Charming, energy-efficient cottages are inspired by barns in rural Massachusetts

Architect Grigori Fateyev from Art Forms Architecture has created a series of low-impact, sustainable cottages in the idyllic rural area of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The project is comprised of three 2,000-square-foot timber volumes that were designed to be modern, energy-efficient versions of traditional New England barns. Almost 10 years ago, a developer purchased a plot of land in Massachusetts that had three timber greenhouses dating back to the 1940s. Wanting to update the structures into livable, eco-friendly homes, the developer tasked architect Grigori Fateyev with breathing new life into the old structures. But the design process led to the replacement of the old buildings with a series of contemporary eco-homes that were built following passive design principles. The Green Houses include three 2,000-square-foot cottages that were built to be extremely energy-efficient as well as resilient. In fact, before construction began, Fateyev made strategic changes to the landscape, such as elevating the ground above flood levels and creating a terraced catchment system that allows rain to filter through the soil. The surrounding green space has been planted with fruit trees, with ample room left to plant communal vegetable gardens . As for the design of the low-impact cottages, their gabled […]

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