A Cool Internet Zero Vitality Home on Mount Desert Island: Crow’s Nest

Portland-based Kaplan Thompson Architects has designed the Crow’s Nest, a internet zero power home positioned in Mount Desert Island, Maine. The house owners of this dwelling had visited the cliffs and coast of Bar Harbor for years with their household. When their youngsters left the nest, they needed a extra everlasting retreat for the place that had harbored so lots of their adventures.

Nestled on a three-acre forested website, this 2,355 sq. foot dwelling provided the proper refuge to host this multi-generational household as a seasonal retreat and ultimately their major residence. The house owners even have a residence in New Jersey with is a internet zero power dwelling, so their desired their new residence to satisfy comparable ranges of power effectivity.

DESIGN DETAILS: ARCHITECT Kaplan Thompson Architects INTERIOR DESIGN Spruce Shade and Design BUILDER Roscoe Builders STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Thornton Tomasetti LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Mike Mansolillo SOLAR CONSULTANT ReVision Vitality

The objective for the house’s efficiency, in addition to the expertise it created for customers, was to enrich the aesthetic course of the venture. The outside facade options low-maintenance, naturally weathered cedar shingles together with a steel roof. It was constructed to work with the area and the local weather.

Above: The primary residing space is clad in Douglas fir and options polished concrete flooring together with a wall of triple-glazed, tilt-turn Klearview home windows, which gives a visible reference to nature.

Crow’s Nest’s implied avian kind was not an intentional ode to the native species of Mount Desert Island, however a lucky results of a site-based method to design. Emphasis was positioned on capturing the property’s panoramic views of Cadillac Mountain whereas embracing the solar for daylighting and passive heating, and immersing inhabitants within the surrounding terrain.

The construction’s wings span alongside an east-west axis, maximizing the floor space oriented in direction of the breathtaking southerly views. The house’s most trafficked residing areas stream alongside this façade, having fun with direct and oblique connections to nature through expansive triple-glazed home windows and a number of factors of outside entry.

Atypically broad overhangs and a slatted trellis present crucial shading in the summertime months. A collection of circumambient porches, decks, and patios provide a gradual transition from the crisp, fir-clad interiors to the property’s extra rugged wilderness.

Set again from the primary kind, an unbiased in-law suite perches above an hooked up two-car storage and enjoys the identical unobstructed views as the remainder of the house. Approaching from beneath, the profile presents as a beacon, guiding guests to the highest of the intentionally winding drive.

There are a complete of three loos and 4 bedrooms together with a loft for additional sleeping area to accommodate company above one of many bedrooms. There’s additionally a 730-square-foot visitor suite that’s positioned above the hooked up two-car storage. This area gives an additional bed room together with a full lavatory and fabulous south-facing views.

What We Love: This dwelling boasts an easy, timeless aesthetic, each indoors and out. Massive home windows body magnificent views whereas the heat of the Douglas fir and the delicate materials palette gives a sense of rest and luxury. General, this dwelling gives an attractive multi-generational household retreat that’s not solely sustainable and sturdy however heat and alluring whereas seamlessly connecting to the good outdoor.

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Notice: Take a look at a few different fabulous dwelling excursions that we’ve showcased right here on One Kindesign within the state of Maine: Lovely coastal Maine dwelling envisioned for idyllic summer time getaways and Cabin retreat designed with a country camp really feel in coastal Maine.

The house achieves Internet Zero Vitality through a right-sized photovoltaic system and Passive Home-level hermetic development. The constructing envelope is super-insulated with 11.875” of dense-packed dry-blown cellulose and constructed to an air-tightness degree of 0.52 ACH50.