Roger Rasbach

Acclaimed for his classic contemporary home designs, renowned architectural designer Roger D. Rasbach's career spanned more than 50 years. The last 30 years were committed to developing technology for affordable, environmentally friendly houses. His architectural designs have been built around the country, but have been particularly valued in Texas for their timeless designs and energy-saving principles.

Rasbach's design utilizing passive solar principles was selected and constructed by the Los Angeles Home Builders Exposition in 1950 at the Pan Pacific Auditorium. Another early project was selected by House Beautiful magazine for publication in their January 1951 issue.

Rasbach's pioneering work in energy-saving design for passive solar homes continued when he was commissioned by House Beautiful magazine to design a Climate Control Home, which set the principals for passive solar for architectural design Texas and the southwest. Ultimately he designed three of their twelve climate control homes; others included designs by Frank Lloyd Wright, Alfred Browning Parker of Florida and Cliff May of Southern California. This led to numerous articles on his homes in such magazines as House & Garden, Southern Accents, and Architectural Digest.

It became obvious to Rasbach that the then-prevalent fashion of flat-roofed, glass-box architecture needed to be replaced by design that recognized the need for efficient and economic function dictated by the particular region in which a home was being constructed. I found contemporary architectural design principles resulted in a home becoming no less than a down payment to its future upkeep, Rasbach said. The prevalent design principles penalize a homeowner every month they pay their electrical bill with payments double or triple what they need to be.

In 1970, Rasbach designed a technologically advanced home for the National Association of Home Builders convention held in Houston. The home, which achieved international attention, featured passive solar methods, initiated the use of structural insulated panels, and pioneered the use of computer-programmed construction strategies.

In 1975, a home he designed and built in The Woodlands, Texas, utilized passive solar and energy-saving modalities. At that time there was an awakening national concern about energy problems. This home embodied planning principles that he had developed and detailed in his book, The Provident Planner. It was featured in House Beautiful, with an introduction written by then-President Jimmy Carter.

Throughout his career, Rasbach's design services have been in demand by affluent homeowners around the world, including industrial giant Henry Kaiser. However, Rasbach's commitment has always been to the average American family and a restoration of the American dream of home ownership.

For 30 years he undertook an intense and unrelenting search into how to further develop his visionary concepts in a cost-effective manner and to eliminate the complicated and wasteful methods of home building. The result was Rasbach's design of what he called "The Provident Home. "He formed a team of national experts representing virtually every field of home design, engineering and construction. His 21st Century Provident Homes are designed with a super energy-efficient thermal shell of structural insulated panels, eliminating the need for traditional insulation. Steel framing makes the homes impervious to termite or fire damage. Each house is designed to facilitate solar voltaic cells with zero energy use as the goal. One 2,100 square-foot house he designed in San Antonio boasted an annual electric bill of just $580.

Fred Peccini, President,  Peccini Architecture

Fred earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Master of Construction Science and Management degree from Clemson University in South Carolina.  Over a twenty-year career and since founding his firm in 2000, Fred has been providing a full range of architectural services from initial concept to project closeout. Fred has designed many homes in the coastal zone of South Carolina, including a number on Dewees Island and in the I'On community in Mount Pleasant, S.C. He is known and respected for bringing practical solutions to design challenges, for his understanding of coastal building considerations and his use of state-of-the art materials and processes.  Fred is an outstanding partner in developing residential projects that are efficient, healthful, and enduring.