Dezeen – China Pond Passive House

River Architects replaces Hudson Valley structure with gabled Passive House

By: Kate Mazade
Local studio River Architects has designed a wood-clad structure to Passive House standards, orienting gabled volumes around a pond in New York’s Hudson Valley.Known as the China Pond Passive House, the 4,318-square-foot (400-square-metre) home sits on a wooded 2.2-acre property in Carmel, New York.River Architects, which is based in nearby Cold Spring, completed the house in November 2025, replacing an earlier residence with a similar footprint.

The studio built the new home from the ground up but didn’t approach the site as a blank slate.

“We wanted to maintain that sense of evolution in the new house, a decision which also helps break up the overall form so it doesn’t seem overwhelming,” James Hartford, principal and partner of River Architects, told Dezeen.

“The result is a playful push and pull in massing, resulting in unusual in-between places and quirky angles.”

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