Brooklyn, NY
2021
This long, slender site ends in a bluff overlooking the Long Island Sound. The challenge was to fit a full-sized family house where there had been a fishing cottage. A guiding concept was the deferred view: as you approach the house from the road there is no indication of the breathtaking view beyond. As as you approach, the shape of the house changes — the clerestory set-back gable recedes, and views through the windows open up through the length of the house, providing a sense of porosity to a house that occupies the full width of the site.
The large clerestory window is formed by the split roof. Its dichroic glass directs light into the stairwell and primary bedroom that changes color and position as the sun moves across the sky.
These two motifs contribute a sense of lightness and the passage of the day.
The house efficiently provides 3 bedrooms, media room, and home office along with a large family space opening onto a deck.
The house was built to passive house principles with exceptional insulation, triple-pane passive house windows, and geothermal heating and cooling. The house does not use gas for heating or cooking.