Goal 6 - Shady Screen Porch

• Goal 6 - Shady screened porch for summer use
• Preserve trees and locate on shadiest portion of site

Goal 5 - Sunny Back Porch

• Goal 5 - Shade in summer, sunlight in winter for an open south facing backyard porch

Goal 4 - Photovoltaics

• Goal 4 - Design the house to incorporate photovoltaic modules
•  Roof design maximizes exposure to sunlight for photovoltaics

Goal 3 - Rainwater Collection

• Goal 3 - Collect rainwater for household use
• Roof design simplifies collection of rainwater
• LEED credit for impermeable site
• SS4.1 Permeable Lot
• RainShine House built site characteristics:
• SA   Site area                                          15,747.0 sq.ft.
• ISS   Impermeable site surfaces               397.5 sq. ft.      (exclusive of areas under roof)
• VL   Vegetative landscape                  15,369.5 sq. ft.      (vegetative landscape)
•  97.6%  Is collected or Permeable
• 2.4% Is impermeable, 100% of all RainShine House impermeable site surfaces (Iss) are designed to direct all runoff toward permanent infiltration features (see site plan).

Goal 2 - Natural Ventilation

• Goal 2 - Extend the times of the year when the house can use natural ventilation instead of heating and cooling
• Stack effect with operable clerestory windows
• Thru house ventilation
• LEED Innovation Credit : 
• EA 1.2 Innovation in Architecture - Natural Ventaiation and Cooling
• Documentation and Verification: In the primary living areas natural ventilation is achieved as follows:
• Over 12% in operable window area/conditioned floor area in the Master Bedroom in addition to a pair of screened French doors to a covered deck.
• Over 12% operable area/conditioned floor area in the remaining primary living areas (Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Bed Rooms).  Operable area achieved through inclusion of one door to the Living Area to the Screened Porch.
• At least two windows in each room, on opposite or adjacent walls.
• Insect screens installed on all operable windows.
• Ceiling fans in all primary living areas.

Goal 1 - Sunlight

• Goal 1 - Bring as much winter sunlight as possible into the house to counter the owner’s Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Excellent southern exposure
• A neighborhood of mature trees

Beyond a Better Box

What the envelope can do for you.

On Wednesday, March 13, 2013, Robert M Cain, FAIA, presented to the attendees at Greenprints 2013 a gestalt of how modern design and sustainable design are not mutually exclusive.  The LEED Platunim-rated RainShine House in Decatur, Georgia was the case study.  The presentation addresses the six goals of the RainShine House design and how they were achieved.  Each goal is illustrated diagramatically and photographically, with LEED references and resources.

Envelope Goals established with Owner input

1.  Bring as much winter sunlight as possible into the house to counter the Owner's seasonal affective disorder

2.  Extend the times fo the year when the house can use natural ventilation instead of heating and cooling

3.  Collect rainwater for household use

4.  Design the house to incorporate photovoltaic modules

5.  Shade in Summer, sunlight in Winter for an open South-facing backyard porch

6.  Shady screened porch for Summer use

View a clip of Robert M. Cain, FAIA speaking about Greenprints

View the whole presentation

Further publication

After the most recent press release, the RainShine house has received more online attention.

http://www.architecturelist.com/2010/07/27/rainshine-house-by-robert-m-cain/

http://designitgreener.com/archives/date/2010/10

“RainShine” House Continues to Garner Recognition and Awards

The aptly-named RainShine House, one of the healthiest single-family houses in the United States, which achieved the highest level of “green architecture” possible through the United States Green Building Council’s LEED^® [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] for Homes Pilot Program, continues to be recognized for its beauty and sustainable features.

