Contemporary Townhouse Passive House

First Landmarked District Passive House

Penthouse in a Brooklyn Heights townhouse with blue carpet, painting, ottoman, and armchairs. A colorful light fixture hangs off the ceiling, and the rooftop deck can be seen through the large windows and glass door.

As our second Passive House project, this Brooklyn Heights Historic District townhome led to the repeatable template that we still use for masonry retrofits. We worked collaboratively with a number of preservationists, including the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, and a skilled team.

Landing of a sculptural staircase leading to the double-height kitchen. — Opening up the stair hallway on the parlor floor of the home allows more light to enter the living spaces.

Staircase hallway leading to kitchen before our renovation — Opening up the stair hallway on the parlor floor of the home allows more light to enter the living spaces.

Opening up the stair hallway on the parlor floor of the home allows more light to enter the living spaces.

Double-height kitchen with teal cabinetry and island, wood and grey bar stools, and a large chandelier in front of large glass exterior doors — Introducing a double height space in the rear kitchen and a wall of large windows completely transformed the home's rear floor.

Living room with a patterned couch, ceiling fan, and sliding glass doors to the rear yard. An armchair and floor lamp sit in the foreground. — Introducing a double height space in the rear kitchen and a wall of large windows completely transformed the home's rear floor.

Introducing a double height space in the rear kitchen and a wall of large windows completely transformed the home's rear floor.

Rear facade of a Brooklyn Heights townhouse with a second-story roof deck atop an extension and large glass windows and doors below. — At the rear façade, removing the white paint and adding a rear addition ensured that the home was spacious enough for the entire family and allowed plenty of natural light into the core of the home.

Rear facade of a Brooklyn Heights home with white painted brick before our renovation. — At the rear façade, removing the white paint and adding a rear addition ensured that the home was spacious enough for the entire family and allowed plenty of natural light into the core of the home.

At the rear façade, removing the white paint and adding a rear addition ensured that the home was spacious enough for the entire family and allowed plenty of natural light into the core of the home.

Note from the Architect

When it came to us, most of the historic exterior detail at the front facade remained intact, but historic interior features had been previously removed. We used this blank slate to design an open and contemporary interior layout which maximized square footage.

Team

Baxt Ingui
Shawn Henderson Interior Design
Gunn Landscape Architecture

Photography

Chris Stein
Peter Peirce

Featured in

New York Times
Brownstoner
Metropolis Magazine
Curbed
Archello
New York Post

In the News

2016 Building Brooklyn Award

Our Brooklyn Heights Historic District Passive House won the Historic Restoration category of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce's Building Brooklyn Awards.

More Info