2019 Best of Design Award for New Materials: Grass House
Designer: bld.us
Location: Washington, D.C.

The Grass House—a LEED Platinum carriage house located across from the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Washington, D.C.—is the first building on the East Coast realized using a panelized bamboo-based structural system called BamCore. The strength of the interior and exterior panels allows for the elimination of double studs that characterize conventional construction today. The Grass House’s hollow wall cavities have been filled with Havelock sheep’s wool insulation, the highest performing building insulation available. Once framed and stuffed, the house was clad in charred Atlantic cedar, and the interior fitted out with willow and walnut details. The result is a series of spaces as comfortable and familiar as they are economical and sustainable.

Resources:
Collaborators: JZ Engineering, Steven Winter Associates, Fabio Designs
Structural System: BamCore
Insulation: Havelock Wool
Timber: reSAWN TIMBER charred wood, Basket Farmer willow
Lighting: Danielle Trofe

Honorable Mention
Walking Assembly
Matter Design & CEMEX Global R&D