Playing House: A net-zero playhouse that is serious about the environment

http://www.lpainc.com Watch as an LPA design goes from virtual reality to the finished, built project. The Ocean Adventure Lab was designed for Project Playhouse, the signature, annual fundraiser for HomeAid Orange County -- the founding chapter of a national non-profit organization with mission to build and maintain dignified housing where homeless families and individuals can rebuild their lives.

More playhouse than dollhouse, everything about the Ocean Adventure Lab was about learning, having fun and caring for the environment --both at sea and on land. Inside the lab, was a working wave tank, microscopes, oceanography books, a working projector featuring underwater sea creatures, and a Playstation 2 (Ps2).
Sustainable features of the playhouse included:
• Use of locally manufactured and rescued materials in addition to those made with recycled contents.
• Use of drought-tolerant, California native vegetation.
• A truth wall which exposes the contents of the green playhouse --100% natural wool insulation, piping, and a structure made of composite wood.
• Energy efficient luminaires and LED lighting.
• Panels and a sliding door comprised of Trex Accents, which gives the appearance of wood without the inconvenience of splinters. Trex is made of 95 percent recycled materials.
• Source of renewable energy in the form of Suntech Black Label photovoltaic solar modules on the roof. This makes the playhouse a net zero structure, which means it produces as much power as it consumes.

• Category

  Film & Animation