Photograph by Field Architecture
Feature: Green Living: Designing for the Future
November 1, 2006
Los Angeles, a city that has been described as being addicted to cars, is not
the place one would expect to find a state-of-the-art eco-friendly home. Yet it
is exactly where architect James Chuda, known for his environmental design,
chose to build his own green home as a prototype for green architecture and
nontoxic living. Chuda created the home with the help of his wife, Nancy Gould
Chuda, an environmental activist.
Nestled in the Hollywood Hills, under the H in the Hollywood sign, the home is
set between two legendary landmarks: the concrete-and-stone mansion once owned
by Humphrey Bogart, and Bugsy Siegel’s Lago del Mar, recently owned by Madonna.
Chuda responded to the location with a contemporary concrete home that is an
interplay of geometric shapes. A retaining wall along the back of the house was
designed to keep the structure cool in the hot summers.
The home incorporates cutting-edge materials and furnishings that are not
harmful to human health and the environment. Troy and Lisa Adams, of Troy Adams
Design in Los Angeles, were instrumental in getting key members of the “Green
Team” together to design each of the rooms in the four-bedroom home.
Troy Adams also designed one of the home’s most important gathering places: the
kitchen and adjacent dining area. Both rooms are made of completely recyclable
materials, including cork and bamboo flooring, lava stone countertops, cherry
and wenge cabinets made in Germany under strict environmental standards, and
energy-efficient appliances and lighting. The eco-friendly design, however, did
not scrimp on comfort or convenience, as evidenced by a granite water feature
that emits soothing sounds, and aluminum roll-top “garages” that hide
appliances, contributing to the streamlined look.
The Chudas’ commitment to environmental and holistic design is extremely
personal. In 1991, they lost a daughter to a nonhereditary form of cancer they
suspect was caused by environmental toxins. A year later they founded the
Children’s Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC), dedicated to educating the
public about environmental toxins that affect children’s health. Last year, the
home was briefly open to the public for tours, with net proceeds benefiting
CHEC.
advertisement
