this image shows the glass wall in front of the
living room. temporary metal clips are visible in
each silicone joint.

the glazing crew installs the cap piece on
the aluminum header that holds the glass in place.

the glazing crew installs all the fixed panels.
they will be butt glazed which means that there
is no aluminum frame between panels -- only
a thin line of black silicone.

this picture shows the fixed glass sill at the slab
with the flashing piece and the aluminum angle
jamb which is co-fabbed onto our customized
sliding glass door jamb in the factory.

The fixed glass system track fits into our structural
aluminum system to make a better water and wind
barrier while also dictating to the installers precisely
where the glass wall is to be placed.

the glass installation begins! our glass storefront
manufacturing partner has prefabricated all the parts
of the glass enclosure system and delivered it to the
site. the local glazing company installs the parts in
rapid succession strictly on an hourly basis. the
installation time is relatively short because nearly
everything is pre-cut for easy placement. in this
picture the sliding glass door in front of the
bathroom is being installed.

The finished roof is a fiberglass mesh encapsulated
in a white rubberized sheet material. The white surface
is great for passive heat gain controls as it reflects a huge
amount of the sun's energy before it can heat up the structure.

down the center of the roof we've created an electrical chase.
wiring is fed to lighting, smoke detectors, and the like down
this main trunk above the decking -- and then drops down
into the decking flutes to be distributed to the individual
points. this is done to make it easier for the roofers to lay
in their rigid insulation with minimal mess on the decking
surface.

the batt insulation comes from the roof decking
manufacturer and is pre-cut to fit in the decking flutes.

the assembly for sound abosorption looks like this
from above -- before the 3" - 9" of rigid insulation
is installed over the top for passive heating and
cooling properties.

the roof decking is perforated in order to create sound
absorption characteristics. without any sound absorption,
the concrete, glass, and steel would be too "live" acoustically.
batt insulation is laid in the channels as a sound deadening
material. But first a thin fabric mesh is placed in the channels
to keep the insulation from poking down through the
perforated holes in the decking.

the final appearance of the metalic fascia around the
edge of the roof.

the metal fascia pieces are attached to the wood nailers
around the entire perimeter of the house. Rigid insulation
will fill up the space behind the nailers and terminate flush
with the fascia. On top of the rigid insulation will be a thin
cement board to which the roof membrane will be adhered
or fastened.

the finished edge of the roof is a galvalume fascia piece.

linda visits the house with our 2 month old daughter
Oleana for the first time

with the structrual frame and roof complete, wood framed
walls are infilled to enclose the outdoor fireplace wall and
the mechanical equipment closet. wood nailers are also
added to the perimeter of the roof for the purposes of
attaching the finished metal fascia at the visible edges.

with the roof decking complete, I returned to attach the
stainless steel cable "X" braces. these elements are used
to resist lateral forces such as wind or earthquake. snow
is visible in this picture as white dots caught by the
camera flash.

view of the house from the driveway entrance

with three friends it took 2 days to complete the
roof decking

the pieces are then screwed down to the aluminum
beams every 4" on center, and also attached together
along the lap joints at 3' on center. The entire 1,500
sf of roof took about 1,000 screws.

the structural roof is made of 20 gauge steel decking.
Each piece in this design is 2' wide by about 18' long.
It takes three people to lift the pieces into place. the
galvanized underside surface of the steel decking will
be the finished ceiling of the completed house.