Mason-Grabell Residence

Project Details

Project Description

The clients for this project had recently relocated to Chapel Hill from Florida. They considered themselves “climate refugees” as they no longer wanted to live through the yearly hurricanes in Florida. They selected Arielle Schechter for her modernist style, but then decided to ramp up the design to be net zero-ready in accordance with her commitment to sustainable design and construction.

They told Schechter they dreamed of a modest yet decidedly modern, environmentally sustainable, age-in-place home in a natural, wooded setting. They found the perfect building site in a beech tree forest in Chapel Hill. They perfect green home builder – Newphire Building -- who has served as general contractor for most of Schechter’s residential projects to date.

Schechter designed the three bedroom, 2465-square-foot house to be extremely energy efficient with a small solar array on the roof which will elevate it easily to Net Zero status. The greatest challenge, energy-wise, was the best view: The house faces south and west and western sun in North Carolina is brutal in the summer months.

Schechter used this design challenge as a form-giver by designing sliding wood screens that are hung on the very outside of the wrap-around porch. During the hotter months, the screens can slide easily into a closed position to block the western sun and protect the house from excessive heat gain.

Among the Mason-Grabell house’s many high-performance features are the Awilux triple-glazed Passive House-rated windows and doors from Eurostar Fenestration and the flat roof’s deep overhangs. The extended roof provides shade for the windows and overhead shelter for the porches and decks – the outdoor living spaces that are key elements in this and all of Schechter’s residential work.

Other vital “green” features are its high R-value thermal envelope roughly doubling code requirements and sealing all air gaps and an Energy Recovery Ventilator to transfer moisture and heat from incoming and outgoing air.

On the east (entry) elevation facing the approaching road, strong horizontal lines in the fiber cement cladding and a cypress accent wall contribute to the house’s relaxed ease in its setting. A ramp provides an age-in-place zero-threshold entry to the front door. Currently, the homeowners’ parents can visit without steps or encumbrance. Other age-in-place features include a curbless master shower, wide doors, and generous interior circulation pathways.

On the rear elevation, a cantilevered screened porch appears as if it’s floating above the natural landscape. A wrap-around deck provides more outdoor living space and connects the porch to the grilling area.

Inside, an entire wall of the main living space is actually two sets of massive, triple-paned glass, Passive House-rated folding doors. While the house’s windows, strategically placed to avoid heat gain, provide visual access to the natural setting, the folding doors literally open the interior to the outdoors overlooking Beech Forest.

Since Anne is a highly skilled cook and she and Bruce love to entertain, Schechter’s open floor plan revolves around the kitchen — the heart of the house, both physically and metaphorically — with all other spaces having easy access to it. And in the kitchen, as throughout the interior, the architect custom-designed the black walnut cabinetry to express its vivid grain and rich color. In the dining area opposite the kitchen, she designed a complementary mid-century-inspired cocktail bar for a space next to the double-sided fireplace.

The Mason-Grabell residence and another house Schechter designed were the only two Net Zero houses included on the 2019 Spring Green Home Tour sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Durham, Orange, and Chatham counties in North Carolina.