Photo Courtesy of John Turturro 

[Rachel Neverdal] – John Turturro, an architect and professor of Architecture and Interior Design at COC, has won numerous awards for his work in green building and is a strong advocate for sustainability.

Turturro was hired in 2008 by the award-winning Breaking Bad star, Bryan Cranston, to design and build a beach house that he and his family could enjoy, which would optimize green systems and embrace sustainability.

To see the work done for Bryan Cranston click here.

The home was completed in 2013 and was over 90 percent sustainable. It won Green Home of the Year by the United States Green Building Council for 2013 and the Builder’s Association Award for its design and use of sustainable materials.

“The work for the Three Palms Project, Bryan Cranston’s LEED Platinum home, picked up a lot of accolades for its design and its use of sustainable materials and systems,” said Turturro.

It was featured in Dwell on Design magazine, Cambria Style magazine, and several local publications. It received international coverage in Great Britain, South America, and Russia. It was also featured on Real Green, a cable TV Series.

“This project was the feather in my hat. All my career span over 30 years, I have moved towards sustainable and green design and wanted a project like this that was high profile showcased green systems, materials and technologies and was educational as well. This project achieved all that and largely because of the dedication, diligence, creativity and sponsorship of of our boss Bryan Cranston,” he said.

Some of the sustainable features of the home included a flat roof which captured rainwater into several tanks with the capacity to hold over 600 gallons of water, which then could be used to water plants, rinse off decks, and any number of functions. The home has its own photovoltaics which allows it makes its own electricity and nets zero in term of electricity. Titanium was chosen for the exterior which is unusual in a residential application, but was the best option because titanium is almost impervious to the salt air and would last the longest.

“Durability is one of the key components to sustainable design,” said Turturro.

Turturro believes that within a decade houses like this will be the norm in terms of sustainability and encourages students.

“If you are interested in pursuing architecture and design make sure that your background is there and become LEED certified which looks great on a resume and is going to put you above the rest.”

He also highly recommends the Architecture and Interior Design program at COC. “It is a very strong program. From the Chancellor to the chairman everyone is dedicated to the success of students at COC.”

COC is now offering classes in green building and is currently in the process of trying to become an accredited testing center for LEED certification.