THE PINNACLE OF DOVE MOUNTAIN, IN TUCSON, ARIZONA. EXISTING LANDSCAPE DID NOT COMPLIMENT THE OUTSTANDING ADJACENT DESERT NOR THE UNIQUE MARK SOLOWAY ARCHITECTURE. GOAL WAS TO CREATE A BEAUTIFUL DIALOGUE WITH THE ADJACENT DESERT AND RESIDENCE. DESIRED OUTCOME: INCREASE VISUAL APPEAL/LOWER WATER USE WITH NUMEROUS SPECIMEN SUCCULENTS AND A PLANTING DESIGN THAT IS INVITING, COLORFUL AND GRACIOUS, INCREASE YEAR AROUND COLOR AND BLOOMS TO ATTRACT NATIVE POLLINATORS SUCH AS BIRDS, BATS, HUMMINGBIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES MITIGATE DAMAGE TO PORTIONS OF THE PROPERTY PREVIOUSLY USED AS CONSTRUCTION STAGING AREAS LOWER WATER USAGE REPLACING EXISTING FAULTY IRRIGATION LOWER ENERGY/INCREASED NIGHTTIME LIGHTING AESTHETICS WITH A PROFESSIONAL DESIGN AND USING HUNTER/FX LED LIGHTING CHALLENGES: HILLSIDE/SLOPE WILDLIFE ROCKY SOILS DIFFICULT ACCESS Robin Stancliff Photography

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

Great simple mason jar bathroom vanity lighting. Available with 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 lights and many different finishes.
Inspiration for a small rustic bathroom remodel in Montreal

A roof-full of energy makers! Whether it is sunny or cloudy, solar panels generate electricity for our use. -San Jose, CA, 2015 ‪‎LG Electronics‬ 275W Solar Panel Modules ‪SolarEdge Technologies‬ 7.6 kW Inverter and 300W DC Optimizers. Photo by Earth Electric

Bathroom with rustic cabinets, stone tile, beige walls, white trim in the Proud Green Home of St. Louis in Wildwood, Missouri. This home features an EcoDrain hot water recovery system that will reduce hot water heater usage by 25 to 50%. Photo by Kim Hibbs

The family of a local firefighter purchased a raw 15.7 acre ranch in the woody, rolling hills of Thousand Oaks to build their 4ksf, 1-story home with a view of the valley to the NE beyond. The husband and wife team, with an abundance of energy and fortitude, tackled every hurdle with optimistic determination and persistence, including the myriad of agency regulations, construction supervision, and material selections & purchases. They came to ENRarchitects with a developed seed of an idea and a manila file full of handmade sketches. Together we continuously refined the ideas and produced the final design, documents and engineering to obtain timely permits and competitive bids from subcontractors and suppliers. The owner’s diligence in research and negotiation paid off significantly in a completed budget that was less than half the typical general contracting rate. The welcoming home, features 4 bedrooms, 3-1/4 baths, kitchen, laundry & pantry, living, dining & family rooms, office, and a 3-car garage with a stall for the speedboat. With the latest in high-density insulation, foil-backed roof sheathing, energy efficient windows, the energy usage is very low, especially considering a whole house fan keeps the usage of the A/C system to a minimum, and a pellet-burning iron stove supplements the furnace. The result is a beautiful oasis, perched in the hills, with ever-changing views in every direction.

Beautiful blue solar panels, on a beautiful day. These are polycrystalline solar panels. What choices have you made, on your journey to solar power? -San Jose, CA 2016. Solar Edge DC Optimizers. Solar Edge Inverter. Photo by Earth Electric.

This spacious modern kitchen boasts an oversized island with Dekton Quartz waterfall counters. A muted color palette and streamlined cabinets and fixtures makes this kitchen a minimalists’ dream. With ReAlta, we are introducing for the first time in Charlotte a fully solar community. Each beautifully detailed home will incorporate low profile solar panels that will collect the sun’s rays to significantly offset the home’s energy usage. Combined with our industry-leading Home Efficiency Ratings (HERS), these solar systems will save a ReAlta homeowner thousands over the life of the home. Credit: Brendan Kahm

A gorgeous day in San Jose, CA. With the strong sunlight at this time of year, solar panels make more electricity than in the winter. -2016, San Jose, CA SolarEdge DC Optimizers and Inverter.

Small trendy u-shaped light wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in DC Metro with a single-bowl sink, recessed-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, granite countertops, multicolored backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

How much electricity will you make today? -San Jose, CA 2016. Solar Edge DC Optimizers. Solar Edge Inverter. Photo by Earth Electric.
Example of a mid-sized transitional brown two-story stucco house exterior design in San Francisco with a hip roof and a shingle roof

-San Jose, CA 2016. SolarEdge inverter. SolarEdge DC optimizers. Photo by Earth Electric.
Large traditional white two-story stucco house exterior idea in San Francisco with a clipped gable roof and a shingle roof

What will your house look like, with solar panels on it? -San Jose, CA 2015. LG Electric solar panels. SolarEdge inverter. SolarEdge DC optimizer. Photo by Earth Electric

The clients for this small bathroom project are passionate art enthusiasts and asked the architects to create a space based on the work of one of their favorite abstract painters, Piet Mondrian. Mondrian was a Dutch artist associated with the De Stijl movement which reduced designs down to basic rectilinear forms and primary colors within a grid. Alloy used floor to ceiling recycled glass tiles to re-interpret Mondrian's compositions, using blocks of color in a white grid of tile to delineate space and the functions within the small room. A red block of color is recessed and becomes a niche, a blue block is a shower seat, a yellow rectangle connects shower fixtures with the drain. The bathroom also has many aging-in-place design components which were a priority for the clients. There is a zero clearance entrance to the shower. We widened the doorway for greater accessibility and installed a pocket door to save space. ADA compliant grab bars were located to compliment the tile composition. Andrea Hubbell Photography

Solar panels to power your life, to power your garden (well, the lights in your walk-way). -San Jose, CA 2016. Solar Edge DC Optimizers. Solar Edge Inverter. Photo by Earth Electric.

Modern custom home nestled in quiet Arcadia neighborhood. The expansive glass window wall has stunning views of Camelback Mountain and natural light helps keep energy usage to a minimum. CIP concrete walls also help to reduce the homes carbon footprint while keeping a beautiful, architecturally pleasing finished look to both inside and outside. The artfully blended look of metal, concrete, block and glass bring a natural, raw product to life in both visual and functional way

Roof-top solar panels: keeping the earth green, one panel at a time. -San Jose, CA, 2015 ‎LG Electronics‬ 275W Solar Panel Modules. ‪SolarEdge Technologies‬ 7.6 kW Inverter and 300W DC Optimizers. Photo by Earth Electric.

A gorgeous day in San Jose, CA. With the strong sunlight at this time of year, solar panels make more electricity than in the winter. -San Jose, CA 2016. Solar Edge DC Optimizers. Solar Edge Inverter. Photo by Earth Electric.

New solar panels reflect the blue sky. How are you helping to keep the sky blue? -Menlo Park, 2015 ‪LG Electronics‬ 300W Solar Panels ‎SolarEdge‬ 7.6kW Inverter and DC Optimizer