My dream is to own a green home in San Francisco. Of course, I’d like to own a home near the Golden Gate Bridge where price tag of houses are more than at least $2-3 million.
In the meanwhile, you can enjoy green homes such as this one featured in the Mission District.
Designed by architect John Lum, the building — which includes a main house and an apartment — occupies a 50- by 70-foot corner lot. Lum’s plan maximizes natural light and airflow on each of three levels, with rooms leading off an open, central stairway made of glass and steel. The main living and dining areas and kitchen are on the top floor to take advantage of views across the city. “It’s kind of an upside-down house,” Lum explains. “The public spaces are at the top, and the more private master suite and guest rooms are below.”
But what makes the home truly groundbreaking are the eco-features it incorporates, some of them still in experimental stages. For example, hot water will be provided by rooftop tubes that collect solar energy, says Matt Golden, founder and CEO of Sustainable Spaces and a project consultant. The home’s electricity will come from SunPower solar panels and a wind turbine installed in the backyard — a power source so unusual in San Francisco, the builder had to get a one-year provisional test permit before it could be installed. A high-tech resource-monitoring system will keep tabs on energy and water use.
