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Architects: Cutler Anderson Architects
- Area: 3000 ft²
- Year: 2016
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Photographs:David Sundberg / ESTO
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Manufacturers: Cardinal Lo-e, Reveal Designs, Stuv, Thermador
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Lead Architects: James Cutler, Meghan Griswold
Text description provided by the architects. Located on a 250-acre family farm in northeastern Pennsylvania, this 4 bedroom residence was designed to function for a large family. There was a strong desire to fit into the cultural context of Pennsylvania farming community, and the owners wanted to build a residence that was sustainable for the long term.
To that end, the architects attempted to design a building that from a distance appeared to be a typical Pennsylvania farmhouse ‘box’. The building was designed with large rolling screens that cut 80% of the solar gain, while still allowing good day lighting. Anecdotally, these have cut the summer interior temperatures by as much as 20 degrees F.
The heat source is a deep-well heat exchanger backed up with a wood-fired boiler that is fueled with ‘deadfall’ from the forest on the farm. The building itself is highly insulated and the south-facing high-performance glass reduces radiant heat loss while allowing a substantive solar gain in the ‘low sun’ winter months.
