Evolution

• :: Form*
• :: Passive Solar*
• :: Structure and Envelope*
• :: Interior*
• :: Evolution*

Good Design Isn’t Just Born. It is a process of evolution: only the fittest survive.

Construction of the BLOOMHouse was guided by design ideas and plans that evolved from three generations of BLOOMHouse Architectural Studio groups. As the design concept of the BLOOMHouse was developed and was refined, so did the scale at which the Studio groups examined and tested their ideas: from site, to house, and ultimately to details.

The ultimate design proved to be the “fittest” for surviving and thriving in Austin, Texas, which is known for its combination of green building and vibrant, youthful culture. The market appeal to younger more energy conscious families directed final decision on the function aesthetic, and assembly of the house.

But solar energy is a revolution. That’s why the BloomHouse isn’t only about evolving designs. It is about revolutionizing the way we live life. The “seed” idea for the BLOOMhouse was the development of a new type of building envelope that uses a steel “moment” frame instead of shear walls to achieve structural stability. The moment frame eliminates the need for interior structural walls and allows the house to have an open spacious feel. The openness of the design simultaneously facilitates daylighting, effective cross ventilation and a fluid indoor/outdoor relationship with the outdoor decks that surround the house. As a consequence, the house is intended to shape flexible relationships for its occupants… with each other, with the outdoors and with external community.

The final design of the BLOOMHouse acts on these bold ideas with the sliding screens to create a concept of “zones” rather than rooms. Sliding screens open the house onto a flexible yard and a generous deck area equipped with a solar heated hot tub!