They chose to create a new exterior screen wall façade made from kebonized wood, sourced in the southern United States, which is a carbon sequestrating material that is enduring and dimensionally stable, even in the extreme heat of the desert southwest.
Project description by Studio Ma
We are a firm that holds regenerative bioclimatic design, social equity and an ethos of “architecture for everyone” as central values of our practice. To realize those principles for ourselves, the design community and our city, we decided to build our own office. We held ourselves to the same high standards we ask of our clients. Our new office would reuse existing materials, be net-zero energy and water, and encourage walking and biking—difficult achievements in the desert city of Phoenix, which has developed with the assumption that everyone drives, and where temperatures average over 85°F seven months of the year. We wanted a strong connection to place, for our private enjoyment and as part of the public realm. And like all architects, we had to be cost-conscious about what we built.
We selected a property that allowed many of us to bike to work when weather permits. The building had been a dentist office, architecturally undistinguished, and set up to rely heavily on air conditioning to keep it comfortable. The building was slightly rotated away from the street, which made its mass less monolithic. Because the building was inherently energy inefficient, we developed a parti that looked to Living Building Challenge for sustainable design strategies. The building was wrapped with continuous insulation and re-clad. A scrim of kebonized wood fins surrounds the structure on three sides, reducing heat gain and glare, and the fourth side is shaded by a tall hedge planted close to the building. Fenestration was placed on the east and west sides, well behind the fin walls. The porches hold bike parking at the front door and plantings that soften light and are a relaxing influence.
- Reused all high embodied carbon materials: masonry and concrete
- Natural ventilation for 9 months during the year with operable skylights and windows.
- To achieve net-zero water, we are pioneering a black water-to-potable system.
- Photovoltaics will net out our energy use.
- The building layout places staff areas away from the glare and heat of west-facing windows. We rely on natural light for most of the year.
- Porches with their plantings bring nature into our work environment, and work areas are quiet, light and well-proportioned.
- Xeriscape grounds are opened to the street, a rarity in Phoenix.
We adaptively reused as much of the existing structure as possible to minimize the need for new building materials. This included reuse of all high-embodied carbon materials such as concrete and masonry slabs, foundations, and exterior walls. We chose to create a new exterior screen wall façade made from kebonized wood, sourced in the southern United States, which is a carbon sequestrating material that is enduring and dimensionally stable, even in the extreme heat of the desert southwest.
- Reused existing building’s core and shell
- Recycled and diverted from landfill all existing windows and doors
- Reused previous office location’s Homasote interior paneling, cabinetry and millwork
- No Red List materials utilized in the interior.
The screen-wall reduces direct solar radiation by over 90% during the warmest months of the year. We daylight our building during 95% of typical annual business hours and because electric lighting is typically the largest single energy-use contributor of baseline buildings in our region, our actual EUI without on-site energy, is 42, a reduction of 71% from a baseline building. Following the general requirements of the Living Building Challenge, we maximized passive energy strategies to achieve predicted net-zero and future net-positive energy.
- Predicted EUI of 42 kBtu/sf/yr (excluding on-site renewable energy contribution).
- Predicted EUI of 0 kBtu/sf/yr (including on-site renewable energy contribution).
- Predicted 71% regional energy reduction per Energy Star Target Finder pre on-site renewable energy contribution.
- Actual EUI of 42 kBtu/sf/yr (pre on-site renewable energy contribution, pending installation).
