by James Grayson Trulove and Il Kim

Previous volumes of The New American House series introduced readers to innovative spatial compositions combined with structural, material, and detail innovations that contemporary architects formulate and formalize in their latest projects.

Expanding on this tradition, The New American House 3 presents progressive, elaborate architectural designs and concepts, incorporating various styles in both large and small settings, thus placing on record the dynamism of residential design at the turn of the 21st century.

While it is difficult to categorize the projects presented in this volume, one common thread that runs through much of the work is the architects' concern for ecologically sound design.

In many of the houses, a variety of eco-friendly solutions are incorporated, such as natural ventilation, passive solar heating systems, recycled woods, and the use of raw materials that will age naturally over time and require little or no maintenance.

This so-called "green architecture" implies buildings that have minimal impact on their site, enhanced energy efficiency, and conserve natural resources.

Many projects in this book illustrate how architects are becoming increasingly concerned with protecting and integrating existing landscape conditions in the overall scheme for the house. In project after project, they emphasize the strong influence of the site in their designs.

As the examples featured in this book demonstrate, today's top architects, armed with exceptional design skills, are increasingly incorporating ecological solutions into their residential projects as constituent elements of their concepts. It seems clear that regardless of construction techniques and material developments in the future, fine residential design in the 21st century can coexist, as the essence of "green architecture," in symbiosis with ecology.

This article is excerpted from The New American House 3 by James Grayson Trulove and Il Kim, with permission of the publisher, Watson-Guptill Publications.

West facade. Photo: Richard Johnson Creek-stone terrace at east elevation. Photo: Richard Johnson   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.