Natural Look

While this green roof holds great environmental value, it also serves an aesthetic purpose in its stunning Carmel, Calif., location. “It was hard to imagine how to put a house there without taking away from the site’s beauty,” says San Francisco architect Jonathan Feldman. So he and general contractor Groza Construction opted to cut away parts of the hillside and lower the house into the land, capping it with the green roof. When approaching the building from the main driveway (above left), all you see are the plant-covered rooftops.

These native grasses and wildflowers, chosen with the advice of landscape designer Loretta Gargan and green roof consultant Paul Kephart, blend into the surrounding environment. And a skylight with integrated photovoltaics lets extra light into the home’s central living space. The lush roof helps cool the house, and also absorbs excess stormwater.