SHIFT House

In approaching the landscape for this passive house built by Root Design Build, we set out to demonstrate a “shift” from the status quo – departing from the template of typical suburban development to reveal a landscape that blurs the boundary between domestic life and the natural surroundings.

We looked to the meadows of this particular ecoregion as the major unifying design theme for the entire site. Working with native plant specialists we integrated such plant species as Penstemon Richardsonii, Coreopsis atkinsoniana, and Koeleria cristata to compose a meadow that weaves itself throughout the site.

Integrating recycled, eco-friendly materials, the landscape provides all the opportunities associated with typical domestic life while providing important ecological function, including habitat for a spectrum of birds, butterflies, and various other local flora and fauna.