Green architecture – Hotchkiss Residence, Vancouver

Hotchkiss Residence is a beautiful example of architecture created in the northwest modernist tradition of Belluschi and Storrs. Located near the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington, the house is carefully sited and designed to take full advantage of the impressive surrounding views. Hotchkiss Residence has a contemporary, yet warm design, and it features various examples of green architecture.

Designed by Scott Edwards Architecture and built by the craftspeople at Hammer & Hand, the 185 square-meter (2,000 square-feet) Hotchkiss Residence is a single-level, one-bedroom home built for a retired couple in their 70s. For their new home (which replaces the old structure), the couple has emphasized simplicity and modernity, asking the architects to create a home that facilitates aging-in-place and allows the couple to live independently, but surrounded by family.

The home was placed on the site to maximize the southern view to the river. The roof is a bold cantilevered form with a 9-feet overhang that creates a sheltered outdoor space year-round and shades the windows during the summer months. The floor-to-ceiling windows ensure plenty of natural daylight and provide beautiful views of the surroundings.

The Pacific NW’s forests provided the timber for the home and the concrete used for the project was locally-sourced as well. Materials from the old structure were reused and the new building features advanced framing with 1 inch of spray foam and 4.5 inches of blown-in insulation, 6.3 inches of rigid roof insulation and a light-colored TPO roof membrane, high-efficiency windows, and a CMU chimney with insulation and a thermal break.

Aside good insulation which ensures lower energy usage needed for heating, the temperature inside the Hotchkiss Residence is maintained by passive solar design and heat recovery ventilation. The home has 90%-efficient electric hot water heating and 90%-efficient gas radiant floor heating. Lower energy usage is achieved with use of Energy Star appliances and energy-efficient lights, while the low-flow toilets and fixtures lower the usage of water.