Comments on: Montara House Maximizes Sunlight on Foggy California Coast

By: kevin of

kevin of — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:08:33 +0000

I’m so glad that you were able to build your wonderful home on the Central Coast. There is wonderful green architecture in Big Sur, Bodega Bay, Timber Cove, but not a lot around coastal San Mateo County. We had lived in the SF Bay Area for most of our adult lives, where I designed exhibits for many of the natural history museums. About 13 years ago, we moved to Ireland, where we built Mermaid Isle, a magical green coastal retreat. Its passive-solar, getting most of its illumination and warmth from massive windows on the southern side, which is also where our glass-like private bay is. So, the two homes get a double dose of light from the sky and from the light reflected from the mirror-like water’s surface. The walls are clad in triple-layers of local natural slate. All the windows and doors are from either centuries-old churches, manor houses, or convents. So, there is little carbon-footprint either. Its medieval barn-like post & beam structure is perfectly attuned with its agricultural surroundings. You might want to check it out: http://www.mermaidisle.net

When Mermaid Isle sells we hope to return to the Montara/Moss Beach Coastal area.

Regards,
Kevin and Lori

By: Kevin OF

Kevin OF — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:47:54 +0000

We love your Montara house. We had come from the SF Bay Area, where I designed natural history museums. For the past 13 years we\\\’ve been living on the coast of Ireland, where we built another Green oceanfront home, which uses reflected sunlight from the sea for illumination and warmth. Again, we use massive windows on the south side, but each is reclaimed from either a centuries-old church, convent or manor house. Our walls are covered with triple-layers of natural slate. You might want to check it out at: http://www.mermaidisle.net

After Mermaid Isle sells, we hope to relocate back to the Montara/Moss Beach area.

Regards,
Kevin and Lori

By: Striking Spanish High School Shows Respect for Its Rural Site | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:03:23 +0000

[...] were used to build the high school in order to retain the same feel of the original landscape. The concrete is stained from green to red to connect the building to both its rural setting and the urban [...]

By: davidv

davidv — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 02:39:49 +0000

Beautiful home and welcome to the community! We recently completed our own eco-home in the neighboring town of Moss Beach and are happy to see others building thoughtful, architecturally interesting and forward-thinking homes on the Midcoast.

Well done – would love to see it in person some time.

– DavidV

By: DavidV

DavidV — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 02:33:38 +0000

Nice! Welcome to the community. We built our eco-home in the neighboring town of Moss Beach and welcome forward-thinking and beautifully designed homes like this to the Midcoast.

Would love to check it out in person some time.

Well done!

– DavidV