After a decade of renting, architect Alessandro Ronfini and Astrid Chastka, a set designer and art director, were eager to buy a property of their own. Staying in their Brooklyn neighborhood would mean another small apartment, so they began looking for land upstate. In 2018, they purchased 11 forested acres in Olivebridge, a hamlet that had everything they wanted: natural beauty and a creative community, and still less than two hours from the city, where their work is based.

Alessandro, a Passive House designer at his own firm, Demo Architects, went about creating “a version of a gable house that a child would draw,” he says. His take is monolithic, a prefab-panel structure cloaked in dark galvalume—steel coated in aluminum, zinc, and silicone that prevents oxidation. Its 1,490-square-foot plan has two wedges carved out of it: a smaller one on the north side for the entry and one on the south side, where a glass wall with triple-glazed windows accentuates a coveted view of a pond on the property.

For the couple, the structure’s strong form is symbolically protective of the airy three-bed, two-bath home. The entry, framed in timber to break up the monotony of the metal, gradually leads into a double-height living area with warm white walls, more timber elements, and a powder-blue kitchen. A loft that doubles as an office overlooks the open-plan space.

Before Alessandro and Astrid completed the home, Covid arrived and brought a host of logistical challenges. “Suddenly, everyone wanted to be upstate,” Astrid says, noting how hard it became to find available subcontractors. With little prior experience (but the help of family and friends), they finished much of the interiors themselves, installing kitchen cabinetry, countertops, and more.

“We wanted to tackle the dream and challenge of designing our own house and create a space that would get us close to nature.”
—Alessandro Ronfini, designer and resident

The home earned Passive House certification with a series of key elements. The triple-glazed glass wall maximizes solar heat gain during the winter, while the walls and roof are insulated with dense-pack cellulose (80 percent recycled materials), an alternative to fossil-fuel-heavy foam. An energy-recovery ventilator cycles in fresh air, and the relatively small amount of energy the home does use comes from a nearby solar farm.

The couple recently welcomed their first child and are now settling into the house, which they hope to make their full-time residence. Creating it, says Alessandro, was a leap of faith, but they stuck the landing: The Passive House Institute U.S. has since named the home Best Project by a Young Professional. Still, there’s a sweeter satisfaction. Says Astrid, “I’m always relieved when I think of how the beauty of our home balances out the work we put in.”

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Demo Architects / @demo_architects

Construction: Threshold Builders

Structural Engineering: Crawford Engineering

Civil Engineering: Medenbach & Eggers

Passive House Consulting: Owen O’Connor

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