Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
You are reading

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

Search

Start typing to search...

Search
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:

(Visited 10,779 times, 133 visits today)
You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.
Add to Collection
New Collection

Explore Deeper Into These Areas

Previous Post

A New Source (to Us) for Unlacquered Brass Fittings and Fixtures

August 19, 2024
Next Post

Art, Naturally: Lucie Timonier-Collie's Plant-Dyed Screenprinted Textile Hangings

August 20, 2024

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation

Related Stories

Read all recent posts

join us on The Row House Next Door In Astoria Queens a Couple Realizes the Sustainable Home of Their Dreams portrait 7 28

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No connected account.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to connect an account.

v5.0

×
Join the Remodelista Family of Websites

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Member benefits include:

  • Access to all posts published in the past year
  • Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
  • Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
  • Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
  • Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
  • Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

Or Subscribe for Maximum Value!

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Sorry! As a registered member you get 10 free posts from our archive (posts more than a year old) every 30 days. You have reached your limit for this 30-day period. If you would like to access unlimited posts from the archive (ad free, too), become a subscriber today, and keep reading as many articles as you want.

Full Access Individual Subscription

Benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home sites
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay just 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99


×
Sorry! You have reached your limit of three (3) free posts from our archive every 30 days. You can increase this to 10 posts by joining as a free Member, or read unlimited posts with no ads by becoming a paid Subscriber.

Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Weekly access to subscriber-only content
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Member benefits include:

  • Access to all posts published in the past year
  • Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
  • Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
  • Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
  • Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
  • Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

My Account

Your member profile is powered by memberstack