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Ross Cranford does not live in a typical Heights-neighborhood house. While the home's dark steel siding contrasts only modestly with street-views of the decades-old bungalow-type homes leading to his residence, the inside's like stepping into a time warp.

Bamboo flooring stretches from the entryway through the first floor's open floor plan, giving the impression of one large space. A freestanding fireplace heats the 360 degrees surrounding it. Floor-to-ceiling windows along the south wall provide a beautiful view of the neighbors — feathered friends living in the bird sanctuary.

Preserving the scenery was one of Cranford's goals when he approached Herron Horton Architects of Little Rock in 2005 about designing a home for the lot that was as environmentally conscious as possible. The result was a 3,500 square-foot house with lower monthly utility bills than Cranford's previous home — a condo in the River Market with less square footage. His monthly utility bills are also about a third of the cost of his parents', who own a more traditional house in the Heights.

Built in 2006 on one of the only vacant lots in the Heights, the three-story home has no certification from Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, but earning such accreditation was never a priority, he said. Cranford decided to keep it simple. “You look at a barn out in the country: There are no extras on it. Everything is functional, and that was our guiding principle for this too,” he said.

Simplicity is a facet of most designs produced by Herron Horton. The firm attempts to keep a building's materials to a minimum. “That's a rule of thumb we have: keep it to five materials or less,” said Jennifer Herron, who owns the practice with her husband, Jeff Horton.

The architects and Cranford settled on steel, concrete, wood, tile and glass, which helped blend the building into its surroundings, Herron said. The simplicity also provided the architects with possibilities for building an environmentally conscious house.

The metal siding, while also being cheaper than many other materials, provides great insulation in the summer. The roof, which uses the same metal as the siding, reflects the sun's rays. Beachfront shacks have been built using metal roofs for some time, Herron said, because the material does not absorb sunlight.

Another key to designing a house that uses energy reasonably — besides buying the proper appliances — was figuring out where to locate the house on the site. The architects inspected wind and solar patterns to do this, she said.

“I think the main thing when talking to residential clients is talking to them about where to locate on the site,” Herron said. Cranford's house rests on the northern property line and has a rectangular shape to take advantage of the site.

Most of the windows are on the south and north walls to keep heat from direct sunlight out during the summer. In the fall and winter, when the sun follows a lower trajectory, it shines through the uppermost south-facing windows, which are insulated double-glaze windows that trap the sun's heat inside. The wall of windows also impacts the house's circulation and creates dramatic shadows during the winter, she said.

Cranford and the architects did not go overboard on environmental aspects, though. “We love environmental design, but [we] also try to help in the social aspect because you are trying to build a space that allows people to get back to something they love,” Herron said.

Other amenities Cranford said he wanted to add cost too much. He considered installing solar panels but could not justify the upfront costs. Storm water collection was also on the table early. However, the water drains off the roof currently and into a drainage system that channels it to the stream running to the property's south.

Herron said such environmentally conscious additions are great, but that simplicity has its benefits, too. Simple design allowed for preservation of the surroundings, which, along with the home's position on the lot, created Cranford's favorite feature.

“During the spring and summer, the deck, it's almost hard not to go outside,” he said. “I feel like if I don't go out, I'm not using the best part of my house.”