LIVING GREEN: Ideas and Tips for Sustainable Improvements

I'd like to take some time to talk more about the ways the Centerport house will reduce and conserve energy. Living Green is all about taking extra measures to create a more sustainable home and planet. 

To begin, here are a few of the ways we plan to make the house Eco-friendly:

Interior:

Most homes are framed using 2x4 wood and R13 insulation. However, in order to conserve energy, especially heat in the winter, the Centerport house is framed with 2x6 wood and fitted with R19 insulation. This may all sound pretty technical so let me break it down. 

The "R" value that I am referring to is described by the U.S. Department of Energy: "An R-value indicates an insulation's resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating effectiveness." Basically, by allowing for a thicker insulation my dad will be able to keep the house temperate while conserving precious energy. The graph to the left shows how effective using 2x6 walls with R19 insulation is in being clean, green and economical. Another benefit to this technique is less wood is necessary for framing since the pieces are larger.

 

These pictures are from inside the house. In the photo on the left you can see the insulation coming together on the second floor level.  Currently, most of the areas in the house have insulation installed.  The photo on the right shows the abscessed lighting in the living room (which also continues in other rooms), featuring several light fixtures in order to focus light in certain areas. The overhead lamps use florescent light (another energy saver) and will give the ability to adjust the lighting depending on the natural luminescence or lack thereof.  Allowing specifically targeted areas to become illuminated rather than an entire room will also help conserve energy.

Exterior:

The exterior of the house is also designed to conserve energy. My dad has always loved the look of stucco-- I think I knew about it sometime definitely before the age of 10 years old. More than being smooth in quality and aesthetically pleasing, this particular stucco used in the Centerport house is also a great insulator.  My dad used what is called an Exterior Insulation Finishing System, which basically uses foam and other materials to create a gap-less exterior.  This exterior is specially designed to help insulate the home from the outside in. The E.I.F.S. is also more resistant to the elements and extremely waterproof.

As you can see in the picture to the left this stucco is used everywhere except for where the fixed glass panes are--which are also insulated and low-e (meaning they reflect the sun). Ideally, all of the thought and hard-work put into this building process will allow for an energy efficient, sustainable home.

Pin It

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Centerport, NY

When my parents got married and began looking for a place to live, they chose the north shore of Long Island for it's generous properties, beautiful scenery and close proximity to both the beach and the city (and we all know which city I mean...)  After growing accustomed to this area and getting to know it as home, it is only natural that my dad felt it was best to build his house there.

Although this project may seem like a wild endeavor, there were many highly calculated decisions made--the location is a prime example.  My dad knew he wanted to have a property with a hill.  He also wanted to have enough square footage to to create his structure with creative freedom and maintain a natural barrier to support it. It took several months to find the right property but the end result was a perfect match.  Very soon I will be posting photos of the original house and the property before we began any work.

The house is located just down the road from a beautiful harbor in Centerport, Long Island.  Centerport is a historic beachfront town known for being the site of the Vanderbilt estate and the Vanderbilt Planetarium. This is a relatively small town by Long Island standards (less than 6,000 people) and it is encompassed with rolling hills from border to border. This gives the residents a feeling of peaceful obscurity in a bustling family-orientated community.

The nautical characteristic of Centerport is mirrored in the design of my father's house. He plans to incorporate the elements with a 2-story waterfall (already included in the framing of the house) as well as a pond with natural rocks found on the property, visible to the inside from the expansive windows. The living room will also feature a modern fireplace--more posts to follow about the details of this feature!

Pin It

I:N:S:P:I:R:A:T:I:O:N: Frank Lloyd Wright

Since this project is so important to us, I want to share some of the sources of inspiration that lead us on this journey.  Frank Lloyd Wright was a modern architect in a time when there were few others. His style reflected his philosophy of living amongst the natural world. Wright disliked urban environments--which is why he created many structures with walls of windows and horizontal lines. He completed his last building, the Guggenheim Museum in New York City (a place that I have been to on occasion with my dad) in 1957 when he was 90 years old. 

