A couple’s dream home a 2,236-square-foot net-zero structure was designed to meet the Living Building Challenge’s green building criteria – the most stringent green standard. The Desert Rain home, located in Oregon, is composed of exterior plaster that was almost entirely made out of local clay, straw, and sand.
To conserve energy and costs, other materials were crafted onsite. For example, rather than purchasing the items separately, a large roll of steel was ordered and cut onsite to construct the roofing, eaves, and rain gutters. A rainwater collection system uses the standing seam metal roofs to route rainwater through downspouts to ground-level gravel filters for use in irrigating landscaping plants.
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