WSJ: Give Us Your Green

• April 29, 2009

by Mark Wellborn

The Wall Street Journal does not immediately come to mind when one thinks “green” design, but we give them a serious thumbs up for a recent piece in which they asked four architects to each submit a design for an energy-efficient, environmentally sustainable house.

Each of the four homes stands out for one reason or another, but our favorite was designed by Rick Cook of New York-based firm Cook + Fox.

Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal

The house has a skin that “reacts to the weather, turning dark in the bright sun to insulate the house from heat and turning clear on dark days to absorb as much light and heat as possible.” According to The Journal, the façade collects rainwater and other condensation, and recycles it for the home’s water needs.

Mr. Cook’s firm is no stranger to green design. Their biggest project is One Bryant Park, the NYC headquarters for Bank of America, where they came up with an innovative way to cool the building without overpowering the A/C systems.

From The Journal:

“The sculpted white-glass tower, Manhattan’s second-tallest after the Empire State Building, creates massive ice blocks in the evening when electricity is cheapest. As the ‘ice batteries’ melt, they are used to cool the building during times of peak electricity loads during the day.”

1 Comment

1. Maria said at 2:57 pm on Wednesday April 29, 2009:

   Why don’t people build houses like this yet? Given the economy and the current energy situation, homes like these should be built everywhere.