Poelstra Family Addition
By inserting a tall volume in between this 50's ranch house and its garage studio, the family gained a light-filled great room in which to gather, make meals, play music, and hang out. High clerestory windows allow light to filter over the whole space but are shaded in the hottest months to keep out excess solar gain. The upper windows are also operable, and the family makes use of this for passive cooling in the shoulder months. Through the use of high R value insulation, proper orientation and shading, passive air exchange and active solar panels, as well as high efficiency fans and lighting, energy costs are kept to a minimum. Brick from the the demolition of the south wall of the house was re-cycled to build a hearth platform and to pave the west entry porch.
