Mark Albrecht is a designer and furniture maker in NYC.  He requested a house to showcase and live with his built pieces.  With his fondness of Donald Judd’s work in Marfa, TX, we designed this upstate house as a true collaboration.  The owners were specific about sustainable strategies for building their dwelling.

A geothermal heating and cooling system were installed with radiant floors and a heat ventilation recovery system.  Large glass walls oriented to views are thermally offset by the use of heavily insulated SIP (structural insulated panel) walls and roof structure.  The south glazed wall allows the mass floor to gain heat during the day and radiate at night while shades and a galvalume roof reflect heat during summer months.  A whitewashed interior and raw materials form the canvas for Mark’s chairs, table, and oak sofa which boasts an olive oil finishing process.

New Paltz, NewYork

This house is sited along an existing runway of a private airport.  Clad in galvalume metal, this container with a view is oriented towards the Shawangunk Ridge to the North West and the Taconic Ridge to the South East.  The linear house is skewed from the runway to allow the overhang to act as a gnomon to the exterior wall.

Ample decks serve as outdoor spaces for the living room, north deck and master bedroom, south deck. Two custom fireplaces anchor the spaces in both rooms and provide a counterpoint to the impressive views.

The porte corchère is reminiscent of an airplane wing and serves as overhang for both formal and utility entrances. The wing is also trimmed with a flume to direct rainwater into a dry well at grade. An internal sun visor serves as a passive solar overhang for the master bedroom. This house was constructed with energy-efficient building practices and has proven to perform well in its environment.

New Paltz, New York

This house embodies energy efficiency in a compact, spatially dynamic plan. The south facade expresses its strong relationship to the elements with a large flume allowing the full roof rain water to flow into cisterns. The overhang serves as a passive solar device, shielding direct sunlight in the summer and allowing sunlight deep into the interior of the living/dining/kitchen spaces in winter. The transparent south wall takes in daylight and natural ventilation appropriate to the seasons. Windows on the remaining facades are placed according to daylight and ventilation needs of their respective spaces. A large sky monitor brings in south light to the second floor studio. It also contains the highest operable windows for full natural ventilation of the house.

All wood was purchased from sustainable sources and surfaces are a variety of wood products. Custom kitchen cabinets are made with Finland birch plywood with exposed edges. Three exterior doors are custom as well incorporating a variety of wood products. The floors are composed of Finland birch plywood and medium density fiberboard cut to a modular size and fitted with tongue & groove edges. The architect/builder collaborated with Randy Hornman of Stylo furniture & design to design/build all cabinets, exterior doors, floors and interior trim. The furniture designed for the house was also built by Stylo furniture & design which is available at their web site.

New Paltz, New York

Adjacent to a private airport, this renovated dwelling shares a similar aesthetic to its neighbor, the Flanagan residence. The new entrance canopy, clad in metal, reorients the entrance to a more functional location. The canopy frames a new approach to the house while the scupper spills rain water to a cistern below. Interior rooms were opened and ceilings lifted within the existing shell, opening the plan to dramatic effect. Renovated spaces take in the view of the Shawangunk Ridge as ample daylight fills the house. The exterior board & batten wood siding is retained and painted a dark color in contrast to the metal and exposed concrete elements.

Gorongosa National Park - Mozambique, Africa

E.O. Wilson’s educational mission and his participation in Gorongosa National Park’s rehabilitation are what inspired the program and location of this project. A LIVE:WORK house is proposed, comprised of a residence for the visiting researcher, a workshop/lab to support field research, and a roof terrace for educational and research activity. The three-tiered building hovers above its ground plane to secure the spaces from wild life. Each tier relates distinctly to landscape and climate. The lower level residence is most private while each ascending tier is more open and public. The building is sited adjacent to the existing camp grounds and is small as to not add stress to the delicate environment. The building’s semi-public functions are intended to be used by the research community throughout the seasons.

E. O. Wilson (born June 10, 1929) is an American biologist, researcher, theorist, naturalist, and author. His biological specialty is myrmecology, the study of ants, on which he is considered to be the world’s leading authority.  Wilson is known for his scientific career, his role as “the father of sociobiology” and his environmental advocacy. In his long career, E.O. Wilson has transformed his field of research, the behavior of ants, and applied his scientific perspective and experience to illuminate the human circumstance, including human origins, human nature, and human interactions. Wilson has also been a pioneer in spearheading efforts to preserve and protect the biodiversity of this planet.  Wilson is Professor Emeritus and Honorary Curator in Entomology at Harvard University, USA.  He is currently promoting the restoration of Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, Africa.  

