NEW YORK CITY TOWNHOUSE EXPERTS
Concept proposal for a Passive House residence
designed around art, light, and vertical space
Project Type: Passive House Townhouse Design
Location: Upper West Side, New York City
Size: 12,800 Sq Ft
Scope: Gut renovation, sub-cellar excavation, penthouse reconstruction, Passive House performance integration
Upper West Side Passive House Townhouse
Living Among Art and Light
Conceived for repeat clients with an extensive contemporary art collection, the townhouse is organized around a central gallery stair — an uninterrupted six-story vertical volume where walls are freed to serve as continuous exhibition surfaces. A large skylight crowns the stair, drawing natural light deep into the home and illuminating the collection from the uppermost level to the first floor.
Programmatically, the house extends both upward and downward. The cellar is to be excavated to create a deeper level and with new sub-cellar dedicated to art storage, while a reconstructed penthouse level and reimagined rear façade introduce light, openness, and a contemporary architectural expression that complements the historic context.
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Passive House Performance
The design was developed to achieve Passive House-level performance, supported by our team’s expertise, which includes a Certified Passive House Designer. Passive House is a rigorous building standard focused on dramatically reducing energy demand through a super-insulated envelope, triple-pane glazing, airtight construction, and high-performance mechanical systems.
In this project, every floor structure was reframed with steel carefully located within the existing masonry walls to minimize thermal bridging, while insulation levels exceeded code minimums throughout. A balanced energy recovery ventilation (ERV) system provides continuous fresh air with minimal energy loss, improving both energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality.
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The project reflects an approach that is both technically rigorous and spatially expressive, where high-performance design quietly supports a home defined by light, volume, and the experience of living among art.
Zivkovic Connolly Architects design contemporary and historic townhouses throughout New York City, integrating architecture, interiors, and art into highly personalized residential environments.
Zivkovic Connolly Architects specializes in high-end residential design. We are experienced in NYC townhouse gut-renovations, ground-up townhouse design, historic landmark townhouse restorations and rooftop additions throughout New York City.
West Village townhouse designed as a contemporary residence for entertaining, organized around a light-filled multi-story central atrium.
Landmark Upper East Side limestone mansion restored and reimagined alongside a new ground-up townhouse, recognized as one of Manhattan’s most distinguished new residential buildings of the past half century.
Upper West Side townhouse renovated as a contemporary single-family home, centered on a skylit six-story stair gallery for the display of a major modern art collection.
Award-winning landmarked Upper East Side mansion in New York City reconfigured through a full gut renovation, selectively restoring historic interiors while introducing a new penthouse and an open-to-sky domed rotunda.