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The Hill Country House (aka Milagro Springs Retreat) appears in the latest issue of Texas Architect magazine alongside this year's winners of the Austin Green Awards. An 8-kiloWatt solar array supplies 61% of annual energy usage, generating approximately 40kW hours of electricity per day. Mechanical heating and cooling is made possible by a 5-ton geothermal system consisting of a loop field of six wells drilled 250 feet into the ground. A 30,000-gallon rainwater collection system, designed to provide 200 gallons per day (enough for four full-time residents), meets all of the owner’s annual water needs, utilizing both charcoal and UV filters to purify rainwater collected from 5,300 square feet of roof area. From the jury:

“A compelling design that manages to be unique while at the same time honoring the regional vernacular, and this lends to its ability to perform well in this place. The water story alone is exceptional.”