This contemporary home built in Burr Ridge, Illinois uses natural and reclaimed materials with unique textural qualities. This is a true Chicago custom home design. With many Japanese influenced design elements, including a Genkan, a lowered entry area, this home has a clean and uncluttered living experience with a distinctive and durable surface. This design by Ross Architecture in collaboration with Mark Eric Benner – Architects was developed and produced for a private residential client. A unique application of exterior materials includes reclaimed Chicago common brick, poplar bark siding, and sliding glass walls.
Indoor and outdoor spaces are blended through the use of sliding glass walls and flooring materials matched to the exterior patio finishes.
Sustainability is of paramount importance for this home’s owner. For this home, we take advantage of a full range of materials, techniques, and systems that contribute to the comfort and efficiencies that the homeowner desires. We begin with conservation in an effort to minimize the demand for energy while maintaining comfort and light levels. Spray foam insulation provides a unique air-sealed barrier and high insulation values to ensure the home’s comfort and efficiency. LED light fixtures throughout use a fraction of the electricity of even that offered by CFLs. The addition of a lighting control system ensures that we set the desired scene and conveniently turn off lights when not in use.
One of the exciting features that many think of when considering sustainability is the addition of renewable energy. As always, the first thing to do is consider conservation to minimize the home’s energy demand. With that done, we then turned our focus to photovoltaic solar panels. We considered both solar heat as well as electricity (photovoltaics or PV) and determined to pursue a combination of the two. With our wooded site condition, shading is a concern. The same concern relates to the architectural form itself. To help better understand these considerations we prepared an animation for the peak solar radiation hours to visualize the effects of shading on the proposed panel configuration and layout. There were a number of adjustments made in response to the animation study to maximize each panels access to sunlight. The system is designed using micro-inverters so that any shading that does occur will not affect the performance of the system as a whole. A contemporary home on an expansive lot in Burr Ridge, Illinois brings together and supports a variety of interests for the family under one roof. Particular attention is given to sustainable practices and embraces elements of Japanese design.
With a preference for storage of books and a startling lack of emphasis on locations for televisions, it is readily apparent that the focus in this house is on reading. In fact, very few of the spaces do not have built-in bookshelves. The Kitchen, Office, Study, Music Room, even the Passage feature bookshelves. All of those taken together still don't offer the capacity of the book storage system in the basement, capable of housing more than twenty thousand volumes.
Music also plays a significant role in the family's lifestyle. What many would consider a Great Room, instead is known as the Music Room. Special attention has been paid to its acoustic properties. With the guidance of our acoustician, the Music Room takes a unique form to manage reverb. The bookshelves are constructed with sound-absorbing panels and articulated ceiling panels with sound felt also serve to interrupt harsh reflections of sound from the quintet below. The expansive sliding glass walls also embrace roller shades with acoustically selected fabric. In an effort to protect the piano from harsh temperature and humidity extremes through enhanced wall construction.