Strawbale and Rastra Home • Mullaney Residence • Tucson, Arizona
Award Winner • 2004 winner of the "Building from the Best of Tucson" award for green building from the Sonoran Institute.
Design Features • Over 1000 square feet in five covered outdoor spaces. A round outdoor room with full kitchen. Roof terrace with fireplace. All with a comfortable Mexican feel.
Site Sensitivity • Maximum preservation of trees and cacti. Balanced cut and fill, erosion control and unobtrusive driveway.
"We can't thank you enough for the beautiful house we live in - we say so every day, and we can't tell you how much we enjoy living in it." - Mike and Barb Mullaney
Energy Efficiency • Highly insulated building envelope with strawbale and rastra walls. Passive solar orientation with shading. Exceeds the Sustainable Energy Standard by 7%.
Water Harvesting and Greywater • Seven cisterns harvest 3600 gallons of rooftop runoff for pool and landscape uses. The greywater system uses a 1000-gallon tank.
Solar Hot Water • The sun heats the domestic hot water, the radiant concrete floor, and the swimming pool via a separate system.
Solar Electricity Plan • A future building-integrated photovoltaic system will utilize thin-flim material glued to the metal roof. It will produce 3600 watts, and is planned for grid-tied connection and "net metering."
