Carroll Gardens Passive House

Set in the Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn, NY – Laura Mackall and Robert Manley tackled an energy efficient renovation of their five story, 1860’s brick row townhouse, designed to meet Passive House Institute efficiency standards.
 
To achieve their vision, they turned to Laura’s father, Louis Mackall, a Connecticut-based architect who trained at the Yale School of Architecture. He understood Passive House design, and their desire to honor the home’s history and original detail. The architecture and interiors evolved together as Mackall worked with Gowanus-based contractor Build with Prospect, led by Jeremy Shannon, AIA.
 
Passive House design is performance-based, focused not on any renewable or recycled materials used but on how efficiently the building breathes, heats, and cools – living entirely within itself. Mackall specified triple-glazed, Zola windows and doors throughout the home. Boasting industry-leading airtightness and thermal performance, couple with craftsmanship that is befitting of even the most detail-oriented and careful of historic restorations. Additional Passive House design elements include 8 inches of insulation on all the outside walls and an energy recovery ventilator. With an airtight building seal and exterior wall thickness of 21 inches, the structure receives all the heat it needs from the sun – they have yet to turn on the heat despite record-low temperatures in New York last winter.
 
One of the biggest challenges with the Passive construction was the exceptionally thick 21” perimeter walls, resulting in deep, or tunnel window casings. Mackall’s solution: a deep chamfer so that the window sets within a frame, then radiate out from the panes at a 45-degree angle. The resulting solution turned out to be one of the defining characteristics of the renovated home: flooding the space with natural light while improving its functionality and energy efficiency. Blending traditional and modern with energy efficiency, Mackall’s biggest design goal was to follow through with all the beginnings and endings so that everything was “of a piece”, as though carved out of one piece of marble.
 
The extensive interior design elements in the home reflect the couples’ passion for international art of the last 60 years, as well as Danish design and Moroccan textiles. Robert has his lifetime working life in the arts, working for 11 years at galleries in New York, and the following 15 years he was a specialist in the Post-War and Contemporary Art department at Christie’s Auction house, where he most recently held the title of Deputy Chairman. Laura is self-employed as a private art dealer and advisor and manages human resources for Andrea Rosen Gallery in New York, where she was previously the Senior Director.