Energy Star-Rated Green Woods House in Amagansett Was Passively Designed
When the owner of an existing house located in the woods in Amagansett approached Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects, he requested a modern family residence that was as energy-efficient and sustainable as possible. With this in mind, the architects created the Green Woods House, a passive solar design that opens up towards the south, keeping the north-facing façade well insulated and private from the road. Read on to find out how the Bridgehampton-based studio managed to make someone’s dream home a reality with a limited budget and sloppy terrain.
The classy 3,000-square-foot Green Woods House occupies a small footprint on a steep forest plot. Designed with integrated passive solar design principles, it maximizes the solar orientation facing towards the south, while keeping the opposite side heavily insulated and closed from the road with strategic openings used for cross-ventilation.
Although mounting an array of solar panels for free energy on the roof was at first the client’s wish, the architects decided that it wasn’t suitable due to the amount of shade on the roof from the nearby trees. But the portion of the roof that does receive adequate sunlight was used for installing solar hot water heaters, connected to an advanced mechanical system to provide radiant heating throughout the house.
The home’s passive orientation allows the low winter sun to filter through the enormous glass panes, heating up the interiors and the concrete floor. This acts as a thermal mass, slowly releasing the day’s warmth throughout the night. This combination of high-level insulation with the air quality running freely through the property is what gave this beauty an Energy Star rating.
The budget for building this home was possible to meet thanks to a collaboration with ASUL, a company that develops locally adaptable site-built processes in combination with a kit-of-parts assembly model that uses contemporary materials.
See more striking homes by Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects here.
Photos by Matthew Carbone
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