Passive Solar Greenhouse: A Stunning Country Home Makeover
2 days ago
4 min read
The house, a 1929 saltbox-style Colonial in Westchester, New York, grew over decades with new additions. Its floor plan became a maze of separate, closed-off rooms. Archi-Tectonics undertook a full renovation and partial rebuild to open the space into connected areas filled with light.
Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet
The goal was to encourage interaction, transparency, and a stronger connection to the landscape. At the heart of the house stands a double-height greenhouse, created from what were once small, boxed-in rooms. This space is now the main hub of the home. The renovation reflects Archi-Tectonics' belief that architecture and nature are connected and that this connection supports the well-being of both the people living there and the site.
Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet
The greenhouse includes a living and dining area with a fireplace, an open kitchen, and upstairs, a gallery overlooking the garden. It serves as the house's main center, not just another room off a hallway.
Wide glass sliding doors, operable windows, and an automated shading system manage airflow and temperature year-round. These features also open the greenhouse onto a large deck, making the transition between indoors and outdoors seamless.
This project is especially valuable in winter. The greenhouse is especially valuable in winter. Passive solar gain combines with high-efficiency heat pumps, hydronic floor heating, new insulated windows, and top-level insulation throughout the house. The result is a more efficient home, not a showier one, but a smarter one.
Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet
Surrounding the glass center are quieter rooms like a music room, media room, sunroom, and home office. Upstairs, there are seven bedrooms and bathrooms, a studio annex, and an attic playroom tucked under the roof.
Four new staircases connect the different parts of the house. One stands out: a freeform wood staircase rising from the entrance foyer to the bedroom level, lit from behind by a two-story glass wall framing views of the nearby park.
The main design approach uses openings and voids throughout the building to unite many living spaces while keeping things open, dynamic, and interesting. Separate rooms sit next to connected, open areas. Sightlines are angled rather than straight. The stairs focus movement and energy where it is most needed.
Roof shapes hidden in the original building for almost a century are now used, including cathedral ceilings, dormers, and skylights. Each upstairs room has its own unique shape.
Daylight reaches deep into the house. It does more than light the rooms; it highlights the grain of the large, recycled PSL (parallel strand lumber) beams in the greenhouse and adds a sense of substance to the new spaces. The texture of the materials is easy to feel. Each bedroom and bathroom features its own materials and details, helping the house keep the rustic, slightly unpredictable character that old country homes develop naturally over time.
Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet
At its core, the project shows a house can have both the energy and innovation of city life and the natural, simple feel of the countryside. Archi-Tectonics combines these qualities into a new kind of home where smart, efficient systems work quietly in the background. This gives the family a house that is sustainable, genuine, and relaxed.
The beams still have a faint scent from the mill. Just below them, the garden is always only a few steps and a pane of glass away.
Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet Passive Solar Greenhouse. Photography by Federica Carlet
