Barry Dixon’s living room features eco furnishings from his collection with Tomlinson/Erwin Lambeth, a clean burning fi replace from EcoSmart Fire, low VOC paint from Farrow and Ball, and the economical yet stylish oversized balsa wood pendants, which make a dramatic statement for less than $200 each.
Although architects, designers, builders, and progressive thinkers the world over have been considering green for decades, it has only been in recent years that green has gone mainstream. Even so, the aesthetics of green typically has been synonymous with funky spiral lightbulbs, scratchy looking fabrics, and cold institutional finishes. Well, the CharityWorks GreenHouse in McLean, Virginia proves once and for all that those days are gone.
Brainchild of CharityWorks, WEST GROUP development company Senior Vice President in charge of sustainability efforts Mark Lowham, and GreenSpur builder Mark Turner, the GreenHouse not only set forth a goal to be the first carbon neutral house on the East Coast, but also to give back by benefiting the Friendship Public Charter School, the McLean Project for the Arts, the Injured Marines Semper Fi Fund, and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
To ensure the success of the project, Lowham and Turner solicited Cunningham|Quill Architects to design a house that would showcase how energy efficient design, renewable energy systems, and a smart location can come together in a home that is both environmentally friendly and a beautiful place to live.
Starting from below the ground up, the story of this green house begins 400 feet under ground with a state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling system. Other elements of green design and construction include solar hot water; structural insulated panel (SIP) construction; passive solar design; low-flow water fixtures; LED lighting; rainwater capture; native plant landscaping by John Clime and Skye Design Studio; smart house technology; a green roof system; a walkable location with proximity to the Metro and bus system; reused and recycled materials; and more.
Although it has not yet been certified, the GreenHouse is expected to exceed LEED Platinum requirements, and, based on the Energy Star Yardstick, the home is more energy efficient than 99.99 percent of the homes built since 2000.Impressive. Even more impressive though, is that the house doesn’t “look” green. Outside and in, the aesthetics of the house prove that being green doesn’t mean sacrificing style. To implement the interior design, Lowham made a call to internationally acclaimed interior designer Barry Dixon in hopes he would consult as design chair for the house. Dixon jumped at the chance to showcase how green has evolved and work with a team of other designers to, “show the public that there is such a thing as Luxurious Sustainable Living utilizing the best of eco-friendly materials, products and services so people will start to look at living green in a whole new way.” Says Dixon, “There is more to a green house than unbleached linen and drab, neutral color schemes.”
Eco features of the exterior and construction include use of solar and wind generated electricity, solar hot water, structural insulated panel construction, rainwater capture, and a green roof system.
Combine today’s economy with the prevalence of designer showhouses and the result is typically that the number of available rooms are barely exceeded by the number of designers interested in decorating them. Having served as design chair for numerous other showhouses, Dixon’s insight on the CharityWorks GreenHouse is telling. Eighty-nine applications to design 19 rooms is sure proof that designers are not only embracing sustainability but also are looking to show consumers how beautiful it can be. “We had so many applications for rooms that said, ‘If you can’t give me the room I want, just give me anything,’” notes Dixon.
After considering each application, a team of 18 (in addition to Dixon) interior designers was established to select the furnishings, fittings, fixtures, and décor. With oversight from design committee members and fellow designers Barry Dixon, Victoria Neale, and Skip Sroka, designers Raji Radhakrishnan, Gary Lovejoy, Miriam Dillon, Rebecca Foley, Ernesto Santalla, Dee Thornton, Barbara Hawthorn, Michael Roberson, Cynthia Sayers, Lynni Megginson, Nancy Colbert, Susan Gulick, Charlotte Lekakos, Annette Hannon, and Sandra Meyers tackled the interiors, tapping into the DC region’s green resources for fabrics, flooring, lighting, accessories, and furnishings.
While each room is itself a study in green, highlights of the interior décor included furnishings constructed with Forest Stewardship Council certified wood and soy-based foam cushions; certified green fabrics; use of quickly renewable resources like hemp and bamboo; antique furnishings (the ultimate green); repurposed materials and those manufactured from recycled materials in facilities guided by sustainable standards; low VOC paints; and more. Some of our favorite details include the beautiful counter top in Cynthia Sayers’ master bath made from recycled milk bottles, a restored 100-year-old ceiling fan in Charlotte Lekakos’ guest suite, the driftwood mirrors in Dee Thornton’s Garden Room, the mica-flake wallcovering in Barry Dixon’s kitchen, the recirculating waterfall in Ernesto Santalla’s retreat, and the selection of beautiful Environmental Language furnishings in Sandra Meyers’ guest suite.
Taking the green construction materials and practices; the energy efficient design; the healthy, eco-friendly interiors; and the sustainable native landscape together as a whole, what emerged was a “model” home in every sense of the word. As builder Mark Turner put it succinctly, the CharityWorks GreenHouse was, “the right house, in the right place, at the right time.”
The CharityWorks GreenHouse was open to the public for tours from October 10 through 30, 2009.
Dennis Hockman is the Editor of ChesapeakeHome.
THE CHARITYWORKS GREENHOUSE PARTICIPANTS
Architecture
Cunningham|Quill: cunninghamquill.com or 202-337-0090
Construction and Development
West* Group: west-group.com
GreenSpur Inc.: greenspur.net
Landscape
John Clime and Skye Design Studio: skyedesignstudio.com
Interiors
Nancy Colbert: 703-242-0086
Barry Dixon: BarryDixon.com or 540-341-8501
Miriam Dillon and Rebecca Foley: cdcarch.com or 703-749-9040
Annette Hannon: annettehannon.com or 703-978-1486
Barbara Hawthorn: barbarahawthorninteriors.com or 703-241-5588
Charlotte Lekakos: 301-215-4140
Gary Lovejoy: garylovejoy.com or 202-333-5200
Lynni Megginson: lynnimegginson.com
Sandra Meyers: sandrameyersdesign.com or 301-929-9788
Victoria Neale: victorianealeinteriors.com or 202-244-8410
Michael Roberson: michaelroberson.com or 703-527-9010
Raji Radhakrishnan: rajirm.com or 202-330-3866
Cynthia Sayers: 703-370-1947
Ernesto Santalla: studiosantalla.com or 202-338-8220
Skip Sroka: srokadesign.com
Dee Thornton: houseworksinteriors.com or 703-519-1900
Susan Gulick: susangulickinteriors.com or 703-674-0332
Lisa Weiss: WineCellarsbyLisa.com or 703-992-WINE (9463)
CharityWorks is a volunteer-led community organization that has been making connections between dreams and reality for more than a decade. Since 1999, CharityWorks has channeled millions of dollars to community organizations doing the hard work of helping children and families overcome challenges and break the cycle of poverty that continues to plague our nation’s capital. They are also proud to support organizations helping the men and women of the military who serve our nation with valor. CharityWorks is a 501(c)(3) component fund of the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region.
