An Earth Sheltered Net Zero House Sketch, an unbuilt project

An Earth-sheltered Modern Home Design

So often we’re inspired by nature and the earth. Here’s a watercolor, pen, and pencil sketch from years ago where firm principal Stephen M. Frey, AIA explored an earth-sheltered, nature-near home design on a south-facing hillside site with a lifted and separated curving green roof.

On an ideal site, the house would be a two to three-bedroom, two-bath residence with an open and interconnected kitchen, dining, and living space with three distinct zones with a great room feel. It would be a net zero home, a residence that produces the same or more energy than it consumes. We organized key bedrooms on the ends of the rectangular home volume with view windows to the outside.

A nearby garage and or barn space would supplement the home a short distance away. It could supply parking for vehicles, workshop and craft areas, accessory dwelling units, and long-term storage. To complete the integration with exterior design, a vegetable and flower garden would be nearby as well as other landscaping would be installed.  

Highlights of the Home Design and Space Layout:

The living areas front the building volume with easy exterior access to the continuous arbor-covered terrace and ample views of the surroundings. In a later design step, we will study the amount of glazing through energy modeling. Overglazing might cause overheating of the house and having to size up the air-conditioning system at a higher cost and energy use.

Biomorphic Structural System

The wooden glue-lam ribs of the home are akin to bones that spring from the earth! The residence transitions from the solidity and darkness found within the earth to the lightness of a forest canopy along the continuous south-facing porch and terrace area. An overhead wood timber frame arbor with solar control helps minimize summer glare while supplying a place for vines to grow. Timber frame posts and supplemental beams would abound in and out.

Solar Systems and Energy Independence

We imagine photovoltaic ground-mounted solar trackers in a nearby solar orchard a short walk away. They would tie into a nearby independent standalone timber frame structure that houses the whole house battery system and inverters. The building would bring power safely to the semi-underground home.

Daylighting, The Sun, and Nature Near

The south-facing window wall area and short ends would connect to near and far views of the site and beyond. We would tailor the home and site design to frame near and far views with window and door openings.

Dynamic top lighting from skylights and roof monitors activates interior spaces such as bathrooms, kitchens, and internal areas. Overhead, top daylighting from triple-insulated prismatic skylights lights these spaces during the day. At night, architectural LED lighting will highlight the underside of the curving structure. This will bring a day and night difference to the spaces within, activating them in unique ways at each time of day.

The Building Enclosure and Performance

The building enclosure would be super-insulated, suitable for the local climate and building traditions and regional preferences. It would follow at a minimum (R5/R15/R20/R45/R80) for windows, below slabs, walls in below-grade foundation conditions, walls above grade, and the ceiling as recommended by Joe Lstiburek, Ph.D., P. Eng. of Building Science Corporation. Windows of this home would have triple-insulated high-performance glazing with low-e argon-filled units with thermal spacers set within fiberglass and wood frames. Operable awning and casement windows would act in tandem with ceiling-mounted fans to circulate healthy fresh air in warmer times.

We envision the doors as made from fiberglass frames with thermally broken edges. The nature near Green Roof could be extensive or intensive depending on the client’s desires and structural capabilities, cost, care preferences for the plantings, etc. It would help with stormwater management capturing and filtering rainfall. Construction would follow aggressive air-sealing standards to further reduce energy loads by minimizing energy loss through cracks, corners, and joints.

The exterior rain screen siding could be cement-plank, cedar, or metal siding such as metal panels, corrugated metal, or 12-inch ribbed siding. Depending on the preferences of the client, we could mix and match artistically, connecting the home to the earth. Site-harvested flagstone, if available, could enclose lower portions of the exterior walls and site terracing.  

Interior Systems, Mood, and Character

A radiant polished concrete slab with decorative insets would supply heating. Air-air wall-mounted heat pumps would supply cooling and supplemental heating.

We would choose simple and restrained interior finishes, using local milled rough-sawn lumber or, if a client wants a more modern interior design, we will use finished hardwood standing and running trim with a contemporary design. Hand plastering or drywall would complement the interior. The doors and kitchen would have simply rubbed bronze hardware and pulls. Paints would be no or low-volatile organic compounds. (VOC).

Appliances would be high-performance Energy Star models to reduce energy use. We recommend all-electric, but it is important to have backup generators onsite in case of power failures and depletion of any home batteries. With Vermont’s increasingly warmer winters with wet snows damaging power lines, it pays to be prepared for anything and to keep climate resiliency in mind when planning and constructing this home.

Lighting

High-performance LED lighting would like the interior and exterior of this house and its site. We would specify a mix of dimmable low-voltage architectural lighting emphasizing the ceiling and exposed Glue-lam and timber-frame structure, as well as downlights, wall-washers decorative pendant fixtures, and sconces. A thoroughly thought-out lighting design like this would amplify the enjoyment of this home for years to come.

Local Materials

We envision focused areas that would have locally sourced stone areas using Vermont slate, granite, or marble. One could specify soapstone counters for the kitchen and bathroom vanity counters. Another area to plan is to use solar color shades and blinds from nearby manufacturers on the south and west-facing windows to control overheating and glare. We advocate the use of local milled lumber as well.

Next Steps

In our design for this unbuilt Vermont net-zero home, we seek to capture nature’s beauty with our sustainable and artful living mindset. From the curved green roof to renewable energy, and interior and exterior site connections, every detail supports living in harmony with the environment. 

If you’re intrigued, let’s discuss adapting this design or aspects of it to create your dream home. Let’s design and build a place and space that reflects your style and values while honoring Vermont’s landscapes and sustainable living ethos. Contact us to begin this journey! 

You can find us at Arocordis Design, our residential architecture firm's website. Our home studio is located in Montpelier, Vermont. Happy to connect.