ELEMENT HOUSE

SOLSTICE PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE

SILVER WINNER: BEST OVERALL HOME — BETWEEN $1 TO $2 MILLION

Situated on a narrow lot within a flood zone on Sarasota Bay the property had challenges to overcome including constructing this project within 10”-0” from an adjacent residence. In order to define sight lines away from the neighboring property and to take advantage of distant open water views from the project site, the architect proposed an upsidedown house design, lifting social areas to the upper levels and locating guest rooms and children’s rooms on the ground floor, alongside an informal family area. The owner and the architect discussed “building the house of the future today” and a large part of this goal was to create a home that reduced dependency on the power grid with a focus on nature. A list of sustainable development goals was developed directly with the client and then these goals became the tools for implementing strategies for self-sufficiency with the general contractor. The initial project focus on sustainability was based on identifying as many passive systems as possible (natural daylighting, ventilation, shading) and then the integration of active systems (solar energy capture, recycling/renewable materials, water collection, indoor air purification, and data system integration/automation). The result of the client/architect/contractor collaboration is one of the highest rated sustainable houses constructed in the United States with a HERS Index of -26, which is the third lowest HERS score ever recorded in Florida and the lowest in Sarasota County. Third party performance testing includes LEED Platinum Certification, Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) Platinum Certification, EPA Energy Star Highest Standards Certified, Indoor air PLUS Certified, and DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Certified. The result is a home that marries beauty with superior building techniques and sustainability.

Architect: Jonathan Parks, AIA, SOLSTICE Planning and Architecture Contractor: Nathan Cross, NWC Construction Interior Design: David K. Lowe Interior Design Landscape: Michael A. Gilkey, Inc. Photographer: Dylan Jon Wade Cox & Ryan Gamma Photography LEED Certification: Two Trails, Inc.