Andrews Residence

This 2,263 sq. ft. four bedroom, two bath, passive-solar house was designed for a couple and their three kids to be “the opposite of shock and awe.”  The clients wanted their house to branch out to their surroundings, balancing their desire for sustainability with a simple yet graceful aesthetic.  The vaulted kitchen, living, and dining rooms are part of an open landscape that spills outdoors to the wrap-around deck, and inside to the entry, open stairwell, and upper landing.  The heart of the house is an in-between space found at the intermediate landing of the stairs.  Clerestory windows provide daylight deep within the house, and promote a system of natural ventilation.  The main floor consists of approximately 1,600 sq. ft. of thermal mass, a concrete radiant slab that’s heated by a geothermal heat pump; the color is a warm earth-tone that compliments the maple cabinetry in the kitchen and hard wood floors upstairs.  Two solar panels provide most of the domestic hot water needs of the household.  A heat recovery ventilator in the basement provides for fresh, healthy indoor air within the super-insulated house.