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WBM september 2012
A
ward-winning green
architect Jay DeChesere
has always placed a
strong premium on liv-ing
efficiently, sustain-ably
and in harmony with the natural
environment, from a small dorm room
at the University of Kentucky, to rain-water
harvesting around the house in
the Bahamas.
With the design of the Barrier Island
Study Center, DeChesere incorporates
the surrounding natural environment
and illustrates how development can
complement the natural habitat.
“My goal through the Bald Head
study center is to show the community
how to build green and live sustain-ably,
while respecting the environ-ment
throughout the entire process,”
DeChesere says. “We tried to use local
and regional materials from within a
500-mile radius. This not only helps
the economy, but it reduces the carbon
footprint, as well. It was hard, though,
given Bald Head’s location on a point
in the ocean; the 500-mile radius was
about two-thirds what it would have
been if it would’ve been elsewhere. I
probably could’ve used some seaweed,”
he says.
As it stands, the center reflects and
respects the abundance of the natu-ral
habitat. Its roof merges with the