A Copper Alliance Member
Copper Adorns The New American Home "Smart House Loft"
January 19, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LAS VEGAS – The Copper Development Association (CDA), is pleased to announce its participation in “The New American Home” annual showcase project, cosponsored by the National Council of the Housing Industry (NCHI) and Builder Magazine. The $1.3 million Smart House Loft, named for its spacious, multipurpose living areas, was built to coincide with the 2004 International Builders Show in Las Vegas.
This year’s project features copper as a key exterior
design element, according to CDA’s national program manager
for building construction, Andrew Kireta Jr.
“
We’re very excited to be involved in this house,” says
Kireta. “It has some outstanding and unique architectural
elements, such as a dramatic, six-foot-high all-copper railing
that wraps around the home’s Master Suite verandas.”
Copper building materials were provided
by CDA, including the entire roof structure – a
standing seam surface with wide copper fascia and eaves, expansive copper soffits,
and even a copper chimney surround. Hundreds of feet of copper plumbing tube
were also installed throughout the home to ensure a lifetime of dependability.
“ The color and texture of copper fit perfectly with the building materials we used to create the home’s old-world exterior,” says Dale Beck of Merlin Construction, the home’s builder. “We envisioned a 17th or 18th Century European home with copper on top and a brick facade. Both elements suit the loft style – but with a decidedly European flair.”
The only rooms in the Smart House Loft designated for a specific purpose are the kitchen and master bedroom. The remaining living areas are flexible, open-plan spaces that can be used as the homeowner wishes, such as a home office or gym, art studio, digital photography studio, and more.
The project’s architects,
Food for Buildings of Holland, thought of everything when
designing the Smart House Loft. One addition well-suited
to the Las Vegas
desert environment is a copper tube sprinkler system installed on the roof. When
temperatures rise, it emits an enveloping cloudlike mist
that acts as an “outdoor
air conditioner,” cooling the home’s verandas and patios as it evaporates.
The New American Home is a housing industry initiative held in conjunction with the International Builders Show. Each year, homes like the Smart House Loft are designed, built and opened for tours by attendees at this event to introduce new concepts in residential architecture, interior design and construction.
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