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Candour is a prefab building system and a tool to customize building components within that system—including walls, floors, facades, and roofs—with a proprietary CAD plug-in. Users of the software can draft a design, determine if it’s feasible, and price it all in one day. Designs are built at Candour’s manufacturing facility in Sunshine, Melbourne.

The home's three levels are framed by large planters containing fruit trees and other vegetation. The custom block makes up all of the home's exterior walls.

"We made the pool an L-shape to mimic the form of the home,

Stafford Residence floor plan

Loom House floor plan

The project’s name, Loom House, is a nod to “weaving people and place,” says Karen. The couple hope their project contributes to spreading more awareness of the kind of systemic changes the LBC strives for. “With the Living Building Challenge, we liked that you not only create a healthy home,” says Todd, “but you consider how that healthy home is creating a healthy environment and community.”

"In some ways the strongest attributes of the house are probably the outside spaces,” says Court. The original cedar deck was replaced with Kebony decking that wraps around a century-old cherry tree. A pair of Andy rockers from Mamagreen face an ottoman by Kenneth Cobonpue. The accordion doors are a NanaWall SL-60 system that allows the main room of the guesthouse to open completely to the deck.

The “prow deck,” which extends out toward the water, features a Henry Hall Tru Pure sofa and a Great Lakes lounge chair from Sutherland. The accent table is by Antoine Proulx.

"It was our job to hold on to the spirit of these buildings. They worked so well with the site and the views, so the project was really about exercising restraint,” says architect Brian Court. In the guesthouse, Gulassa wired a wisteria branch preserved from the property into a chandelier. The armchair is by Jens Risom and the windows are by Unilux.

The project team stripped the house to its framing and foundation to upgrade the systems and add insulation, keeping the original exterior detailing intact. When they discovered that a spacer in the triple-pane windows they’d selected contained an LBC “Red List” material, the manufacturer, Unilux, changed the product to comply with LBC guidelines.

Floor Plan of Glen Road Residence by Risa Boyer Architecture

Floor Plan of 11 Cabins in the Woods by Summary

The custom cabinetry extends into a mudroom area, also with BluDot Wook wall hook in black.

Finding balance between respecting the existing plan and optimizing the new program, the layout was rearranged to maximize views. “I think when we started to really unpack it and realize programmatically what the opportunity of the site was, we decided to put the living room where you can really take in this view and open these windows and create this panoramic experience,” says Stept.

Bosch’s Benchmark single wall oven delivers high performance in compact form and features elegant touch control. Over the induction cooktop, the 500 Series hood’s charcoal filter absorbs odors—which is key in small spaces—and its blower can be automated. The hidden hinge and reversible doors of Bosch’s 800 Series freestanding refrigerator allow for next-to-wall placement and nearly flush installation. ​​The 300 Series compact washer/dryer is streamlined yet still handles full-size loads.

“The house is designed so that you can move around according to the weather and always find somewhere comfortable, Tasmania, Australia Dwell Magazine : September / October 2017

The dwelling’s concrete slab meets a New Zealand pine deck at the custom steel entrance door. Tasmania, Australia Dwell Magazine : September / October 2017

Manufactured with up to 70 percent recycled steel, the hybrid prefab Graham Residence by Blue Sky Building System limits construction waste to the factory, where it's recycled.