Project Team

Richard Renner's picture

BE Boston 19 Registrants BE Boston 20 Registrants BE Boston 21 Registrants BuildingEnergy 16 Full Conference Company Record Manager Member

Richard Renner's picture

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Richard Renner attended Williams College expecting to go to law school. After graduating in 1969, he taught high school and then worked as a welder for sculptors in Vermont. Increasingly attracted to design, he enrolled in architecture school at MIT, graduating in 1976. He worked in a Boston architecture office before moving to Maine, where he worked for several architecture firms before establishing Richard Renner Architects in 2004. His first foray into environmentally responsible design was in 1993 with the phased renovation of an existing historic department store into the core campus for Maine College of Art.

Specializing in environmentally responsible architecture, Richard Renner Architects designed residential, institutional, commercial, and exhibit projects. Projects included residences throughout New England, comprehensive renovations for Maine College of Art (an early EPA Energy Star building), and the adaptive reuse of an historic building in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Residential projects, in Freeport and Portland, Maine, received two of the earliest LEED-Home Platinum ratings. Largely because of his work in sustainable design, Rick was elevated to the College of Fellows of The American Institute of Architects in 2019.

Rick was a founding member of Maine’s USGBC’s Chapter and Green Campus Consortium. He attended his first NESEA conference in the mid-1990’s and quickly became committed to NESEA’s work and community. While a member of the NESEA Board from 2013 to 2018, he served on the Executive Committee and chaired the Governance Committee.

Recently retired, Rick lives in Sherborn, Massachusetts with his wife, Janet Friskey, a graphic designer. He is an avid cyclist and photographer.

Architect

Marc Rosenbaum's picture

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Marc Rosenbaum's picture

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Old building geek.

Energy Consultant

Other Team Members

Tirey & Associates, Structural Engineers
Fritz Fay, Construction Manager

Ratings, Awards and Recognition

Ratings:

None.

NESEA Awards:

None.

Other Awards:

None.

Published References:

None.

"Minus eighteen degrees outside, sixty-eight degrees inside, and zero ice dams!"

House Owner

 

This 2,400 SF four-bedroom house was designed for a growing family with a very tight budget. Construction was largely completed by the end of July of 2014.

The project is located on a 15-acre northwest sloping site in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Willoughby Gap dominates the panoramic southwest-to-northwest view, and the owners wanted to see this dramatic feature from main living areas. For this reason, and because of the grades, the narrow end of the house faces northwest, and the long axis of the house follows the fall line of the hill. Locating the house high on the hill improves the views and leaves the majority of the land available for growing hay.

Meeting the budget constraints required a simple building form with a straightforward structural system. The narrow plan eliminates interior columns. Except for the minimal disruption of the stair, joists and roof trusses span the width and march down the length of the house. The simple, economical gable form is a reinterpretation of local vernacular buildings.

The house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the second floor, with the master suite separated from the smaller bedrooms by the stair. The small size of the children’s bedrooms is offset by the wider common play/study hall (with a view of the valley at the end). On the main level, kitchen, dining, and living are combined; beyond the stair is air study/bedroom with a possible en- suite configuration. A studio and a play/exercise area occupy the 400 SF above-grade end of the basement.

Two air-source heat pumps, one in the basement and one on the main level, heat the house. A small wood stove provides backup heat. Floor grates, salvaged from a renovation project, allow heat to move up to the second floor. All the bedrooms have provision for installing radiant ceiling panels for supplemental heat, but the owners do not think that will be necessary. An HRV provides balanced ventilation. A heat pump water heater supplies domestic hot water.

The owners are completing designed interior and exterior features of the house as time and budget allow. Salvaged stone steps and steel steps at the front and back doors respectively provide access to the main level from outside. A custom wood railing protects the second floor opening above the front door.

Quick Facts

General

Location East Burke, Vermont
Building Type Single-family residence
Project Type Zero Energy Ready / Near Zero Energy
Basis of Performance Claim Modeled, Verified
Bedrooms 4
Bathrooms 3.0
Conditioned Floor Area 2,700 sq ft

Energy Summary

Energy Data Type Modeled, Verified
Renewable Energy System Type(s) Photovoltaics
Ratings

None.

Net electricity usage (purchased) 2,910 kWh/year
Annual renewable energy generated 8,699 kWh/year

Envelope and Mechanicals

Subslab assembly

Rigid foam

Foundation wall assembly

Concrete walls

Above grade wall assembly

2x6 studs filled with blown cellulose; Zipp system sheathing taped; two 2" layers of foam, joints offset and taped; vertical strips; siding.

Door Assembly

Intus PVC windows and doors, triple-glazed

Air Changes per hour, ACH50 0.40 ACH50