Frank Lloyd Wright has been very influential in my father's ideas about design. In addition to visiting the Guggenheim, another favorite spot he likes to visit is Falling Water in Pennsylvania. Conveniently, it's just a short detour on his way home from a trip to UPITT, where my sister is a college junior. Wright created structures that let people transcend the world around them to some other, more peaceful place. This goal has been a cornerstone principle for my father. 

For as long as I can remember my dad has been talking about Frank Lloyd Wright, showing me pictures in his endless architecture books and taking me to see his art in person as much as possible. In high school this influence came full circle when I read, and fell in love with "The Fountainhead," by Ayn Rand. Howard Roark, the main character is said to be based off the real life Frank Lloyd Wright. His dedication to staying true to his art made him a hero in my eyes, whether in reality or in fiction. 

Falling Water- built in 1935

This quotation from the book sums up why Ayn Rand, my dad and I all feel inspired by someone like Frank Lloyd Wright and why I feel it is necessary to mention him:

 "Here are my rules: what can be done with one substance must never be done with another. No two materials are alike. No two sites on earth are alike. No two buildings have the same purpose. The purpose, the site, the material determine the shape. Nothing can be reasonable or beautiful unless its made by one central idea, and the idea sets every detail. A building is alive, like a man."

Pin It

Getting Started: Recent pictures

street view

Here are some recent pictures of the house so you can get an idea of the design. My dad uses his architectural skills to create spaces that are beautiful and functional.

The picture showing the street view gives you an idea of the majestic quality of the house. Eventually, the front door will be installed on the left where the long glass panes are. 

The highest point on the roof hides the roof deck, creating for relaxing moments with nature.

The location of the house is also key to its construction.  My dad purposefully bought a property with a hill because he wanted to give the feeling of living with nature by building into the hill. 

side view

Here is the house shown from the side view. Here you can see the two bedrooms on the second floor sharing their own private balcony area. There are many ways to access the outdoors from this house. On the right of this photo you can see the glass panes, which make up one of the living room walls--again giving the feeling of being one with nature.  You will also be able to access the front porch from this approach.

Pin It

The Architect, My Father: An Introduction

Meet my father, Sezgin Peker R.A. He moved to the United States when he was 29 after attending college in Italy and traveling to various parts of the world like Iraq (where he worked as a construction foreman during a dangerous political regime) and England and France, where he unrelentingly tried to get a visa to come to the U.S. After a rich, cultured journey he finally made his way to New York City, relying on the help of already acclimated cousins to find his way in a new land, with streets paved with gold... some years later he found out that the streets were paved with hard work and for the past 30 years he has become one of the hardest working, resilient human beings I know. He is now a Registered Architect with his lifelong dream project in progress.

As a child growing up in Turkey, my father was a gifted scholar who picked fresh fruit off of the trees growing in his grandfather's vast orchard in the summertime. It is the marriage of his extreme intelligence and his love of simplicity that inspire his design aesthetic.

This brings me to the purpose and intention and for this blog...

In 2004, my dad decided to take a huge risk and build the house of his wildest dreams.  The design is very unique and modern. In person, despite the unfinished quality, the house is breathtaking, quite literally. This project requires a lot of money and is largely being done with my father's bare hands. He is still currently working on the house and I decided it was time to get some exposure drawn to the project. I believe this is important both to document an amazing accomplishment and to share with others the efficient techniques and materials my father is using to make this a truly one-of-a-kind structure. I will be updating this blog with pictures, dad's reviews of products, and suggestions for energy efficient improvements that homeowners can consider as they find themselves doing their own renovations. 

Any type of support that anyone would like to provide towards this project, even just keeping up with the blog, is totally welcomed. I would love to get more people involved because I believe in art, I believe in the power of the human will and most importantly, I believe in the crazy genius that is my father.

Pin It