WORKac completes Riverhouse in Rhode Island, a flood-resilient passive house shaped by a folded blue roof, a central courtyard, and a climate-responsive design.
WORKac’s Riverhouse in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, transforms floodplain limitations into a clear architectural strategy. Designed by Amale Andraos and Dan Wood, the home is lifted above the ground and wrapped in a sharply folded blue roof that encloses a central courtyard. Compact in footprint yet spatially open, the house combines Passive House performance, resilience, and sculptural form in a wooded setting.
A Raised Volume Responds to Floodplain Conditions
Built to replace an aging rural retreat, the residence is elevated to meet floodplain requirements while opening broader views across the landscape. Instead of treating elevation as a technical necessity alone, WORKac uses it to shape the relationship between the house and the site.
The timber-clad base supports a faceted upper volume, giving the home a distinct profile within the trees. This lifted form protects the structure and creates a more deliberate threshold between ground, dwelling, and surrounding terrain.
A Folded Roof Brings Light and Performance Into the Plan
The home’s most defining feature is its blue metal roof, which folds inward to carve out a central courtyard. This move gives the compact house an expanded spatial experience, drawing daylight deep into the interior while organizing a sequence of inward and outward views.
Integrated solar panels are embedded into the roof geometry, reinforcing the house’s environmental agenda. Triple-glazed windows, thick insulated walls, and battery-backed photovoltaic systems support an all-electric setup designed for year-round efficiency without sacrificing visual character.
Interior Elements Add Warmth to the High-Performance Home
Inside, the house balances technical performance with a more relaxed and lived-in feel. A custom dining table by MOS Architects anchors the central space, while a large curtain by Petra Blaisse helps control light and privacy in the living area.
In the bedrooms, linen curtains by Austėja Walter soften the interiors, while patterned tiles developed with Karim Chaya bring texture and color into the home. Together, these elements make the house feel warmer and more personal, showing that a high-performance home can still feel expressive and comfortable.
Image credit: Bruce Damonte
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