For a new residential project in upstate New York, Leroy Street Studio Architecture
is designing a home with a net zero carbon footprint.
The building is a unique combination of prefabricated and
site built- components. The repetitive
steel moment-frames and high-performance structured insulating panels are prefabricated
to minimize erection time. The interior
partitions and finishes are site-built to take advantage of the skill set of
local labor force. The resulting cost
savings allowed us to realize a unique space for our client: a
‘three-season space’ created by a skin of industrial polycarbonate panels that wrap
the entire building. This space shelters
outdoor dance workshops and other large scale events throughout most of the
year and can be opened to create a giant covered porch.
The house draws energy from a combination of photovoltaic
cells and geothermal heating and cooling technologies. Together with a tightly
detailed envelope, these technologies will allow the client to achieve net zero
energy costs in a given year. Other
sustainable design elements include a grey water recycling system and a double
skin on the house’s southern face that takes advantage of solar heating and
solar shade.