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Sustainable glass dwelling in Sonoma County: Marra Road

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Marra Road House project was designed by Dowling Studios as a weekend home for a family who live in San Francisco, located in Sonoma County, California. The house is located on an 8 acre site, nestled in a unique surrounding of redwood groves, a seasonal creek, grassy meadows and rolling vineyards. The indoor/outdoor living experience was the driving force of the design.

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The home is comprised of two linked 1,000-square-foot pavilions. The volumes echo architect Philip Johnson’s 1949 Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut, though it avoids the 1949 structure’s iconic exhibitionism.

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The simply detailed, taut, flat-roofed home’s two wings form a T-shape. One wing runs north to south, parallel to a pool, and contains the open-plan living spaces.

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The great room has three walls of floor-to-ceiling Fleetwood sliding doors that open to wide concrete patios shaded by deep roof overhangs. The doors allow easy indoor-outdoor living and provide remarkably efficient “air-conditioned” spaces on even the hottest days, while a two-sided interior-exterior fireplace makes the north patio a winter favorite.

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A large central great room forms the center of the house and is surrounded on three sides with full height sliding doors. The great room is wrapped by a covered patio and opens on to a pool, outdoor living room with fireplace, and an outdoor dining area with vineyard and forest views.

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The other wing contains a master suite, a children’s room with bunk beds, and a studio that doubles as a guest room. A limited palette of wood, concrete, and metal; solar and radiant heating systems; and efficient construction methods all work together to exceed California’s stringent energy codes by 15 percent.

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Sustainable design was a high priority, with the use of a solar powered radiant concrete floor and domestic hot water system, a PV solar system for electricity, and solar pool heating. Sustainable products such as reconstituted wood for cabinetry, low VOC paints, and 100% wool carpet were integrated into the design as well. This project was completed in 2012.

Photos: Courtesy of Dowling Studios

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David B Turner
2 years ago

Not your style I know. Please consider….One of a kind! It’s round and underground. Steps descending, sky lights let the sun shine in, glass block pie piece shaped bath. Instant hot water, ceiling rain shower with free standing tub, for two? Three slabs of marble up on bricks, “wet room”. (Sink.) Kitchen Island, stove. Watch me cook! (Not wash dishes.) Fireplace? 32′ in diameter. Foam insulation on outside of concrete forms “heat sink”. Electric, off grid tied net metering? (Stuff.) Oh, I forgot…The heat sink effect prevents sweaty basement condensation. Must see! (Bomb proof?)