Arthur Zuco, an employee of the Environmental Protection Agency in Research Triangle Park, is living in his dream home — a modernist, contemporary home designed by Randall Lanou and Nick Owings of BuildSense and Studio B Architecture.

A steel canopy leads to the main entry of this modernist home that is anchored by a masonry hearth surrounded by concrete floors that glisten thanks to an etching process that binds with minerals in the concrete and makes every floor a unique work of art. Zuco’s floors have a bluish grey background with accents of copper and green swirling to the top in what looked like to me wispy cirrus cloud designs.

“I’ve had a couple of guests tell me they can’t believe how much color comes from the floor,” Zuco said. “The white walls of the house act kind of like a reverse decorating.”

Large windows with deep overhangs let in so much indirect light that electric lighting is hardly needed most of the day. They also provide beautiful views of the meadows and wood surrounding the houses. The master bedroom has practically a 270-degree view out to the woods on the east, north and south sides. The Low-E, double-pane windows and heavily insulated walls make the house very quiet, which is amazing considering that the house is just off the highly-traveled U.S. 15-501 south of Chapel Hill.

Zuco purchased the land in January 2008 and finalized the house design with Lanou and Owings by June 2008. Zuco credits the fast and easy turn-around in his home’s design to the similar goals and interests of himself and the people at BuildSense and Studio B Architecture.

“They cater to contemporary and green homes,” Zuco said. “With me working for EPA, that worked for me pretty well.”

BuildSense broke ground on the house in October 2008 and finished the project in August 2009. The building of the house took a little longer than Zuco anticipated, but was about average for a house that size being built in a watershed district in Orange County.

“The things that you think will delay you, (those delays) will pop up somewhere else,” Zuco said. “For example, I didn’t know the stormwater department would be as difficult to please as they were.”

Zuco’s advice to anyone embarking on building is, “Be patient. It can be a long process. It was also amazingly fun. I would do it over if given the opportunity and chance.”

Zuco worked closely with Owings, who was BuildSense’s project leader on the house. So closely, that when talking about decisions that were made concerning style and features, Zuco, who is single, often speaks in the plural “we.” As in, “We installed photo-voltaic panels in the back field, 100 feet from the house.”

For an environmentally conscious guy, this photo-voltaic system is an important feature. South-facing like the house, the panels, installed by Southern Energy Management of Morrisville (919-836-0330), are estimated to generate 30-40 percent of the home’s power. Another plus, net metering feeds back into Progress Energy, so Zuco will get credits on his electric bill. The 12 individual panels create a 2.7 kilowatt system for this Energy Star certified house.

The house also garnered another certification important to Zuco: a Gold level GHBT (Green Home Builders of the Triangle), a certification program based on the ANSI National Green Building Standard. The GHBT is a joint council of the HBA of Durham, Orange, and Chatham Counties and the HBA of Raleigh-Wake County.

Zuco’s house, although unfinished at the time, was part of the 2009 Spring Green Home Tour sponsored by the GHBT. Each entry is required to meet sufficient goals in all of the green building program areas and must conform to at least the bronze level of green certification.

“Randy’s homes are always very innovative and interesting,” said Leigh Scott, director of the local HBA’s Green Building Program, the GHBT.

The home’s solar orientation, excellent insulation, high-efficiency 15 SEER heat pump, and supplemental radiant slab heating system installed by Solar Consultants for optimal comfort.

“I love the concrete floors and radiant heat throughout,” Zuco said. “It is a nice even heat, and you feel it on your feet. It is pretty cozy.”

The 2,100-square-foot house also features a beautiful, multi-layered entry sequence. The main entry is at the center of a long, thin form next to the masonry hearth and anchor of the house. Visitors will travel under a steel canopy that performs multiple jobs: sunshade, front porch, and protector from the elements.

“When you visit Arthur in his home, you understand what a perfect match the house and Arthur are,” explained Randall Lanou of BuildSense and Studio B Architecture. “The site is beautiful and the connection between the house and site is strong.”

The form of the hearth and chimney are highlighted by 12-foot ceilings in the great room, which opens to the kitchen. The kitchen, for Zuco, is the centerpiece of the house.

“It has been a great space,” Zuco said, “full of light and wonderful views.”

The 12-foot kitchen island houses the sink, dishwasher, tons of cabinetry space and stools that tuck under on the side facing the great room. The island is wrapped in a quartz, antimicrobial material called Silestone. Sitting on the stools allows visitors to talk with the cook in the kitchen and catch what is happening on the television above the hearth.

The hearth has three integrated elements — wood box, fireplace and a built-in media cabinet that can accommodate a 60-inch television. Everything is recessed and the wall of the hearth extends from the inside to the outside and breaks the roof plane as visitors are coming into the entry.

Zuco says visitors also tell him how much they love the master bath with his and hers sinks, his and hers shower stalls and double benches – almost 8 feet-by-3.5 feet in depth. Cornflower blue Ann Sacks tiles in this room also go well with the bluish gray etched concrete floors.