A Radically Efficient Memphis Home Raises the Bar for Sustainability
Architect Barry Alan Yoakum draws on decades of experience to build what, by one measure, is the first zero-energy, zero-carbon home in the world.
Architect Barry Alan Yoakum draws on decades of experience to build what, by one measure, is the first zero-energy, zero-carbon home in the world.
People who move to New Urbanist communities tend to be fans of traditional architecture. But architect Barry Alan Yoakum was drawn to Harbor Town, a 32-year-old enclave just north of downtown Memphis, not by the historical styles of its homes but by its walkability and a requirement that houses have porches overlooking small front yards— features that promote sociability and healthy living.
With a home for his family along the Mississippi River waterfront, architect Barry Yoakum aimed to achieve the highest standards of energy performance and carbon mitigation without compromising on design. A modern anomaly among its historically styled neighbors, "the house is a fresh, authentic approach to climate change but also a piece of architecture," he says. Its Pac-Clad aluminum panels with Bone White Energy Star coating reflect light differently from minute to minute while reducing solar heat gain. "The house will age well over time," says Barry, who expects the cladding to have a long life span.
Photo: Pippa Drummond
Barry is a longtime proponent of sustainable architecture, and when he and his wife, Kathy, challenged themselves to build a radically energy-efficient home, a Harbor Town corner lot overlooking the Mississippi River presented the perfect site.
The front porch reflects the home’s primary material palette of concrete, steel, aluminum, and cross-laminated timber. The house is so aesthetically consistent that before driving into the garage for the first time, Barry’s wife, Kathy, hesitated. "It felt like I was driving into the living room," she says. The couple’s son, Crews, sits on a swing from Organic Swings. The table and seat are from the Maya Lin Stones Collection for Knoll. Sliding aluminum mesh panels control light and privacy and reduce solar gain.
Photo: Pippa Drummond
Barry chose to work within the letter of Harbor Town’s design guidelines to create a house rooted in 20th-century modernism, not just for looks but for efficiency. A traditional balloon-frame house, he explains, is a thermal disaster—the studs conduct heat, the myriad joints allow leakage—and hiding raw materials behind finished surfaces is wasteful.
Barry used a construction method that is far more efficient: Factory-made structural insulated panels—non-VOC insulation sandwiched between layers of flakeboard—were transported to the site and affixed to a steel and cross-laminated-timber structure, resulting in a faster build and less need for heating and cooling.
Photo: Pippa Drummond
See the full story on Dwell.com: A Radically Efficient Memphis Home Raises the Bar for Sustainability
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