Evolutionary biology is fast becoming an eminent field of study. Its fundamental concept of “Emergent Systems” can be seen in a wide variety of subject matter and serves as a model for sustainable systems. This concept has shaped the house for which this biologist might live and work.

Scranton, Pennsylvania

Lackawanna 500 block is one of the last main avenues in Scranton, PA to get a makeover. This collection of historic brick and wood framed buildings is being renovated to provide commercial and restaurant space at street level and residential apartments at upper levels. A courtyard between existing structures provides connections to front and back of row buildings, as well as a vertical connection to an adjacent park.

This project is a collaboration between domus studios and hemmler/camayd architect in Scranton, PA

Narrowsburg, New York 

Client: Sullivan County, New York 

Domus Studios, Studio d’Arc, and Atelier Big City collaborated to design a new dual-purpose Visitor Center adjacent to the Fort Delaware Interpretive site—an authentic depiction of the life of the Delaware pioneers who settled in the Upper Delaware Valley in 1754. The Visitor Center is built into the landscape—symbolically tying it to the Upper Delaware region as a complementary structure with the Fort Delaware buildings. The Visitor Center’s primary visual connection to the highway will be its sign, playfully deployed just to the east of its gently rising green roof. The accessible roof of the building will set up a vantage point looking towards the Delaware River and landscape. 

The Visitor Center organizes the program for optimized flexibility. The major spaces—Exhibition, Gift Shop and Meeting Room—open onto each other permitting a variety of use configurations. A system of shutters can reorganize these spaces to accommodate the dual-use program. Daylighting is incorporated in all major spaces, offices and restrooms. 

The Visitor Center is to be constructed from a palette of tough, low maintenance materials that are native or locally sourced in the region and built using local trades. A site-cast concrete wall and polished concrete radiant slab recall the spirit of regionally developed Rosendale cement. Locally harvested Hemlock timbers are integrated on the building’s interior matching the wood species used on the Fort buildings. Locally quarried bluestone is set into the landscape berm to create a seating/viewing area that functions as an outdoor learning environment looking toward the Fort. The green roof is composed of sedum plantings and recycled rubber pavers allowing the public to access the roof as a viewing platform of the surrounding landscape and to understand some of the building’s sustainable practices.

Sullivan County, New York

The Upper Delaware River along New York’s border with northeast Pennsylvania courses past Sullivan County’s six river towns. The river is dotted with vibrant hamlets and towns of year-round and seasonal residents who value the unique resources of the river. Additionally, the River is a weekend haven for tourists and outdoor enthusiasts, particularly rafters and fishermen from the Northeast. EP&D and domus studios ARCHITECTURE were retained by the County of Sullivan, New York to develop a master site plan for a series of points along a 70-mile section of the river. 

The six site designs are more than just a collection of programmed spaces. The individual site designs allow for a unique assemblage of outdoor spaces and experiences along the Delaware River. The articulation of each access celebrates local identity and culture and reinforces the overall vision for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreation Area. 

Further, the site’s ecological systems and processes are balanced with the needs and requirements for human activity and experience. The uses and activities are grounded in realistic economic and operational assumptions. The individual accesses will become meaningful, memorable, and lasting components of the overall river corridor. Signage designs and standards, ballpark cost estimates, and considerations for ADA access are included for each site to allow local governments and organizations to plan for future improvements. 

The first built dwelling is thought to be made of wood. Wood has long been a traditional material to build with since it’s locally available, strong, and light-weight compared with stone. It is abundant in many varieties and can be replenished which makes its use sustainable.

This Wood House makes use of this prominent material with a variety of building techniques. One of which is borrowed from the cooper industry of making barrels. Wood is used as the primary supporting structure assuming a geometry requisite of a functioning house’s spatial needs. The primary structure supports both a “barreled” second floor and a roof shaped as a canted hyperbolic parabola. Additionally the primary structure stabilizes the exterior wall system composed of insulated panes and glass walls. 

The program is typical of a two-bedroom dwelling for Upstate New York. The south wall is shielded by a passive solar overhang and directs sunlight to both ground and second floor spaces. The shape and pitch of the roof allows rain water to drain towards two cisterns located on the south west and north east corners. Roof overhangs stretch out to cover the north entrance and provide shielding from summer daylight. Operable windows are configured to accommodate natural ventilation to all spaces of the house and can be adjusted to balance the various seasons’ fresh air intake.

