Building Overview
- Domus Alba is the residential home of David M. Harper, principal and director of the architectural firm HKS. Wanting to walk the walk about sustainability, he decided to follow his own example to build and design a home that would showcase the highest standards of sustainability, architecture, and energy conservation. The home features six bedrooms, six bathrooms, two half-bathrooms, a three-car garage, saltwater pool, jacuzzi, and much more.
The Challenge
- The Harper family wanted to raise the bar and highlight their commitment to sustainability by obtaining LEED® Gold Certification on their new home. However, the size of the building made it challenging, since larger homes use more energy. Plus, the house is located in a high-heat and humidity zone in Florida, which made it harder to design the home to have low-energy use.
Solution
- GAF roofing was chosen for its durability, quality performance, and safety benefits toward LEED® accreditation and for the options available for environmentally friendly solutions. Installing the TPO cool roof and high-efficiency insulation was instrumental in helping the Harpers achieve their sustainability objectives.
Key facts
- The roof and insulation combined with home automation, LED lighting, sunshades, and other eco-friendly products helped the home achieve a High Energy Rating System index rating of 33 (most newly built homes have a HERS rating of 100).
- The Harpers’ home also received the 2014 Most Outstanding LEED® for Homes/Single Family Project by the U.S. Green Building Council of South Florida and the 2015 AIA Miami Chapter Committee on the Environment (COTE) Award of Merit for Sustainability.
