OS House

OS House
Designer	Johnsen Schmaling Architects, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Location	Racine, Wisconsin, USA
Date	to 2008
Building Type	Large House
Climate	Cold Temperate
Context	Urban
Architectural Style	Modern
Builder	Beggi Construction
Green Certification	LEED for Homes Platinum Certified (version 1)
Green Certification Score	97.5
Street Address	1761 Main St Walk Score

OS House

Designer : Johnsen Schmaling Architects, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Location : Racine, Wisconsin, USA
Date : to 2008
Building Type : Large House
Climate : Cold Temperate
Context : Urban
Architectural Style : Modern
Builder : Beggi Construction
Green Certification : LEED for Homes Platinum Certified (version 1)
Green Certification Score : 97.5
Street Address : 1761 Main St Walk Score

		This photo shows the view from Main Street. Credit: John J. Macaulay
		A computer rendering shows a topographical site plan, while a satellite photo provides the site context. Credit: Johnsen Schmaling Architects
		This photo taken from the back yard features "rain chains" used to collect rainwater. Credit: John J. Macaulay
		These computer drawings are floor Plans and massing morphology diagrams. Credit: Johnsen Schmaling Architects
		This photo shows a view of the house from the bluff. Credit: John J. Macaulay
		Building sections with cross-ventilation and circulation schemata are seen in the computer drawings. Two photos show wood section models. Credit: Johnsen Schmaling Architects
		This is a bioclimatic chart profile of Racine, Wisconsin. Credit: Johnsen Schmaling Architects
		This axonometric diagram of sustainable strategies highlights PV, solar water heating, a ground-source heat pump and other features. Credit: Johnsen Schmaling Architects
		This photo shows a view of the house from the street, including a 100-year-old maple that provides shade. Beneath are diagrams illustrating the solar/shade massing study. Credit: John J. Macaulay (photo); Johnsen Schmaling Architects (diagram)
		As seen is this photo from the kitchen into open living space, daylight penetrates most of the house, preventing the need for indoor lighting most of the day. Credit: John J. Macaulay
		The photo on the left shows the view from the upper patio. on the right is a computer drawing of principal building components. Credit: John J. Macaulay (photo); Johnsen Schmaling Architects (graphic)
		The upper cantilever hovers over the south patio, as seen in the photo. Credit: John J. Macaulay
		As illustrated in these computer-rendered building elevations, the concrete panel rainscreen facade system transforms at the corners into a filigrane curtain of thin aluminum rods that defines the boundaries of the upper-level outdoor rooms. Credit: Johnsen Schmaling Architects
		The rainscreen facade system pictured in the photo helps ventilate the building envelope, preventing moisture and mold buildup. Credit: John J. Macaulay
		Three photos show a view from the upper terrace overlooking the street, an interior view from the master bath to the observatory, and the lake view from the observatory. Credit: John J. Macaulay
		These computer drawings are solar penetration studies used to optimize window placement. Credit: Johnsen Schmaling Architects
		In context: the building fills a gap in the urban fabric and restores the street edge, as seen in this photo of the neighborhood. Credit: John J. Macaulay
		This photo, a view of the house from the bluff, features locally sourced stone steps leading down to the lake as well as the locally sourced rainscreen system. Credit: John J. Macaulay

Process
Predesign
After defining broad environmental performance goals for the building with the owner, all project members collaborated in a series of early design charrettes to discuss the feasibility of possible green design strategies tailored around budgetary concerns and site constraints. The information collected at the charrettes was used in preliminary massing studies to test various volumetric strategies against the environmental performance goals. The early involvement of all team members in the process provided a critical basis for a clear understanding of the project and allowed for the identification of each member’s respective responsibilities.

Design
The design evolved over time. The massing was fine-tuned in response to detailed solar studies, and the envelope system was rethought and refined after initial design concepts revealed potential maintenance challenges. A zoning variance was required to move the house closer to the street edge, a move intended to minimize site disturbance and slope erosion. During the design process, some earlier ideas (like solar façade panels, which proved to be too costly and inefficient) were eliminated, while others (like a solar water heater, and rain barrels along the north side of the house) were added.

Construction
The construction process itself proved more challenging than anticipated and ended up taking almost six months longer than originally estimated. The contractor had limited exposure to sustainable construction strategies, requiring continuous adaptation to the scrutiny of LEED standards and the required level of documentation to prove compliance.

Operations/Maintenance
A comprehensive owner’s manual provides instructions for the continued operation and maintenance of the house and equipment. In addition, a walk-through of the home was organized to identify all installed equipment and discuss operational procedures.

Post-Occupancy
The owner, an electrical engineer by training, has been deeply involved in all aspects of the design of the building and its sustainable systems, and is thoroughly familiar with the operational aspects of the house. Both photovoltaic and geothermal equipment provide a user-friendly interface to monitor their performance, which will allow the collection of performance data over time to be shared with consultants and other homeowners.