My wife, Nancy, and I chose to put our energies into something positive, and spent the past five years constructing an all natural home using the safest materials on the market. Building an entirely green home, inside and out, epitomized our lives' work in environmental activism. The house is an eco-friendly project highlighting holistic and ecological architecture with all materials, products, and furnishings that not only protect health and the environment, but also exhibit great design.
Nestled on a wooded cliff in the Hollywood Hills, the energy efficient three-story house is directly across the street from the mortar and stone manse Humphrey Bogart shared with his third wife. Its soaring ceilings, vast expanses of glass, lush tranquility gardens and panoramic views are designed to be compatible with its physical surroundings. We employed a team of Earth-friendly designers and contractors, and used such ecologically sound innovations as floors of cork and bamboo, a bed fashioned from recycled wood, countertops made from lava stone, energy-conserving appliances, and plenty of natural lighting.
When it was completed in the fall of 2005, it was chosen as Los Angeles Magazine’s Design House of the Year. More than seventy-eight pages of the magazine were dedicated to the design and construction of the house; it attracted more than half a million dollars in advertising revenue, and was the single largest issue in the magazine's history. The house was also featured on Oprah; Leonardo DiCaprio was the tour guide for the segment. Afterwards, It was opened to the public for three weeks, and two thousand people made their way through our residence. Environmentalists, Architects, designers and builders from all over the world continue to visit our home.
James Chuda is an independent, nationally board-certified architect specializing in the creation of non-toxic living and working environments that welcome healthful lifestyles both physically and spiritually.
Placing environmental concerns foremost in his constructions for 30 years, he has designed projects throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, Canada and Panama. His projects have ranged from residential designs for single-family custom homes to the design of a new solar town concept. Another project of distinction has been the design of an environmental water garden park he created that is one of the largest, naturally filtered carp ponds in Hawaii.
Mr. Chuda has received both regional and national awards for his environmental efforts in architecture and his excellence in design, energy conservation and overall site development. In 1991, he was chosen as a finalist for The Los Angles Beautification Award for his personal residence nestled in the hills of Laurel Canyon. It also became the prototype for a much larger project, a home he built for Olivia Newton-John . This oceanside home, which incorporates energy conservation with the use of non-toxic materials, is an optimal example of the far-reaching benefits of environmental architectural design. This residence was highlighted in the book "Beach Houses: From Malibu to Laguna." This first survey of distinctive Southern California beachfront architecture and design was published in May 1994 by Rizzoli International Publications and showcased on prime time television show.
James will be speaking about his most recent project a case study Green home which he built as a working laboratory for he and his wife in the Hollywood Hills and shows how being green can be beautiful, sustainable, energy efficient and most of all healthy. This project was a result of their efforts in establishing a national nonprofit, to teach caregivers how to protect children from toxics in their environment: Healthy Child Healthy World, founded in honor of their daughter who they lost to cancer. The Green Home was chosen by Los Angeles Magazine as 2005 design home of the year, shown on Oprah, and toured by Leonardo Di Caprio.
