Green Vacation Home Design | Saugatuck, Michigan
This home, located on a very challenging site in Saugatuck, sought to merge classic Midwestern vernacular 'camp' architecture, sustainable design and vacation comfort. The home plan itself a simple cruciform whose architectural elements provides clear, functional spatial definition. The central section of the home, running perpendicular to the street, is taller and capped with a ventilation/light monitor, reminiscent of barn detailing found in the region.
Locating the house required siting it close to the street, as the site dropped significantly towards the rear of the site, avoiding protected wetlands and minimally impacting the site's landscape. The resolution of these factors produced a large walkout lower level and a dramatic 'freestanding' screened porch, reached by a bridge spanning over the virgin landscape below. The porch area, rotated at 45º to the house, provides a panoramic view of the property and the feel of a tree fort.
+ GREEN FEATURES
Natural ventilation out of the top of the roof monitor using remote controlled windows
Reclaimed wood timbers & flooring from a vintage granary building in St. Paul
Fireplace tile made from recycled tiled also from the granary building
Hybrid foam/blown in rockwool insulation system
Smart controlled mechanical systems
Natural daylight throughout
'Cool roof' technology
Rain screen system
