Architect Carol Richard’s new home on Madison’s Ross Street is all about light and how it transforms the interior space. It also is Wisconsin’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes Platinum-rated residence… and one of only about 200 such homes in the United States.
“Sustainability has been part of my design practice from the beginning, so we knew we were going to build a green house,” says Richard, a LEED- accredited professional and the founding partner of Richard Wittschiebe Hand. “Today, there’s no reason not to build a house that is energy efficient and incorporates resource alternatives as well as local and eco-friendly materials.”
For its combination of decorative and low-VOC qualities, Richard chose Benjamin Moore & Co.’s Aura interior paint for her ultra-green home. “I’ve always been very satisfied with Benjamin Moore’s product performance and have also read great things about Aura in Consumer Reports,” she explains.
The home has a very open plan with a wall of windows facing south. “We let the sunlight make the space rather than the colours or architectural features,” Richard explains. Light is controlled by a brise soleil ( a sun louvre), which allows the winter sun to penetrate deeply while providing shade in the summer. “I wanted as much light bouncing into the space as possible for those short days in the winter,” Richard notes. “But in the summer, I wanted the house to feel cool.”
Achieving the lighting objectives required a neutral colour for the interior paint. After much contemplation and “way too many samples,” Richard chose Benjamin Moore’s Simply White OC-117 for most of the walls, as well as all the ceilings and trim. “It is the perfect colour.” she observes. “It is soft and slightly reflective with a hint of vanilla ice cream. It resembles a canvas.”
The home also features a wall that extends uninterrupted, from the lower level through the mid level to the upper level. To accent this wall, Richard chose Whipple Blue HC-152 from the Historical Colours. “My favourite colour is blue, and I find the right blue to be calming,” she explains.
At day’s end, the living room space becomes more active as interesting light spots play on the blue and white walls. Even on cloudy days, small rays of light form soft patterns, and sunny days bring stronger shapes and shadows. “we love the way the natural light falls on the walls,” Richard says. “Even though we used a CAD modeling program to project what the sunlight would do, the actual results are even more pleasing than we’d imagined.”
Because so much light comes in, the drywall and painting had to be absolutely flawless. Richard’s paint contractor worked closely with the Benjamin Moore retailer to devise the best application strategy. “Painting with Aura went so well, the contractor says he’s never going to use anything but low-VOC paints now,” she says.
Richard says that her Ross Street home has captured the attention of green enthusiasts throughout the country for exceeding the Platinum LEED requirements in such a beautiful way. “Our neighbours and friends really enjoy the house, too,” she says, “and often come by to relax in our light-filled space – and also enjoy some of Fred’s delicious homemade beer.”
Reproduced from Benjamin Moore’s Nuance online magazine.
Cheers!
flohaus 