Sustainable House
© Scott Frances

Sustainable House

Louise Braverman Architect as Architect

This is a house that both grows out of the landscape and is open to the landscape. Its transparency creates a sense of spaciousness and connection to the land, providing soothing, varied, long views of nature from all public and private rooms. Although we have not always used the formal term “sustainability”, our firm’s approach from its inception has been to design projects with an economy of means. This translates into building buildings that conserve energy. As early as 2000, we built this forward-thinking, high-performance house in which we successfully installed systems such as radiant heat, multi-zoned air conditioning, low-energy glazing and low VOC plaster interior finishes that are at the core of today’s green LEED thinking. 


This house is inextricably tied to the landscape, emerging from the ledge upon which it is built. Constructed on a wooded lot, it straddles the northernmost part of the site like a line in the earth, delineating the spare cultivated land to the north from the heavily wooded forest to the south.  In order to merge with the land, the first floor was partially buried below grade creating a lower profile for the entire structure, while simultaneously conserving energy from the natural insulation of the earth.  Pyramids of boulders blasted to create the foundation were situated to create space-defining markers in the terrain and establishing a memory bank of the displacement of the earth beneath the house. 

Products Behind Projects
Product Spotlight
News
Shigeru Ban’s Paper Log House at Philip Johnson’s Glass House
18 Apr 2024 News
Shigeru Ban’s Paper Log House at Philip Johnson’s Glass House

In New Canaan, Connecticut, Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House has opened as part of the 75th annivers... More

10 commercial buildings that benefit from planted facades
18 Apr 2024 Specification
10 commercial buildings that benefit from planted facades

The integration of nature into architecture marks a proactive urban response to the climate emergenc... More

Hudson Valley Residence by HGX Design draws inspiration from local agricultural vernacular
17 Apr 2024 News
Hudson Valley Residence by HGX Design draws inspiration from local agricultural vernacular

New York City-based creative studio HGX Design has completed the Hudson Valley Residence, a modern,... More

Key projects by Perkins&Will
17 Apr 2024 News
Key projects by Perkins&Will

Perkins&Will, a global interdisciplinary design practice, places architecture at its core. With... More

Archello Awards 2024 – Early Bird submissions ending April 30th
16 Apr 2024 News
Archello Awards 2024 – Early Bird submissions ending April 30th

The Archello Awards is an exhilarating and affordable global awards program celebrating the best arc... More

Albion Stone creates stone bricks from “unloved” stone
15 Apr 2024 Innovations
Albion Stone creates stone bricks from “unloved” stone

A stone brick is a sustainable building material made using stone blocks and slabs that do not meet... More

25 best engineered wood flooring manufacturers
15 Apr 2024 Specification
25 best engineered wood flooring manufacturers

Engineered wood flooring is a versatile building product that offers several advantages over traditi... More

Austin Maynard Architects designs a “pretty” wellness-enhancing home in Melbourne
12 Apr 2024 News
Austin Maynard Architects designs a “pretty” wellness-enhancing home in Melbourne

Australian architectural studio Austin Maynard Architects recently completed a new two-story house i... More