1040 New York Street House 2025

1040 New York Street is nestled within the eclectic neighborhood of East Lawrence, the city’s growing hub of entertainment, education, and art. The site of this year’s home is a short walk from the Historic Downtown Lawrence District and its wide array of shops and eateries, as well as several parks and schools. The neighborhood has one of the highest percentages of working artists in the country, and the community is engaging in plans to extend the Warehouse Arts District to highlight and celebrate creativity and connection. The infill lot sits between two houses, allowing the project to contribute to the objectives of the city to increase density and engage community.

The project was built to meet U.S. Green Build Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Standards.

Sustainability, urban infill, and assimilation to the site are among the driving forces behind the design of 1040 New York Street. The footprint of the house was designed to allow it to be easily integrated into the fabric of the neighborhood of East Lawrence. The design of the home offers a similar scale as the rest of the neighborhood while external materials embrace the opportunity to differentiate and explore the innovative designs while also maintaining a focus on ease of maintenance and longevity. The spacious design boasts the accommodations necessary for comfortable and modern living in East Lawrence.

At 1850 square feet, the house sits on the northernmost side of the site, optimizing space for an open yard and garden to the south. This flexible two-bedroom dwelling is a modest yet expressive form for contemporary living. Prioritizing southern light with an awning to maximize comfort and views, this design allows the resident to enjoy their home both inside and out with a wrap-around porch and two separated seating areas to entertain and enjoy. To the east of the house a separate 530 square foot accessory building contributes a third bedroom or additional living space with a private entry above the garage to complete the plan.

Finish photography © Corey Gaffer Photography

Sustainable Features

LEED CERTIFICATION:
Studio 804 has exhibited its role in leadership in energy and environmental design by its achievement of 17 consecutive LEED Platinum projects. This project is expected to be the 18th LEED Platinum house that Studio 804 has completed.

RENEWABLE ENERGY:
The sixteen 535 watt per solar panel are roof mounted and generate enough electricity to significantly offset the home’s energy consumption.

INSULATION:
Following USGBC’s guidelines for LEED Platinum, insulation is a minimum of 20% above code requirements. In our building the exterior walls carry an R value in the mid to upper 30s and the roof is in the lower 60’s.

CONTROL LAYERS:
High quality air, vapor and water barriers contribute to the tight envelope design preventing undesirable water and vapor transmission. The assembly also passed a blower door test to assure air tightness. The insulation well exceeds the code requirements to further reduce the energy consumption of the building.

WINDOWS & DOORS:
Energy efficient, triple-sealed windows and doors contribute to the high R-value of the wall assembly and the overall performance of the building. Operable windows provide cross-ventilation, thereby lowering energy costs and increasing access to fresh air. Our fixed curtain wall glazing is repurposed.

INTERIOR FINISHES:
All finishes are low VOC emitting.

RAINSCREEN CLADDING
The house is clad in rainscreen/ventilated assemblies. They improve the thermal performance and water drainage of the high performance, highly insulated building envelope. The cladding itself is recyclable, extending its use beyond the life of the building.

LIGHTING & ELECTRICAL:
All fixtures use LEDs and are Energy Star Rated, while exterior lighting is chosen and located to minimize nighttime light pollution.

APPLIANCES:
Energy Star appliances are used to reduce energy consumption. Water Sense approved fixtures will reduce water consumption. A hybrid heat pump produces hot water that is carefully placed as close to the fixture supply as possible with a sensible plan configuration.

REPURPOSED MATERIALS:
Studio 804 has a large warehouse that has enabled them to store materials that have been salvaged from previous uses and donated to the program. Much of this material would have been destined for a landfill. All the fixed triple pane IGU’s were donated to Studio 804 after they were assembled to the wrong dimensions for their planned use. The planters along the edge of the property use surplus material left over from siding the building. Every year Studio 804 saves its excess drywall and this year was able to use it to finish the interior of this house.