3666752

Allegretti Design Earns Merit Award

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Eleven years ago, John Allegretti of St. Joseph was approached by a young professional couple in search of cutting edge sustainability on a north-facing Lake Michigan dune face. Their site, while offering beautiful panoramic lake views, hand only a toe-hold of buildable area which, under the state's critical dunes permitting process, had to be sheet-piled in order to provide the buildable area they required. That was just the beginning.

Three years later when the economy collapsed in 2008, the project was halted. Fast forward to 2012 and a new investor envisioned the potential, keeping the home alive. The crew at Allegretti Architects in St. Joseph revised their initial designs and created a new, larger version while trying to maintain the sustainable features of a difficult site. 

Now, Allegretti's design has been named a Merit Award winner for New Construction from AIA Southwest Michigan.

John says that it is very important, in this modern era, to consider sustainability in all construction design, but especially to protect our unique natural Lake Michigan dune environment. Embracing the dune topography helped to inform the configuration of the home's lakeside shape, while creating an efficient tower home plan configuration. 

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Allegretti says they also placed 25-percent of the home below grade, in order to improve the heat loss and gain character for the home. He says, "Abundant passive south and southeast facing windows collect winter BTUs while the uphill deciduous vegetation provides solar summer shading. North and SE/SW elevations were designed for automatic energy shades and natural cooling ventilation was utilized." 

Allegretti notes that additionally the colors of the home harmonize with the natural dark browns, terra cottas, greens and beiges of the site. A geothermal system was originally designed as well as the use of LED lighting, sustainably harvested wood products, naturally irrigated landscaping, and locally sourced materials.

The home is located in the Forest Beach region of New Buffalo and was constructed using the Allegretti design by Glas Associates of Kalamazoo this year. 

The photos accompanying this story on Moody on the Market.com were provided by Allegretti Architects as produced by John Adams of White Barn Studio and Jim Yochum. 

Allegretti is located at 500 Main Street in St. Joseph and can be reached by phone at 269-983-1100.

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