Project Name: 1301 New York Street House
Architectural Group: Studio 804
Principal Architect/Designer: Studio 804
Project Location: 1301 New York Street, Lawrence, KS, United States 66044
Project Year (Duration): 2015
Built-up Area: 2000 sq. ft.
Project Type: Residential
Engineer: Norton & Schmidt
Project Team: Alex Wolfrum, Andrew Forney, Connor Rollins, Dustin Adler, Jake Banton, Karsten Erdman, Khanh Le, Kim McKeever, Maria Guerrero, Mariam Al-taweel, Melody Refaat Benyamen, Nick Stinebrook, Patrick Reuter, Pia Westen, Sam Florance, Zac Dawson
Image Courtesy: COURTESY OF STUDIO 804
Vacant lots near downtown are expensive but this site was more affordable because it is surrounded by marginal properties.
It also had once been a gas station and the old gas tanks were still in the ground and required removal. This triggered a string of EPA requirements to develop and sell the property. It fit studio 804’s mission to develop a brownfield site.
The house is LEED Platinum certified and Passive House Institute US certified. It is a modern three bedroom, two and a half bath 2,000 sf dwelling that features an air tight, highly insulated thermal envelope, efficient light fixtures and appliances as well as a high-performance mechanical system that incorporates an energy recovery ventilator as well as mini splits. These passive house design characteristics in combination with a 6kw photovoltaic array on the roof will assure the owner little or no energy costs over a calendar year.
The unassuming gable form runs the length of the narrow corner lot and opens away from the traffic of 13th street while promoting passive solar gain and daylighting through large high-performance German manufactured triple paned windows along its south elevation. The standing seam roof, the half round gutters and the minimal trim detailing at the openings are all done to emphasize the visually rich texture of the Alaskan yellow cedar shingles siding and to maximize the impact of the universal building form and its minimal composition.
The plan consists of a large, open living area that is anchored by a sleek kitchen designed for serious cooking as well as entertainment. The ceiling extends all the way to the peak of the gable and the 18” deep walls open to a bioswale that runs the length of the south side of the house to capture storm water and supports a variety of native plants.
The rest of house is composed of smaller bedrooms and flexible use spaces as well as the upstairs master bedroom suite that includes a balcony-like office with a view into the living area. With the walls being so thick they were not required to add exterior louvers to control the sun, the walls themselves work as adequate shade during the summer days and the unencumbered windows work better for winter solar gain.
This house is an example of the way housing can be done more responsibly in the future. It uses minimal or no energy to operate, requires minimal resources to maintain, uses materials that required minimal resources to harvest and it offers the owner the opportunity to use alternative modes of transportation and to be part of a long-standing neighborhood and its amenities.
Additional Sustainable Features:
• The building is insulated to nearly three times the code minimum
• All the materials, paints, flooring, sealants and adhesives used inside the addition emit low or no volatile organic compounds
• The house uses high-efficiency light fixture, mechanical systems and plumbing fixture to minimize the use of resources
• High-performance German manufactured triple paned windows are used to meet the passive house standards
• A brush on air/moisture/vapor barrier is used to achieve the envelope performance required for passive house certification
• Promotes carbon sequestration by using sustainably harvested wood for both the structure and the finishes throughout
Visit website for more details: Studio 804
