Semi-Detached House, Astoria

By combining historical preservation, cultural influences, modern design elements, and energy-efficient infrastructure, this semi-detached house in Astoria Queens, originally built in 1925, was transformed into a single family residence that embraces the vibrant and eclectic character of its surroundings.

The renovation updates the interior of the house while maintaining the original details of the building and incorporating the heterogeneous mix of styles present in the adjacent buildings (including the Amtrak viaduct to the Hell’s Gate Bridge). After removing gas and oil energy sources from the house it has been re-connected to the electrical grid along with a roof-top solar array. High-efficiency heat pumps condition interior fan-coil units on an individual basis while energy recovery ventilators continuously supply the habitable space with filtered, conditioned, fresh air. The minimally designed interior responds to daily routines of the family of four. The program includes office and exercise space in the cellar with study areas in each of the children’s bedrooms.

Laura Gottwald’s interior design adds a playful spirit to the crisp white interior architecture. The family room opens to an elevated modern garden designed and built by Field Form who integrated a drainage and dry well system with the capacity to manage a 50-year storm.