The base of this house is exposed concrete with plinths for the primary wood structure. The staved vessel walls and floors of the 2nd floor spaces are composed of wood slats & staves and bounded by steel straps. The ends of these “barrels” are braced with plywood ends shaped with openings to accommodate interior connections. This borrowed technique from cooperage allows the construction of secondary wood system to be suspended in space by the primary structure. The effect is of a fluid, dynamic space for the master bedroom and its accompanying bathroom and dressing suite. It also serves as counterpoint to the unique wood frame as seen from the ground floor.

Rutgers University - New Brunswick, New Jersey

The renovation of the Pharmacy & Biology Building rectifies three lecture halls’ lack of current technological services. Built in the early 1970s, the spaces have outgrown their use; a renovation was needed to reinvigorate the halls and their connecting lobby. Two main lecture halls are fitted with updated media technology which is integrated into the new prosceniums. Similar renovations are made to the seminar room at the lower level. The renovation of the lobby which connects these spaces provides a new experience for the students, faculty and research teams using the spaces. The aesthetic of all the spaces claim the same sensibility, a consequence of sharing materials and motifs among all three halls and the lobby as part of the redesign. The result is a unified and harmonious environment.

Rutgers University - New Brunswick, New Jersey

The Van Dyck Lecture Hall was an outdated 250 seat tiered theater being used for lectures. It had an old media room with no current technology and no proscenium. It also had plaster walls and an elaborate cornice worthy of restoring. A large proscenium scaled to the hall is fabricated with cherry veneered plywood panels. The cherry proscenium conceals a motorized projection screen and lights for a broad chalk board. It also houses wifi, sound systems, communication outlets, a clock, and other receptacles to bring this impressive lecture hall up to date. The plaster is duly restored and sound absorptive fabric panels are installed on the side and back walls appropriate to the hall's acoustic needs. The lighting is delicately hung from the plaster ceiling providing a variety of lighting for the various situations the hall requires.

Rutgers University - New Brunswick, New Jersey

Three buildings are grafted onto this existing School of Music to re-establish circulation and integration of the existing campus buildings. The typical atrium serves a new role as an energy efficient light source and rain water collection system. The uppermost roof layer contains Solar Photovoltaic panels to offset electrical use and shield direct sun light into the atrium while allowing daylight to penetrate the existing dance studios. Fins and louvers fine tune the diffused light into the space. The next roof layer is composed of tempered laminated glass which takes the shape of a shallow hyperbolic parabola, the geometry of which diverts rain water thru two opposite conducting pipes flanking the atrium. The Atrium’s facade with it’s slender columns serve as a counterpoint to existing Marryott Hall’s Portico and reorients the axial relationship of the new green. 

The East facade wears vertical bent fins of perforated metal modulating and diffusing the daylight into the recital hall lobby and music rehearsal spaces. A light pedestrian bridge connects Marryott Hall to the new Music Center while acting as a portal to the newly defined green.

The images shown are examples of details from various projects. The examples emphasize the studio’s attitude towards materials and how they join or interact with each other. Wood, metal, steel, glass, and concrete make up the palette used for residential projects while institutional/commercial projects use a similar palette with the addition of masonry(brick), ceiling systems, and linoleum and modular flooring. The studio also experiments with materials when appropriate, such as cardboard tubes, homasote, fiberboards, and other unique materials.

The studio makes use of sketches, drawings, and physical models in conjunction with computer renderings and cad drawings. Richard Librizzi strongly feels the use of sketches is critical for the design process. While 3-d renderings and models are useful to communicate the work to clients, the drawings and sketches allow the architect to think about forms and spatial relationships as the project develops. Examples of sketches, drawings and models are shown here. The various images show differing phases of the project and serve as a record of the process. 

In addition to drawings, models, and computer renderings, domus uses solar envelopes, as visible below on the left. The solar envelope serves as a planning tool to assist the architect in determining how sunlight and shade affect the structure. These images are generated from computer models which analyze the ray traces during nine key times throughout the year: morning, noon, and late afternoon on winter solstice,  summer solstice, and the fall and spring equinoxes.

Domus Studios in collaboration with Randolph Hornman of Stylo Furniture & Design has designed and built various pieces of furniture. Tables, credenzas, and custom work are all made with bamboo, Finland birch, and sustainable hardwood products. This furniture is designed with the same sensibilities as the studio's architecture. Particular attention is paid to folding methods and layout of material cutout patterns to minimize waste. This approach yields a variety of intriguing and beautiful connections that give this furniture its aesthetic. More furniture can be seen and purchased at Stylo Furniture & Design.