The first meeting with a client starts with questions. I ask, “How are you going to interact with the space?” and “How can I enhance your lifestyle with an indoor-outdoor feel?” Perhaps they want a wow factor that their friends will be impressed by, or they just want to enjoy a glass of wine in solitude by the pool. It depends on the client.

The California Energy Commission has ruled that by 2020 solar panels will be required on all new homes with limited exemptions. For many people this may seem sudden. You may be one of them… feeling surprised, wanting to know more. However, this is one of several actions that have happened in the state over the last decade to move us toward sustainability–all as part of a larger plan.

Green roofs, also known as vegetated roof covers or eco-roofs, consist of layers of living vegetation installed on top of conventional flat or sloping roofs. While pondering design options for an upcoming project, we began exploring the idea of utilizing a green roof system. The discussion came about because the home is situated on a hillside and we wanted to see how we could best preserve the view of the neighbor further up the hillside. However, green roofs have value that goes far beyond aesthetics.

One of the fundamental ways architects think about design is how the structure will interact with the land and the environment. Unlike the needs for mass GI housing after WWII, where builders clear cut the land and plopped down tract homes, today’s architecture is focused on integrating with the environment and reducing the overall footprint created by building and maintaining the structure. Some people may call this Green Architecture, but we also refer to it as Smart Architecture with tangible benefits.