Two Trails Sustainable Building Consultants
2020 Alton Road
The following article and images were published in 2012 under Residential Projects by Two Trails™, the Sustainable Building Consultants who collaborated with SKLARchitecture for this project:
To our knowledge this project is the highest scoring LEED home in the nation with 120/80 points earned giving it a LEED Platinum designation.
The project is a sleek, super-modern beauty-- all concrete, glass, high-end European appliances, and high-tech bells and whistles. The project is about 3,200 square feet and it's luxurious. This home, which for most days is net-zero, will also boast a minimal environmental footprint, a rarity in the area for new builds. The compact and efficient design of this home manages to fit five bedrooms and five bathrooms in just 3,200 squ. ft. Nestled on a site of 58' x 120' and with setbacks imposed by the city, the design sought to take advantage of these dimensions by making the main portion of the home a cube, which would be set back substantially from the busy street. An exposed masonry wall further protects the house by wrapping it on the north and west while creating a private courtyard for swimming and a balcony with views of the golf course across the street.
This home includes a dual 600-watt vertical axis wind turbine, a geothermal heating and cooling system, 7,000-gallon rainwater cistern, and a HERS rating of -8. And then there's the 11.5- kilowatt rooftop solar array composed of frameless photovoltaic panels produced by Insoltech. This project is among the first building projects, residential or commercial, to utilize these innovative, American-made solar panels. Given its Miami location and rough weather situations, the project's renewable energy systems are storm-resistant: the solar panels are rated for 160 mph winds and the turbines easily collapsible for when things outside get too windy. Additionally, there's a back-up battery system and the aluminum framed, low-E windows from CGI are built to withstand Category 5-strength hurricane winds. A very unique feature is the rainwater cistern and the home's reflecting pool are both lined with a nontoxic epoxy called Pond Armor that renders the water potable in the event of emergencies.
Other green specs of the project include LED lighting throughout, sustainable wood custom cabinetry, recycled glass countertops , and low-VOC paints and finishes. Outside, there's a deck and a pool equipped with a water purification system that eliminates the need for chemicals. Last but not least the project's home Walk Score of 85 is beyond excellent. South Beach is a short stroll away.
The full article and image gallery by Two Trails™ can be found at:
http://www.twotrails.com/2020altonroad
More details on this project can be found here.