The Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, just a few hours driving from Manhattan, are a favourite place for New Yorkers. In 2018, Maria Ibañez de Sendadiano and Todd Rouhe, an architect couple who run IdS/R Architecture in NY, decided to build their rural retreat in Catskill. The couple wanted, above all, to make a structure with as little impact as possible. To that end, they decided to follow the Passive House standards - a set of strict rules to create ultra-efficient and airtight housing that supplies most of the energy through solar panels.
It took six months to build the 185 m2 house and another six to finish the interior. Modelled after a traditional longhouse layout, the ground floor has two bedrooms and two bathrooms at either end of the house, and a living room, dining area and open-plan kitchen. The couple wanted the kitchen to adapt to the spacious room, making sure to keep window views unobstructed and their search for such a kitchen led them to the freestanding Vipp V1 kitchen. Inspired by the view of the forest, Ibañez de Sendadiano and Rouhe chose colours that blend in with the exterior and grey stone paving for the entire main floor.