Gallatin Passive House

The Gallatin Passive House was built in answer to the clients’ priorities of energy self-sufficiency and a best practices approach to sustainable new construction. NORTH RIVER restored and repurposed an existing 18th century Dutch barn for multi-use work, events and storage, and linked it internally to a new, two-level residence.

The 3,400 sf fully Net Zero and Passive House Certified house, built upon NORTH RIVER’s Flexhouse design model, incorporates full-span structural design to permit future modification of the internal plan over the life of the house with minimal cost. This attempt to insure the longest utility possible over changing family stages and cultural and economic conditions has proven to be an attractive addition to client’s understanding of sustainable design. The two sets of 24-foot lift-slide doors provide rich, textured light and easy access between high-function, open flow interior lower level spaces and the surrounding grounds. The upper level has four bedrooms and a flexible space for homework and play by day and guests by night, ending perched on the original barn for access to a semi-enclosed outdoor gathering/work space. The Gallatin Passive House also incorporates the Flexhouse simple extruded shapes as a signature feature, minimizing thermal bridging but with triple-glazed European windows and ample overhangs and porches in the energy model to provide close connection to the outside.

Time and cost efficiencies were not the least of NORTH RIVER’s ambitious goals for this project, which included a pool house, barn restoration, and new house and grounds, originally scheduled for an 8-month build window. With COVID interruptions, it extended to 10 months through substantial completion.