Gold in the Hills
(Page 4 of 4)
May/June 2006
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence
“Stone, log poles, timbers and finely finished woods express the care of human hands and the ‘imperfect’ qualities of the natural world.”
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In response to Michael’s request, Gold searched out local, sustainable materials whenever possible. “Stone, log poles, timbers and finely finished woods express the care of human hands and the ‘imperfect’ qualities of the natural world,” Gold says. “These underlay the sense of peace and harmony felt in and around this home.”
He found weathered Sierra granite, which is fireproof and provides thermal mass, for the exterior. “Most of that stone was gathered by hand,” Gold says. “It’s called ‘peeler’ granite because it peels off the top of the bedrock. It’s not quarried.” The irregular shapes of the granite stones presented challenges to the stonemasons who built Michael’s house. “In the end, though, the masons really appreciated doing something different,” Gold adds.
When appropriate local materials couldn’t be found, Gold found sustainable alternatives such as western red cedar and cherry wood salvaged from the bottom of Brazilian reservoirs. All the woods were finished with natural oils.
“We took the whole question of toxicity and sustainability seriously,” Gold says. “One of the challenges was keeping the project moving forward while researching materials and doing design changes.”
During construction, Gold was the contractor as well as the architect. He worked closely with Michael and the craftspeople, responding to challenges as they arose and offering new ideas as the house came together. “I drove Jeff nuts, I know, as it was coming together,” Michael says, “but I wanted to keep it a dynamic process.”
Gold happily rose to the challenge. “I like to step out of the office and oversee the physical construction; it lets me sustain a dialogue with the building, and it becomes a much more intimate process,” he says.
“The people who worked on this house really understood and appreciated the principles and the commitment behind it, and they put an extra effort into their work because it was part of a larger whole that they really appreciated,” Gold says. “When something is literally put together by hand like this house was, people enjoy coming through. The workers would hang out here at the end of the day after the work was done. They just enjoyed the creative process, the act of sharing it with everyone.”
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