RainShine’s recognition, since its completion in 2009, has been widespread, primarily due to its unique distinction as the first modernist home in the Southeastern United States to achieve the much-coveted LEED Platinum rating. The RainShine blog, http://www.rainshinehouseatlanta.blogspot.com/ continues to be visited daily, and repeatedly, by individuals and organizations from all over the world. The most recent local recognition for this simple, elegant home was from the City of Decatur Historic Preservation Commission who awarded it a 2010 Design Award. Nationally, the home received a 2010 Custom Home Design Award Grand Award for homes under 3,000 square feet conferred by Custom Home Magazine. The consensus of the panel of distinguished judges called it “a great combining of design with eco-features.” and observed “the thin butterfly roof, which floats above a continuous glass clerestory and an artfully-expressed steel structural frame, offers the ideal vessel for rainwater collection and a discreet mounting platform for [the] solar panels” and “….the house…acknowledges its more traditional neighbors in the symmetry of its façade.”

In print, Architectural Record featured RainShine in its online edition Green Home section of their “Green Projects Showcase” and the Sustainable Environment class of Spring 2010 students of William J. Carpenter, professor of Architecture at Southern Polytechnic State University featured it on the cover and in their publication Modern House Book published in May of 2010. Also included in that publication was Mr. Cain’s design for the St. John family in Gillsville, Georgia which also received the Southern Home Award from Southern Living Magazine and awards for Excellence in Architecture from the Georgia Chapter and South Atlantic Regional Council of the American Institute of Architects and was featured in the publication Creating the Inspired House by John Connell published by Taunton Press. RainShine was also featured in the Arquitectura Sustentable magazine 04 issue, based in Mexico.

The RainShine house was also featured in the April 2010 issue of Atlanta Home Improvement magazine’s “Green Home in Rain or Shine” article which featured the very environmentally-sound selection of Nichiha lap siding material.

Certified in April 2009, the RainShine House was featured in the popular Modern Atlanta Home Tour on May 16-17, 2009 and welcomed over 200 individuals through its doors and into its basement to view the five 500-gallon cisterns and talk in depth to everyone on the design team from the builder, Pinnacle Custom Builders and the landscape architect, Lynn Saussy to the rain harvest system designers, RainCatchers of McDonough, Georgia.

The dramatic drilling of the four wells for the geothermal heat pump system was featured in the March 11, 2008 segment of the Discovery Channel’s Planet Green series that focuses on architecture “in synch with the planet”, Renovation Nation, with Emmy Award-winning host, Steve Thomas, formerly of This Old House. Further coverage of the wells being drilled and the rainwater collection system was aired on The Weather Channel in Natalie Allen’s Forecast Earth segment in June 2009.

RainShine was also featured in the 2009 Decatur, Georgia GREENFEST tour of homes this year during the weekend of May 2. This home is so energy efficient that it is anticipated it will consume only 43% of the energy consumed by a similar home built to the standards of the International Energy Conservation Code.

Less is More Art Show

The house model display board and images will be at the Connexion Gallery through January.

"Less is More"

The RainShine house was selected to participate in a cross-professional show "Less is More Simplicity Leads to Sustainability" held at he Connexion Gallery. Concepts and designs in the fields of art, furniture and architecture are in the show. The RainShine house was selected among applicants as a Best in Show for its architectural and sustainable aspects. Below is the gallery website with all of the opening and show information.

http://connexiongallery-studio.com/connexion/gallery/gallery_upcomingShows.asp

RainShine House on Tour One More Time

The RainShine house will be a part of the Decatur Candlelight Tour of Homes December 4-5 5:30-9:30 pm. Visit the website below for all of the ticket information and tour details.

http://www.decaturtourofhomes.com/

RainShine House Publications

The RainShine house is now featured in several online journals and web publications.

Decatur Spotlight November Issue

Architecture Week

World Architecture

The Contemporist

Materialicious

Jetson Green

Ecologue

AJC Modern Atlanta Tour

AJC Photo Gallery

Green Eco Online Magazine

Modern Atlanta Tour

Modern Atlanta Launch

Decatur Greenfest Tour Photos

The Decatur Cool Cities Greenfest tour sponsored by The Sierra Club was a great success.  An estimated 250-300 people toured the home and learned about its systems, recycled-content and re-purposed products, and the passive solar design techniques.  The downpour in the afternoon did not deter locals from visiting the house, and, as a bonus, they were able to see the effectiveness of the rain-gardens.

The very last time this "very green" home will be open to the public will be May 16 and 17 for the 2009 Modern Atlanta Tour of Homes. 

