Carmel Valley Residence - Caterpillar House - Pour In Place
       
     
The pairing of mass and glass - flood the house with sunlight and store the solar energy in the walls and floors. This strategy can work well in a Mediterranean climate. The Caterpillar House is the first LEED Platinum Custom Home on Calif
       
     
In an ideal, mild climate with the sun shining brightly, you can throw the doors wide open for several hours during the day and maintain comfortable temperatures within the living spaces. The keys to success are the broad roof overhangs shading the
       
     
The Caterpillar House bends along the contour lines of the shallow hill on which it is built. Curved rammed earth walls offer beauty and architectural connection, and add significant complexity to the formwork. Image © Joe Fletcher
       
     
The shallow curves of the house walls repeat themselves in the low patio and planter walls.  Capturing rainwater for irrigation, three tanks proudly sit close to the home - a clear sign of the available water resources for landscape. Image ©&n
       
     
The glazing, natural ventilation and operable shading act as a passive heating and cooling system, cooling the house in the summer and warming the house in winter. Rammed earth walls provide thermal storage. The window vista also puts the occupants
       
     
Step back and get the big picture of Caterpillar house. To guarantee that all of the pre-fabricated steel roof beams would fit, the roof structure was built before the walls - adding a major challenge for the rammed earth installers. Image © J
       
     
Carmel Valley Residence - Caterpillar House - Pour In Place
       
     
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Carmel Valley Residence - Caterpillar House - Pour In Place

Feldman Architecture’s multiple award winning “Caterpillar House” in the Santa Lucia Preserve, Carmel Valley, California, built by Brian Groza Construction.

Excavated earth was repurposed for the construction of the walls.  These rammed earth walls gently curve in response to the site's contours and also act as a thermal mass, regulating temperatures from day to night.

Image © Joe Fletcher

The pairing of mass and glass - flood the house with sunlight and store the solar energy in the walls and floors. This strategy can work well in a Mediterranean climate. The Caterpillar House is the first LEED Platinum Custom Home on Calif
       
     
+

The pairing of mass and glass - flood the house with sunlight and store the solar energy in the walls and floors. This strategy can work well in a Mediterranean climate. The Caterpillar House is the first LEED Platinum Custom Home on California's Central Coast.

Image © Joe Fletcher

In an ideal, mild climate with the sun shining brightly, you can throw the doors wide open for several hours during the day and maintain comfortable temperatures within the living spaces. The keys to success are the broad roof overhangs shading the
       
     
+

In an ideal, mild climate with the sun shining brightly, you can throw the doors wide open for several hours during the day and maintain comfortable temperatures within the living spaces. The keys to success are the broad roof overhangs shading the house in the summer, and knowing when it’s time to close the doors.

Image © Joe Fletcher

The Caterpillar House bends along the contour lines of the shallow hill on which it is built. Curved rammed earth walls offer beauty and architectural connection, and add significant complexity to the formwork. Image © Joe Fletcher
       
     
+

The Caterpillar House bends along the contour lines of the shallow hill on which it is built. Curved rammed earth walls offer beauty and architectural connection, and add significant complexity to the formwork.

Image © Joe Fletcher

The shallow curves of the house walls repeat themselves in the low patio and planter walls.  Capturing rainwater for irrigation, three tanks proudly sit close to the home - a clear sign of the available water resources for landscape. Image ©&n
       
     
+

The shallow curves of the house walls repeat themselves in the low patio and planter walls.  Capturing rainwater for irrigation, three tanks proudly sit close to the home - a clear sign of the available water resources for landscape.

Image © Joe Fletcher

The glazing, natural ventilation and operable shading act as a passive heating and cooling system, cooling the house in the summer and warming the house in winter. Rammed earth walls provide thermal storage. The window vista also puts the occupants
       
     
+

The glazing, natural ventilation and operable shading act as a passive heating and cooling system, cooling the house in the summer and warming the house in winter. Rammed earth walls provide thermal storage. The window vista also puts the occupants right square in the middle of the Preserve - 270 degree views of the flora and fauna of the Carmel Valley.

Image © Joe Fletcher

Step back and get the big picture of Caterpillar house. To guarantee that all of the pre-fabricated steel roof beams would fit, the roof structure was built before the walls - adding a major challenge for the rammed earth installers. Image © J
       
     
+

Step back and get the big picture of Caterpillar house. To guarantee that all of the pre-fabricated steel roof beams would fit, the roof structure was built before the walls - adding a major challenge for the rammed earth installers.

Image © Joe Fletcher