"Florida International University's U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 entry, the perFORM[D]ance House, responds to its environment, its inhabitants, and its use. Its open pavilion design links the interior with the exterior through a layered façade and integrated landscape, and operable louver panels open to extend the interior space and expand the livable space to the exterior. The ever-changing configuration is driven by environmental conditions, resulting in an interactive performance that showcases sustainable strategies and technologies.

Design Philosophy

The design of the perFORM[D]ance House incorporates lightness and open spatial continuity reminiscent of Paul Rudolph's Cocoon House. The house incorporates key elements of tropical design, including louvers, a continuous flat roof, and an expansive horizontality.

Features

The perFORM[D]ance House features:

Technologies

Florida International University's house is an elegant hybrid of technology and design that achieves livability and sustainability using:

Market Strategy

The perFORM[D]ance House was designed for a Hispanic-American couple whose children are off in college. Juan Gonzalez is a self-employed contractor and green building advocate. Alice Gonzalez is a former art history professor who has an illness that requires her to use a wheelchair. These empty-nesters have always wanted to retire to the sunny, subtropical climate of Miami, Florida.

What's Next

After the house returns from Solar Decathlon 2011, it will be installed on the Modesto A. Maidique Campus of Florida International University in Miami. The perFORM[D]ance House will support the university's Office of Sustainability by serving as a visitor center pavilion and promoting the university's mission for sustainability."

The Pierre, a modern rock house located in San Juan Island, Washington was completely built. Olson Kundig Architects designed the modern house that seems oppressed in the middle of the two rocky hills. 

Rock materials decorate every corners for decorating interior and facade, even excavated native stone was also added to aggregate concrete for flooring. Combination of classic and contemporary interior decorates the spaces without ignoring of utilization of native stone. Large glass windows let natural light come inside and become a fresh view looked from inside. Green roof full of grass gives the impression of natural garden grows on roof surrounded by the rocks.

The Pierre by Olson Kundig Architects:

“The owner’s affection for a stone outcropping on her property and the views from its peak inspired the design of this house. Conceived as a bunker nestled into the rock, the Pierre, the French word for stone, celebrates the materiality of the site. From certain angles, the house – with its rough materials, encompassing stone, green roof and surrounding foliage – almost disappears into nature.
To set the house deep into the site, portions of the rock outcropping were excavated using a combination of machine work and handwork. The contractor used large drills to set the outline of the building, then used dynamite, hydraulic chippers, a selection of wire saws and other hand tools, working with finer and finer implements as construction progressed. Excavated rock was re-used as crushed aggregate in the concrete flooring. Excavation marks were left exposed on all the stonework, a reminder of the building process.
With the exception of a separate guest suite, the Pierre functions on one main level, with an open plan kitchen, dining and living space. A wood-clad storage box (made with siding reclaimed from a Lionel Pries-designed house) transitions from outside to inside the house. Its two large bookcases open to provide concealed access to laundry and kitchen storage. A large pivoting steel and glass door opens for access to an outdoor terrace. Set at a right angle to the main spaces, a master suite features a custom designed bed with a leather headboard and footboard set in the middle of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
Throughout the house, the rock extrudes into the space, contrasting with the luxurious textures of the furnishings. Interior and exterior fireplace hearths are carved out of existing stone; leveled on top, they are otherwise left raw. The master bathroom’s sink is composed of water cascading through three polished pools in the existing stone. Off the main space, a powder room is fully carved out of the rock. A skytube is through to the top of the rock and topped by glass. A mirror set within the tube serves as a focal point, reflecting natural light into the space and connecting to a forged bronze sink.
Interiors by Olson Kundig Architects, in collaboration with the client.”

Photographs by Benjamin Benschneider