Nestled on a hillside near California’s newest state park (Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook), Marrakesh House is one of the most environmentally friendly remodels Culver City has ever seen. Named for its Moroccan theme and home to documentary filmmaker Chris Paine (“Who Killed the Electric Car”) Marrakesh House was created as an event house for art, music and community.

“Bringing people together has always been important to me, especially living in a place like LA where everyone is so spread out,” says Paine. “We wanted to remodel this 1950s house into a place where a brighter future is already happening — solar energy, electric vehicles, organic gardens, music, art, people having fun together. I hope Marrakesh House inspires everyone who passes through its doors.”

Besides creating a new haven for film, environment and the arts in the center of Los Angeles, the 4,300-square-foot remodel goes to show that reusing, reducing and recycling materials can sometimes leave a much smaller carbon footprint than starting from scratch. Some examples: lumber and soil from the old house was reused, cement paving stones were repurposed rather than pouring fresh cement, and old kitchen cabinets were rebuilt as bathroom cabinets. In all, more than half of the construction debris (much of it 1950s-era construction) was diverted from landfill through reuse or recycling.

A more artistic example presents itself in the house’s old courtyard. Rather than replacing large water-stained, double-paned patio glass, California artist Shrine painted over the watermarks to create signature windows.

Careful material selection during the remodel process not only created a low-impact home, but it also made the house a healthier place to live. Only paint free of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from Pittsburgh Paints, formaldehyde-free insulation and drywall paper, formaldehyde-free cabinets and Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, where new lumber was needed, are used throughout the house. The veneer for the cabinets was also FSC-certified. Stone floors were chosen to last for hundreds of years until they decompose back to the earth. These decisions helped improve the home’s indoor air quality and reduce the total carbon footprint of the materials. New material included reclaimed barn wood (used for the gates and partitions and for the Shrine Tea house) and reused concrete from local construction sites (for retaining walls).

With Southern California’s desert topography in mind, Toto dual-flush toilets and low-flow faucets as well as a model that automatically shuts off were used throughout the house.

According to project manager Shellie Collier, the remodel was intended to minimally impact the environment. Asked about her guiding principles, Collier replied, “I’m very glad we spent time considering how to take advantage of what the house already had instead of tearing everything down. Sometimes the future is about simply remaking the present.”

One of the first things you notice when you arrive at the house is the sleek 6.66-kilowatt DC solar electric system on the roof. Thirty-six Mitsubishi Electric panels using 100 percent lead-free solder produce an estimated 11,000 kilowatt-hours of pollution-free electricity every year. The photovoltaic panels, installed by REC Solar, power the house and garage, including charging stations for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Any excess solar electricity the system produces feeds back to the grid. Inside the house, an educational kiosk teaches visitors about solar energy and displays real-time data about the solar electricity generated on the roof.

“We are excited to support a project that combines solar energy, energy efficiency and sustainable construction, and we are proud to know our modules are helping pave the way for electric transportation,” said Gina Heng, director of sales and marketing for Mitsubishi Electric’s photovoltaic division.

The solar system is complemented by energy-efficient features throughout the house. Low-energy lighting is used where possible, incorporating LEDs and CFL bulbs. Energy-efficient appliances and passive solar lighting (daytime natural lighting through large windows) also conserve energy while delivering a comfortable living environment.

On the south side of the roof, a two-panel solar thermal array uses the sun to heat enough water to heat water for 2.5 bathrooms. The water is stored in a 97 percent efficient stainless-steel water tank. On-demand flash water heaters supplement the thermal array with no convention water heating on the premises.

The project’s commitment to reuse/reduce/recycle continues beyond building materials selection. Landscapers worked to keep as many existing plants and trees as possible, while new plant selection criteria required that flora be either xeriscape friendly with minimal or no irrigation requirements, native to the climate or edible. New landscaping included buffalo grass to replace a front lawn, permeable decomposed granite instead of concrete for an outdoor catering area and citrus trees instead of ornamentals in the backyard.

On the north side of the house, Christy Wilhelmi at Los Angeles-based Gardenerd.com designed a Victory Garden. Plant boxes from non-treated wood and “Trex” recycled wood and plastic house three seasons of food crops. Edible fruit trees extend from the garden around the yard including mandarin, plum, apricot, avocado and lemon trees. High-efficiency nozzles and drip irrigation systems minimize water use across the grounds. Each of the six zones is timed specifically for the area to conserve water.

The property’s tall eucalyptus trees were pruned to reduce fire hazard with some branches being used to create fences around the property. Paine’s next-door neighbor, New York artist Kenny Scharf, brought cuttings from his giant flourishing cactus plants for the property’s western front. These new cacti will blend with Scarf’s cactus and expand the xeriscaping.

As a filmmaker and artist himself, Chris wanted to create a residence that would make music and the arts part of a living environment. Multiple performance areas were designed to reach guests in both indoor and outdoor spaces. For example, an acoustic performance in the living room or courtyard spaces can reach dozens of people through folding glass doors joining interior and exterior spaces. And advanced audio/visual equipment link rooms and exteriors to make films, presentations and even classes a multifaceted event.

Said Paine, “Our goal is to bring artists and musicians in from around the world to share their work in an intimate space. The nice thing about Marrakesh House is that we can host 100-200 people without trouble.” In two pilot events before the remodel, the venue hosted 400 people, with parking eased by a private road shared with the state park.

Of the many designers involved in the remodel, two are of particular note. Shrine, creator of the 2008 temple at Burning Man, created sacred space out of recycled objects. Shrine’s “Tea House” (due for completion in summer 2009) is slated to sit at the foot of the yard’s swimming pool adjoining the state park. And Los Angeles artist Charlotte Jackson, working with her painter and wood, transformed a small bedroom of the old house into the signature “Marrakesh Room.”

At the residence for the director of “Who Killed the Electric Car?” the home’s garage would be incomplete without solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations. Three chargers (inductive, conductive and adaptive) are ready for any plug-in vehicles that happen to visit the house, whether electric scooters or plug-in hybrid conversions. At the moment, they charge Chris’s 2002 Toyota Rav4-EV and his 2008 Tesla electric Roadster, both with cameos in his new film, “Revenge of the Electric Car.” Keenly interested in biking and public transportation, Paine likes that the house also sits within bike range of Culver City’s new light rail (due for completion by summer 2010) and across from Balona Creek’s biking corridor, which winds down to the Pacific Ocean.

Living up to its theme of “arts, environment and community,” the Marrakesh House should prove an excellent example of how thoughtful planning, materials selection and creative problem solving can turn a 20th century home into a more sustainable 21st century home.

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Jenean Smith is the marketing communications manager, Photovoltaics Division, at Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, in Cypress, Calif.: mitsubishielectricsolar.com.