In California, a Big, Modern Home With a Tree House's Footprint
I stood in Ian MacLeod’s Albany, California, living room and the front door was ajar. We could hear industrial vehicles crushing pavement out in the street. Concrete split open, diesel engines rumbled. Then MacLeod said, “watch this,” and shut the door. With his slate-colored eyes, rolled-up sleeves, and white Calvin Klein Jeans, he'd quickly transported us from a construction site to the inside of an empty auditorium. A combination of heavy wood and blown-in insulation silenced the racket.
This noise-muffling magic is just one perk of MacLeod’s refreshed home, which he upgraded and expanded from a droopy, inefficient 1928 bungalow. “A house is like a car: It’s a pollution machine,” says MacLeod. “Who wants to live in a pollution machine?” Now it’s twice the size of the original, and has about the same eco-footprint as a tree house.
MacLeod, an architect and builder, sought to strike a balance between efficiency and aesthetics. His floors and cabinets are made from textured bamboo, the faucets spray aerated water, and the heatless induction stove is sleek as an iPad. Gems shimmer in unlikely nooks: A bookcase is embedded into the stairwell wall; a pair of ottomans resemble lounging dogs. “Comfort is an architectural concern,” says MaLeod. “I strove to make beauty and sustainability exist in harmony.”
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