BOB BEITCHER says he and his wife, Carol, want their newly built home in Santa Monica to be a showcase of sustainable practices "without being granola-y, if you know what I mean."
Their house off San Vicente Boulevard has been carefully designed by architect Warren Wagner to optimize solar energy and the use of recycled and renewable materials. Yet the modernist dwelling seems more about the panache of architectural possibilities than the virtuousness of green design.
Seen from the busy boulevard, the facade is energetic yet understated, as if it had power in reserve. The hip-looking exterior is covered in Western red cedar, stucco-covered block and unfinished sheet metal. The upward-tilting roof seems to float above ribbon-like windows at the ceiling line, without external supports.
A closer look, however, reveals that the house is sustainable down to its foundation. A two-story opening in the center acts as a thermal chimney, pulling the hot air out of the house while drawing in cool air, all through an automated skylight. The walls are insulated with recycled denim, made from the remnants from a blue-jeans factory. Twelve photovoltaic panels supply 85% of the home's power needs, while 10 solar thermal panels supply the house with hot water and radiant heat for the floors and heat the swimming pool.
"The primary thing is that the house has an architecturally interesting design, and the punch line is that it's got all these sustainable design features," Bob Beitcher says.
His interest in green design was sparked a decade ago when a house designed by Wagner arose in his neighborhood. "I was dragging everyone over there to see it," he recalls.
When the family decided to build a new house, sustainability seemed preordained. "It never occurred to us to do it any other way," says Carol, whose four children include a vegan chef. Their children also "had plenty of input" on the design of the house, she adds.
The Beitcher house is the latest in a series of recent Westside houses -- Pugh + Scarpa's Solar Umbrella house, also in Venice; Ray Kappe's prefab house in Ocean Park; and the Ehrlich house in Santa Monica by John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects -- that have excited interest for their design and sustainable features.
