This Vermont Passive House Is Built From the Forest That Surrounds It
Architect Robert Swinburne deploys a collaborative building approach and hyperlocal materials to craft a Passive House–certified home that celebrates the land it’s built on.
Architect Robert Swinburne deploys a collaborative building approach and hyperlocal materials to craft a Passive House–certified home that celebrates the land it’s built on.
Architect Robert Swinburne vividly remembers the second time he visited the sugar bush in Putney, Vermont. It was a sunny day in early winter, and a layer of snow had fallen. The trees, perfect sugar maple specimens that had been maintained for harvesting sap to make maple syrup, cast long, purple shadows across the open ground.
"The colors, everything was so stripped down, almost to an abstract level," he recalls. "That was my first strong impression of what to do with the project."
The Vermont land where this 1,300-square-foot home sits was previously used for harvesting maple sap to make syrup, so it was entirely free of underbrush—and only the best trees remained when the new owner bought it to build a home. "It felt like a park," recalls architect Robert Swinburne. "It was really open."
Lindsay Selin
The project in question was a private home for Nancy, a 60-something woman who was looking to simplify her lifestyle. She had lived in the area for decades, but her 2,400-square-foot home on 18 acres with multiple outbuildings no longer suited her.
After buying a five-acre sugar bush—an area of sugar maples that had been used to make maple syrup—she connected with Swinburne, who often uses the phrase "carpenter modern" to describe his work. He immediately brought in builder Gero Dolfus, and a collaborative process unfolded where much of the design phase overlapped with construction.
The home is made entirely with local materials, and much of the wood was harvested on-site. Architect Robert Swinburne (left) is pictured with builder Gero Dolfus and homeowner, Nancy, on the front porch of the home.
Lindsay Selin
Swinburne envisioned a simple structure that would age in place, with minimal upkeep. An early sketch showed a home with warm light emanating from the windows, like "a glowing candle in the woods, or a campfire," he says. "We tried to adhere to that vision."
The vertical siding is unfinished hemlock that will turn gray as it ages. The cladding around the carport and porch received a coat of black paint to create contrast.
Lindsay Selin
See the full story on Dwell.com: This Vermont Passive House Is Built From the Forest That Surrounds It
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