It may be prophetic that the New American Home ’93 is shaped like a boomerang. Many of its ideas are ready to take flight in the home-building industry.
The two-story, 3,024-square-foot residence was built for presentation at the recent convention of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in Las Vegas.
“It is full of design and product innovations that builders and architects alike will want to take home to their own markets,” said Mitchell Rouda, editor of Builder magazine, one of the sponsors of the home. Other sponsors are the National Council of the Housing Industry (NCHI) and Ladies’ Home Journal, Popular Science and Home Mechanix magazines.
“This is not a pie-in-the-sky house,” emphasized Bryan Earl, chairman of NCHI’s New American Home ’93 Task Force. “All its features and technology are available and can be used in new housing construction anywhere in the country.”
Among the special features:
– Roof overhangs and remote-controlled skylights that reduce heating and cooling costs.
– A state-of-the-art home automation system.
– Cellulose insulation made from recycled newspapers.
– Turbo-flush toilets that use less water.
– Deck paving made from recycled rubber.
– Fireplace hearth using a limestone-like material that incorporates up to 40 percent of industrial and consumer waste-everything from shredded plastic toys to carpet fibers.
This year’s New American Home was designed for a moderately affluent family of three generations: mother, father, two children and a live-in grandparent.
Following the NAHB show, it will be open to the public for 10 days and then go on the market. The ultimate buyer will get a bargain. Though priced at $360,000, the actual value of the house is $528,000 because of all the products and services that were donated. More than 80 building product manufacturers contributed.
The Southwestern-style architecture of the New American Home fits in well with its location in the desert outside Las Vegas at Summerlin, the huge mixed-use development of Summa Corp., which was started by Howard Hughes.
In the distance, barren mountain ranges edge the skyline, while at night the lights of the neon city can be seen in the southeast.
Built in the Evergreen section of Summerlin, it was placed on a corner lot to set it off from other residences in the subdivision.
“The boomerang-shaped house was planned to fit on a pie-shaped lot of 7,900 square feet,” said Johannes Van Tilburg, architect of the New American Home and founder of Johannes Van Tilburg & Partners in Santa Monica, Calif.
The exterior is a combination of one gray stone wall (actually a lightweight concrete product waterproofed with a silicone rubber sealant) and white stucco walls for the rest of the house-all topped off with a red-tile roof.
A decorative copper band curves above the front entry, which is further accented by four palm trees and a “lawn” of red earth, cactus and evergreens. Slabs of sandstone serve as a walkway.
“I love the shutters,” said Van Tilburg. “They give the house a Humphrey Bogart-Casablanca feel. I believe that romantic notions are just as important as technology.”
He noted that the house, if built elsewhere, could have a variety of exterior looks: traditional with wood siding and stone accents, or even contemporary. Also, the angled floor plan could be straightened.
Leah Bryant, vice president of Lewis Homes of Nevada, builder of the New American Home, praised it as being “on the cutting edge of new design.”
The comments of a focus group helped to shape the final layout.
Because of the unusual shape, the two wings were built as two separate houses joined at the entry, she said.
“During construction, I never saw so many wires running through the framed walls. They are for the total home automation,” Bryant explained. “For energy efficiency, there are eight heating and cooling zones.”
The tour of the New American Home begins in the two-story foyer, which is brightened by a round skylight. To the left of the foyer is the sunken living room, which is actually a cozy, parlor-sized retreat with a curved wall of windows, a fireplace and a 12-foot ceiling.
“The design is relaxed and non-pretentious. Every room has a window as the focal point,” Van Tilburg said.
Large windows create an increased feeling of space, according to Leslie Lampert, lifestyle editor of the Ladies’ Home Journal.
Stanton Southwick, landscape architect for the project, said that “big picture windows bring the outside in. We enhanced the landscaping so it would look especially good from inside, where people spend most of their time.”
The most dramatic window treatment is in the family room, with an expanse of glass extending almost to the 24-foot ceiling. In addition, the room features eight skylights that can be opened.
The family room is the heart of the house, and set side-by-side are the fireplace and the big-screen TV. A shelf above the TV provides space for plants.
Michael Morris, a contributing editor with Popular Science and Home Mechanix, served as new technology adviser for the home. He noted that the centerpiece of the home’s technology is the media center in the family room.
The entertainment center features a 46-inch TV, a CD player incorporating Kodak technology for television viewing of photographs and slides, a laser-disc video and hi-fi VCR, a dual-cassette deck, a five-disc changer and a digital compact cassette deck.
Programming any function in the home-from setting room temperatures to operating light switches-can be done with TV-type remotes, wall-mounted key pads or a touch-tone phone. “The Maestro system also has sensors for door and window security, automatic lighting, and outdoor sprinkler operation,” Morris said.
Adjoining the family room is the kitchen, which has an eating bar. Next to it is the 11-by-17-foot breakfast nook, with views of the back yard.
A window-filled galleria links the informal living wing with the other wing which houses the “granny-nanny” suite. It includes a bathroom with a “walk-in” tub that has a door to allow easy access, especially for someone who is disabled.
The suite also could be a guest room or for an adult child living at home.
On the second floor, the 16-by-13 1/2-foot master bedroom suite offers two balconies-one overlooking the rear courtyard, and the other off of the master bath, suggesting the possibility of a morning sun bath.
Of course, the master bath has a whirlpool tub. Windows wrapping around the mirror in back of the twin vanities is a unique touch.
Almost every square inch of the New American Home has been well planned-with the one exception of the positioning of the fireplace and the TV in the master bedroom. The fireplace is set in the center of the room, while the TV is off in a corner, making difficult viewing for anyone on the bed.
The second-floor galleria-or hallway-is lined with windows and affords views of the mountains. It links the master suite with the children’s wing, which includes two bedrooms and a “Jack and Jill” bathroom between them.
At the end of the galleria is a children’s learning center, which is equipped with a computer. Next to the desk is a window overlooking the family room.
The adults also have a work center-a second-floor home office/loft overlooking the foyer and next to the laundry room.
The boomerang shape of the house creates a protected courtyard in the rear. The dramatic focus here is the free-form swimming pool with a bridge over it and a waterfall splashing into it. A built-in barbecue is conveniently located nearby.
A three-car garage is tucked away at one side and does not damage the curb appeal of the house.
Established in 1984 to showcase residential design and new building products in the city hosting the annual NAHB convention, the New American Home has ranged from a 1,500-square-foot, $100,000 starter home in 1984 to last year’s five-bedroom, 5,000-square-foot house, which sold for $876,000. Each year the home is built for a different buyer profile.
The New American Home ’93 is featured in the February, 1993, issue of Builder magazine. The issue is available for $8 by calling 800-829-9127, or writing Builder, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, Fla. 32142-0235.
Plans for the New American Home ’93 are available from HomeStyles Source One, International Market Square, 275 Market St., Suite 521, Minneapolis, Minn. 55405; telephone 800-634-4773. Five sets of blueprints cost $575 ($50 for additional sets), plus $15 for shipping and handling.
