Stones and Solar Orientation
Stones, earth, sun, seasons. Ultimately, as they told us in art and architectural history class, all of architecture can be traced back to the primitive hut. And what direction would it make sense to orient a primitive hut? To the south, to capture the warm sunlight on cold fall and winter days. This was solar […]
Pretty Good Home Site
So here it is. Here is where we intend to build a home. As David wrote somewhere on Green Building Advisor (or at Wolfe Island Passive House), the goal here isn’t “payback” as is so often mentioned in reference to “green building” metrics. Having been blessed with the good fortune of having the opportunity to […]
Land Development and Trees
As a self-proclaimed treehugger, it is certainly with some trepidation that I reach my arms around trees in order to tag them for removal. But what I have learned from my partner, the Landscape Architect Erin Muir, is that, if undertaken with care and integrity, the removal of some plants can be justified in order […]
CLT and Double Stud and PERSIST, oh my!
Those who have been around me any time during the last few months will know that one of the main topics on my mind has been the appropriate wall system for the No-name Passive House (working title: Mullet Hall). We began this quest looking primarily at Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Block. As I explained in […]
Design in 3d
One of the benefits of working in 3d is that a design that is merely in formation in plan can be examined from all angles – literally. This is mostly and advantage, but it can also be detrimental to the process for two well-documented reasons. First of all, a half-baked design idea can look pretty […]
Yet-to-be-named Passive House
We have begun schematic design work on a yet-to-be-named Passive House in the Hudson Valley. The many homes that we have drawn inspiration from, including the Wolfe Island Passive House, all seem to have creative names. So far, this house has no name, but we have been diligently working on both the landscape design and […]
Newburgh Renovation Turns Historic Rowhouse into Artists’ Haven
Turning a long-neglected Federal Style two-family home into a modern, light-filled home was the final result of this intricate and hands-on historic renovation. A basement level apartment was cleaned out, dried out, and modernized, creating a home for a student or single professional while providing extra income to the homeowners. The upper floors were opened […]
109 1st in Newburgh Nearing Completion
Renovating an existing building is often quite challenging, and the project at 109 1st St. in Newburgh (currently listed for sale) was no exception. While we encountered some surprises during design and construction, the project is finally nearing completion. This project took a quaint, yet neglected Federal Style home and completely renovated both the main […]
Views of the Hudson Highlands from Newburgh
This new project is a renovation of a 19th century brick building is presenting the opportunity for magnificently framed views of the Hudson Highlands from Newburgh. One can imagine a new, urban, Hudson River School blossoming again from these fertile shores and magnificently situated rooms. Exciting things are happening: The Newburgh Illuminated Festival aims to […]
Narragansett Pool House, Pool, and Landscape Nearing Completion
The modern, neoclassically inspired, collaboratively designed poolhouse, pool, deck, and pool landscape for residence in Narragansett, RI is nearing completion.
