RainShine House in Georgia by Robert M. Cain
by Jaime in Architecture
The RainShine House in Decatur, Georgia was created by
architect Robert M.Cain. It is a two-story, 2,800-square-foot home that features three
bedrooms, three and a half baths and some impressive sustainable
building materials and methods. Its name comes from the awesome design
of its butterfly roof, which is designed to capture rainfall for a rain
harvest system located in its basement (Rain) and oriented to maximize
southern exposure for a roof mounted photovoltaic system (Shine).
Beyond the fantastic eco features, the interior is very well-designed — I
especially love the use of color in the custom cabinetry.
More from the architect:
The living room, dining, kitchen and guest bedrooms are
sheltered by a unique butterfly roof structured with steel beams spanned
by exposed 1- 1/2” tongue-and-groove wood decking. The roof floats
above continuous clerestories allowing light to flood into the interior.
Light shelves around the clerestory sills bounce and diffuse natural
light throughout the interior.
The butterfly [roof] design, with it’s inverted gable, simplifies
rainwater collection, eliminates extensive gutter and downspout systems
and the associated maintenance headaches common in conventional gabled
or hip roofed homes. The home features large expanses of thermally
broken glazing with solar shades and operable windows. Spaces are
defined by “thick walls” containing storage, book shelves, niches,
pass-throughs, closets, audio visual equipment, systems, etc. Except at
certain utility areas, interior walls stop short of the ceilings and are
topped by glazing, thus enhancing the floating roof effect.
RainShine was constructed under the LEED for Homes Program Pilot
Rating System. Upon completion it was awarded the highest possible
rating—Platinum—having exceeded the requirements by a significant 11
points. The home is also certified by the Energy Star and EarthCraft
home programs. For More information on the sustainable aspects of
Rainshine visit the blog.
Photography by Paul Hultberg Photography.
[via Chictip]
Tags: architecture
