It’s one of the first residences in Montecito, a highly affluent place in Santa Barbara County California, USA, to receive LEED certification at the Platinum level. Sustainable features includes radiant floor heating, flat rooftops planted with drought-resistant grasses for passive cooling and photovoltaic solar panels hidden from view on the butterfly roof that provide enough electricity to operate the entire home.
Icynene spray foam provides insulation and a 5,000-gallon cistern is located underneath the building to store rainwater to irrigate the low-water-demand garden that has been designed to complement the Zen-like feeling of the home.
Listed at $15 million in March 2012, the house is still on the market at a more reasonable $9 million price tag.
This gorgeous Butterfly Beach Home in Montecito, California connects its residents to the seaside landscape with a facade that opens up to the outdoors. The eco-friendly home, designed by Maienza Wilson Interior Design and Architecture, has achieved LEED Platinum status, and it’s situated in three block-like sections that are connected with oversized sliding doors. Capped with a lush green roof, the open-air home harmonizes with the nearby beachscape.
The Butterfly Beach Home is divided into three main living blocks that are unified by a continuous rich wood deck. The main house opens onto an indoor/outdoor living room with sliding glass doors that blur the lines between indoors and out. Each bedroom features wall-sized glass doors that slide open to welcome in cross breezes and views of the lushly planted yard. The two-story main house has a wrap-around balcony with exquisite views of the Pacific Ocean on the second level, and solar panels line the roof.
The other two buildings are the garage and the pool house, both of which are covered with thick grass roofs that filter rain water. The pool house, like the main house, opens directly to the outdoors with a sliding glass door. The pool house doubles as a guest house and features a lap pool.
Although the Butterfly Beach House is spread out over three sections, the open-air plan is unified by its glass curtains. It’s a beautiful design that thrives in sunny California.
