The floor plan took a compact “H” shaped design with a detached garage.

Photo Weaver Swimming Pool and Building - Night

Weaver Residence

Lake Travis - Spicewood, Texas - 3,400 Square Feet

Site Description

A very narrow, treeless lot with a small building envelope, but fortunate enough to have a brow of a hill overlooking Lake Travis, this subdivision property within a golf course community wanted to create privacy with its architecture.

Problem

Site constraints included a very narrow building envelope and a west facing view, which complicated passive solar orientation.

Solution

The floor plan took a compact “H” shaped design with a detached garage so as to create privacy for the backyard pool and deck areas. Large expanses of view glass are shielded from the spring, summer and fall eastern and western sun by the legs of the “H” facing east and west. The ridge type skylight over the main living areas of the dining room, entry and living room has “Smart Glass” to limit UV light from heating up the interior, while providing dramatic day lighting.
Among the sustainable building materials used were the salvaged long leaf yellow pine roof trusses and interior wood trim, Saltillo tile floors, Texas limestone walls and the western red cedar siding..

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ON CNN

Professor of inorganic and materials chemistry, Ivan Parkin, and Troy Manning, both of the chemistry department at University College London, developed the intelligent window coating as part of Mr Manning's PhD studies.

The thin film is made out of a material called vanadium dioxide, and it undergoes a change depending on the weather outside.

On cold days the "thermochromic coating" allows all sunlight in, while on hot days, once the outside temperature reaches a certain level, the film begins acting as a filter, blocking infrared rays, which are responsible for generating heat.

CNN