Passivehouse Retrofit Sustainable Rowhouse & Penthouse Extension

Warren Street Rowhouse was a design project to turn a 3-unit rental building into a single-family house with a penthouse extension while aiming for passive house certification.

The interior renovation required structural work to level-out the floors, in conjunction with new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work. The interior design proposal unified the floors to create a modern, but warm, home for beginning new family memories, for entertaining guests, and for displaying art and musical instruments.

FNA worked with the concept of approach and light-reveal to connect the penthouse extension with the existing building. A key area of design was the penthouse roof, opening up the back facade, and designing a staircase with an art/ instrument display case on the 2nd floor.

Neighboring building height analysis with maximum penthouse buildable