Sustainably minded architect Lucas Alm, principal of Alm Design Studio, and his graphic designer/art director wife, Jenney Stevens, did an amazing job on their 1920s bungalow remodel in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul, and I just had to share it. They bought their 1,200-square-foot house in summer 2005, supping it up with high-tech, high R-value insulation, high efficiency windows, an energy efficient boiler, and a heat recovery ventilator. Then they ripped out most of the common walls and the half-story ceiling and floor, to give themselves a nice, wide-open home that only consumes 6 kilowatt hours of electricity per day! Lucas did most of the design and the build work, and imcorporated piles of framing lumber salvaged from the original house, and recyclable metal shingles. My favorite part is the smart built-in bench in the living room that integrates beautifully with the staircase.
Jenney says this summer, she and Lucas will be planting the garage addition roof and the front porch roof with sedums, strawberries, and grasses. Just goes to show that saving the planet doesn’t mean giving up great design—especially when two go-getter, progressively-minded creatives marry each other!
