![]() The house utilizes an air exchanger, a device that brings fresh air in from outside without loosing heat and circulates the air within the house to move warmer air down from the second floor. ![]() The fact that the house is so airtight along with the high overall insulatory value achieved from the insulated slab, SIPs panels, and windows make the house very energy efficient. Care was also taken during construction to make all of the joints between the SIPs panels and around window and door openings as airtight as possible. Fiberglass windows with an extremely high R-value were chosen for their green properties. The concrete slab was poured with a radiant heating system inside and the top of the slab was polished and left exposed as the flooring surface. The house is slab on grade, insulated from below. The entirety of this frame has then been wrapped in SIPs (structural insulated panels), both walls and the roof. The main structure of the house is a timber frame from an nineteenth century barn that has been restored and raised on this new site. Due to the extremely cold winter weather conditions in the Catskills, insulating the house was a primary concern. The goal of this project was to build a house that would be energy efficient using materials that were both economical and environmentally conscious. The resulting design is a sustainably balanced, visually pleasing home which reflects the lifestyle and needs of the clients. Sustainable elements include geothermal heating/cooling, rainwater harvesting, spray foam insulation, high efficiency glazing, recessing lower spaces into the hillside on the west side, and roof/overhang design to provide passive solar coverage of walls and windows. The home's program also hinged around using both passive and active green features. The owners' goals of creating a home with a contemporary flow and finish while providing a warm setting for daily life was accomplished through mixing warm natural finishes such as stained wood with gray tones in concrete and local limestone. Layering rooms with each other as well as circulation galleries, insures seclusion while allowing stunning downtown views.
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