Located in Ancram, a small town in Columbia County, New York, how this black building is fully embedded in its surrounding greenery is both eye-catching and alluring.
The entire 1,800-square-foot project was jointly created by Barlis Wedlick and the houseowner Ian Hague. Transported by the owner from a nearby farm, the former 19th-century barn has been transformed into an sustainable and energy-saving passive house. Envisioned as a meeting place for friends and relatives, the ground floor inside the building acts as the living space for the owner's family. There the team integrates floor-to-ceiling windows to introduce natural light into the space, creating better lighting and natural ventilation.
The residence is home to New York's first natural swimming pool ans an indoor sauna swing, with bridges connecting different spaces in the building, as in the dining room and bedroom, to carve out a rich sense of hierarchy and layers.
The roof supports, made of Vermont wood, has a built-in photovoltaic array, which can supply power to multiple facilities in the house, and cooperate with the fuel cell to ensure the high energy standard of the house.