Tour and Open House

The RainShine House will be on the Decatur Cool City home tour on May 2nd


Modern Atlanta Tour of Homes on May 16-17 visit the Modern Atlanta website for details and tickets.

Official LEED Platinum Press Release

One of the most nontoxic new single-family houses in the United States, The RainShine House in Decatur, Georgia has achieved, and exceeded, the highest level of “green architecture” possible through the United States Green Building Council’s LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] for Homes Pilot Program. It is the first modernist residence to achieve the much-coveted LEED Platinum level in the Southeastern United States.

Also qualifying in other “green” architecture programs, the home is a certified EarthCraft Home and Energy Star home and currently a candidate for certification by the US Department of Energy under their Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program.

The RainShine House was designed for a couple as their retirement residence with provision for visiting children and extended family members. The simple elegance of the design is achieved through fine detailing and an EarthCraft builder who worked diligently to achieve the wonderful qualities of the design of Robert M. Cain, Architect of Atlanta. Robert Soens, Jr. of Pinnacle Custom Builders said, “It was truly a privilege to work on this project with this superb design team, these wonderful owners and our LEED provider, Southface Institute”.

Certified in April 2009, the RainShine House will be featured in the popular Modern Atlanta Home Tour on May 16-17 so everyone can visit the home. This is the last time this exceptional residence will be open to the general public. The members of Modern Atlanta, a nonprofit promoting modern design in Atlanta, were invited to view the eco-friendly systems earlier this year for a pre-drywall tour showcasing the home’s systems and construction. Nearly 100 individuals came to view the five 500-gallon rainharvest cisterns in the basement, waterbased insulation materials, geothermal heat pump, desuperheaters, energy recovery ventilator, LED lighting system and the net-metered, roof-mounted 3.1 kilowatt photovoltaic system. RainShine will also be featured in the Decatur, Georgia GREENFEST tour of homes this year during the weekend of May 2. This home is so energy efficient that it is anticipated it will consume only 43% of the energy consumed by a similar home built to the standards of the International Energy Conservation Code.

RainShine’s most stunning feature is the soaring butterfly roof designed to facilitate collection of rain water for the rainharvest system. To accommodate the long spans of the butterfly roof, the roof of the home is framed in 100% recycled-content steel from local sources; this material was also chosen because it is easily recycled and mold, mildew and termite resistant. Cain says, “The minimal construction waste generated in the local fabrication of our steel components was immediately recycled versus the less certain future of waste generated in the use of off-the-shelf glue laminated beams or factory wastes generated in the manufacture of custom wood trusses. The roof of our structure covers 3,037 square feet---including eaves and overhangs---and the steel framing supports 2,834 square feet or 93% of the roof structure.”

The dramatic drilling of the four wells for the geothermal system was featured in the March 11, 2008 segment of the Discovery Channel’s Planet Green series that focuses on architecture “in synch with the planet”, Renovation Nation, with Emmy Award-winning host, Steve Thomas, formerly of This Old House.

LEED for Homes is an initiative designed to actively promote the transformation of the mainstream home building industry towards more sustainable practices. LEED for Homes is targeting the top 25% of new homes with best practice environmental features and is a collaborative initiative that actively works with all sectors of the home building industry. This home’s performance in regard to sustainable practices was measured in eight different resource categories:

1. Innovation and Design Process
2. Location and Linkages
3. Sustainable Sites
4. Water Efficiency
5. Improved Energy and Atmosphere
6. Use of environmentally preferable Materials and Resources
7. Indoor Environmental Quality
8. Public Awareness and Education.

The LEED for Homes rating system works by awarding credits for different aspects of environmental and energy efficient design in each of the above categories. The level of performance achieved in the above categories is separated into four performance tiers. LEED for Homes rates homes at one of the following levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum. Levels are awarded according to how many points the home achieves in the Rating System, with Platinum projects being the most exemplary environmentally/energy efficient structures on the planet. The Southface Institute, which served as LEED provider on this project, facilitates certification for all projects in Georgia, Alabama, Maryland, Washington DC, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi. There are only four residential projects total in these states that have achieved the Platinum level --- with the RainShine House being the very first contemporary/modernist home.

