ALS 88 DESIGN BUILD LLC is owned by a woman architect green builder, Annastacia Laguna Sequoyah, AIA & LEED AP. The architectural contracting office that does design build is located near San Antonio, Texas. The premise is on a sustainable hill country ranch that raises Beefmaster cattle and organic produce & hay.
Architectural Services provided range from: Space Planning, Programming, Design and Construction Documents to LEED Certification and Construction Management
Construction Services range from: Construction Consultant to General Contractor
Ranch Products provided: Beefmaster Cattle, Coastal & Sudan Hay, Organic Fruit and Vegetables in Season, Sustainable Farming Practices Consultant
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This is the floor plan for THE SUSTAINABLE FARMHOUSE. A certified GOLD LEEDS for homes project. This will be the third house on this ancient site. The second house, a 1930's farmhouse at the Ranch was carefully dismantled and documented. The doors, windows, and bronze hardware were some of the items saved for use in the new Sustainable Farmhouse. To conserve precious green farmland the new structure was built on the old site around and between the existing site obstacles; saving the old beautiful trees was a priority. Therefore, the shape of the building lends itself to the typical turn of the century farmhouse floor plan and is similar to the 1930's one that was razed. This plan incorporates a covered front and back porch, with the front door entering into the living room, dining area and kitchen in an open plan. The other rooms open into this public space eliminating costly hallways. The floor plan maybe typical but the architectural elements make a special design statement.
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The South East prevailing winds vent through clerestories, allowing for natural ventilation and daylighting. Energy Star Low-E Pella windows, all Energy Star appliances, LED lights and a 16 SEER Carrier air conditioner are other features of this energy saving PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN. The Sustainable Farmhouse has a 8,500 kW a day solar photovoltaic panels. This energy is either stored in batteries that operate some DC ceiling fans, lights and a small refrigeration drawer unit or through an inverter the the energy is changed to into A/C current that can operate the house and if not used can be routed back to the main electric grid to generate power back to the electric company.
The 16 inch solid stone walls on the South and North provide thermal balance for the house; keeping the temperature in balance to reduce the need for mechanical HVAC. The shaded porches don't allow for the hot South Texas sun to heat the walls, this only happens on the South face during the winter months. This allows the stone to heat and transfer warmth to the inside. The East and the West walls are highly insulated framed walls to reduce heat gain.
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