Cascading Sustainable Creek House

Cascading Creek House is a single family 11,796-square-foot residence in Texas, USA, designed by Bercy Chen Studio.

The house has some amazing sustainable features such as photovoltaics, hydronic heating and cooling and rainwater collection. Rainwater is collected in a natural basin created by the specially configured roof. From here, water, energy and heat flow through a system of photovoltaic and solar hot-water panels to provide the heating and cooling of the residence. Heat is also provided by geothermal ground loops and so reliance on electricity and gas is minimized.

From the driveway the house may have an uninviting appearance, as one looks directly into the water-collecting roofs. The residence opens itself towards the wilderness surrounding it, integrating perfectly into the natural environment.

Two limestone walls, which are the spine of the entire architecture, split from the front to create the public and the private areas. These two walls open towards the landscape and the creek below, creating the impression of an extended living space protected from the torrents of rainwater draining from the street above.