The “green” aspects of this home extend to the landscaped site as well, designed by Lynn Saussy, RLA. New deciduous plantings will assist in shading the house in summer and allow sun to penetrate in winter. All new plantings on the site are exclusively native shrubs and grasses. Carefully placed rain gardens will collect site runoff while the delicately floating butterfly roof collects the rain for the rain harvest system. As the owners, and many of their visitors, are avid bicyclists, a bike rack was a necessary part of the site furniture. The grand Deodora Cedar on the site serves to shade the home from the western sun and planting two native Parsley Hawthorns will shade the southern sun but not the solar panels on the roof. [Editor: For a full description of the landscape strategies and plantings, visit the blog and click on Landscape http://rainshinehouseatlanta.blogspot.com ]

It’s hard to get greener than a house with glass curtain walls, re-purposed flooring and nontoxic paints, as well as carpet tiles and countertops made from recycled materials. To that, add super energy-efficient appliances; natural ventilation; the extensive use of natural daylight; water-conserving fixtures; a solar power-generating system; and much more. The home is nearly 100% non-toxic. When you walked into the house during construction all you could smell was the reclaimed heart-pine wood included in the design. One of the most important credits given this home by the LEED Program was for extraordinary performance in the selection of homeowner- and environment-friendly materials. To mention a few, all of the interior paints, stains, floor finishes, adhesives and sealants are either low-VOC or zero-VOC; the custom millwork is constructed of no-formaldehyde, 100% recycled-content MDF; the solar shades are zero-VOC; the concrete/glass countertops are 70% recycled; the wall insulation is formaldehyde-free; and, on the exterior, paints are also low-VOC, as is the siding; even the foundation waterproofing qualifies with a M.E.R.I.T. [Materials with Environmentally-Reduced Impact]-Certified Green system. As one of the owners is highly sensitive to toxins, the products used to clean the house after construction were Green Seal certified low-VOC.

No cute recycled accessories in this house, the very structure itself consists of major
recycled components such as the local concrete for the foundation which contains 30% fly ash, the reclaimed heart-pine flooring which is from the old Atlanta stables that were demolished and secured by Legacy Wood Products out of Watkinsville, Georgia. The massive exterior doors were custom-built from locally-salvaged Heart Pine. The beautiful concrete/glass countertops are 70% recycled content as is the colorful recycled glass backsplash. All tile flooring is 40% recycled content tiles [LEED gives a bonus half-point for no carpet in the home]. The exterior decking is manufactured from post-consumer recycled plastic and waste wood. The construction waste was recycled so the impact on the landfills was minimized, and as many construction materials as possible were extracted and manufactured locally, minimizing ozone depletion from heavy-truck transport to the site.

The owners wanted a “light-filled” home and their wishes were granted with walls of lowsolar- heat-gain coefficient glass. The owners wanted a “cheery” color scheme and so the architect-designed millwork is delicately colored in transparent blues, greens and yellows and the walls painted in soft sunshine yellows and light tree greens. Architect Cain said, “The owners were committed to a home that sits lightly on the earth and they have been 100% involved in this project throughout and bore a great deal of the burden in documenting the project for LEED qualification. I could not have asked for more positively involved clients.”

The design team, contractor and owners are celebrating Platinum at a dinner together. As anyone who has ever participated in a new home construction or home renovation will know, this happy gathering will be an uncharacteristic event.

LEED for Homes Platinum Scorecard

Below is the official LEED for Homes Pilot Program Scorecard for the RainShine house.

LEED Facts 

The RainShine house 

Decatur, Georgia 

LEED for Homes Pilot Program 

Certification awarded April 15, 2009 

Platinum 108 

* 

Sustainable Sites 20/21 

Location and Linkages 8/10 

Water Efficiency 14/15 

Energy and Atmosphere 29/38 

Materials and Resources 11.5/14 

Indoor Environmental Quality 14/20 

Innovation and Design 9/9 

Awareness and Education 2/3 

*Out of a possible 130