How do you go about designing a comfortable house to meet the challenges of a changing world? Join architect William Ruhl at his family’s oceanfront environmentally responsible residence called Gap Cove House in Rockport, Massachusetts to see firsthand the thoughtful features he implemented when he renovated a old ranch style house into a net-zero home that is as beautiful as it is sustainable.
Perched just 25 feet above the nearby waterline, this 1,800-square-foot light-filled home is sheathed in copper shingles on three of its four sides to protect it from storms while also matching the soft greenish-gray color of the lichen on the rocks. Additionally, it includes invisible solar panels on the roof to generate electricity, as well a main living space that features a front row seat to the Atlantic Ocean through a wall of glass and a two-story high wall covered in polycarbonate panels that borrows afternoon light from the skylights and helps the space feel bigger; a kitchen with a large stone island (the patterning on the material almost evokes seaweed) where everyone gathers, cabinets above, and frosted windows that reflect the natural views outside; and a light and delicate staircase — with a railing that is evocative of dappled sunlight on water and gangplank at the top — that is fashioned in a way that you can see the ocean through it.
Overall, Gap Cove House maximizes both energy efficiency and the surrounding majestic beauty.
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