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The Row House Next Door: In Astoria, Queens, a Couple Realizes the Sustainable Home of Their Dreams

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Eco-FriendlyIssue 34 — The Eco House

The Row House Next Door: In Astoria, Queens, a Couple Realizes the Sustainable Home of Their Dreams

August 19, 2024

In the shadow of the Hell’s Gate Bridge in Astoria sits a row of unassuming brick-fronted 1920s row houses that can only be described as old-school Queens. On one end, closest to the bridge, is a semi-detached home that, while handsome, blends in with its modest neighbors. Inside, though, is a different story: Light, bright, modern, and minimalist, the home is a model of high-tech energy efficiency and considered design.

The owners, a lawyer and a real estate broker, were searching for a forever home for their family of four (they have two young kids) when they realized what they were looking for was right next door. “It turned out that the ideal property for the renovation was the other half of the semi-detached house where they were already living!” explains architect Todd Rouhe of IdS/R Architecture. He and his partner, Maria Ibañez de Sendadiano, were enlisted to redesign the house and usher it into the 21st century. In addition to reimagining the layout to better accommodate their clients’ daily lives, they sealed up the house to prevent energy loss, introduced high-efficiency heat pumps for cooling and heating, added energy recovery ventilators to supply filtered fresh air, and installed rooftop solar panels—all of which the architects had experience with when designing their own low-impact home (see our story on their passive house here).

“During the schematic design phase of the renovation, it became clear that a passive house style was one of the best ways to meet their long-term goals for comfort, low maintenance, and energy efficiency,” says Todd. “The inclusion of solar panels, a rear garden, and other amenities were all integral parts of this vision.”

Below, Todd and Maria give us a tour of their project.

Photography by Naho Kubota, courtesy of IdS/R Architecture, unless otherwise noted.

&#8\2\20;it was important for family to be able to cook and eat together,&a 17
Above: “It was important for family to be able to cook and eat together,” says Maria of the newly designed kitchen. The island is “Calacatta Venato” marble sourced from SMC Stone. “Although the island is large, we were able to get all the pieces we needed from two slabs.” The custom cabinets are by Robert Kalka Custom Woodworking. The light over the island is the Nova Up and Down by PureEdge.
the kitchen is situated at the rear of the parlor floor, with views of the back 18
Above: The kitchen is situated at the rear of the parlor floor, with views of the back garden and bridge. A low bench lines the back wall.
a modern window seat with a view of the hell&#8\2\17;s gate bridge. the w 19
Above: A modern window seat with a view of the Hell’s Gate Bridge. The picture window here, like all the windows in the house, is new, double-glazed, and from Marvin.
laura gottwald led the interior design for the project. she sourced the campari 20
Above: Laura Gottwald led the interior design for the project. She sourced the Campari Light, designed by Ingo Maurer and made from red plastic Campari bottles, from Hundred Mile in Hudson, NY. Textiles for the bench cushion and throw pillows are from Perennials Fabrics.
&#8\2\20;the metal railing is a custom design using perforated steel from m 21
Above: “The metal railing is a custom design using perforated steel from McNichols,” shares Maria. “We were inspired by old European kitchens where the marriage of stone and steel is quite natural.” The stairs here lead from the kitchen to the ground-floor family room.
at the other end of the parlor floor is the living room; the dining area is in 22
Above: At the other end of the parlor floor is the living room; the dining area is in between. The new flooring throughout is 3⁄4-inch thick solid rift sawn white oak. “It was chosen for its durability and medium tone,” says Maria. On the walls is Benjamin Moore White. “The client wanted the walls painted white for maximum reflection of natural light and to keep the interior crisp and clean,” says Todd.
the classic fried egg chair, by hans olsen, is from gestalt in hudson, ny. the 23
Above: The classic Fried Egg Chair, by Hans Olsen, is from Gestalt in Hudson, NY. The color-blocked chest of drawers is by USM. Photograph by Don Freeman, courtesy of IdS/R Architecture.
for the main bedroom on the second floor, interior designer laura gottwald mixe 24
Above: For the main bedroom on the second floor, interior designer Laura Gottwald mixed modern with antique. An Arne Jacobsen Sconce hovers over a wall-mounted nightstand, designed by her and fabricated by Robert Kalka Custom Woodworking. Photograph by Don Freeman, courtesy of IdS/R Architecture.
on the second floor are four bedrooms and two bathrooms. this one features ic w 25
Above: On the second floor are four bedrooms and two bathrooms. This one features IC Wall Lights by Flos and floor tiles from Nemo Tile & Stone.
the back garden, seen here from a bird&#8\2\17;s eye perspective, was overh 26
Above: The back garden, seen here from a bird’s-eye perspective, was overhauled to better respond to extreme weather, more common now thanks to climate change. Designed and built by Field Form, the backyard features an integrated drainage and dry well system (hidden under the gravel portion of the patio) to mitigate stormwater runoff and flooding, with the capacity to manage a 50-year storm. Photograph by Jake Salyers.
the street façade of the house was cleaned and restored. on the roof are 27
Above: The street façade of the house was cleaned and restored. On the roof are solar panels, undetectable from the street. “They are installed flat on the roof, raised off the surface of the roof by only about 6 inches. They are typically installed at an optimal angle for solar gain, making them often quite visible from the sidewalk and street. This horizontal installation is a good option for locations of a sensitive historical nature with flat roofs. Production has been very good, covering about half of energy consumption thus far,” says Maria.

For more on passive homes, see:

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