NYSID alumna Nandar Godoy-Dinneen ’11 (MPSS) grew up in Quito, Ecuador, and now lives in New York City, where she’s a senior associate at PJCArchitecture. She earned her first degree, in Architecture, from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, her second degree in Interior Design from NYU, and a Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Interior Environments from NYSID. This passive house project, “Napoles House,” allowed her to synthesize all of her learning. She served as both architect and interior designer, overseeing the project from foundations to furnishings. This design won a Bronze 2023 IDA Design Award in Architecture/Houses.

In Crafts of the Past, a More Sustainable Future   

“A client like this is a gift,” said Godoy-Dinneen of the environmentalist who hired her to create this 700 sq. ft. retreat outside the city of Quito, Ecuador. Her client flies all over the country for work, so she requires proximity to an airport and the peace of the countryside. The client asked for a tiny house that contained a bedroom, bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen, office, and yoga space. Godoy-Dinneen planned a structure of two cubes connected by a glass bridge, which doubled as a yoga space. “Creating this program in a very small footprint, in a country where green construction has just started, was a challenge,” said Godoy-Dinneen. “Sustainable design is about research, and there was just not a lot of information on products.” Her solution was to look to the past and what she calls “the vernacular architecture of the area.” Almost everything in the house was sourced locally and made by artisans. The home has no heating or AC, but the materials Godoy-Dinneen specified help it maintain a comfortable temperature, and the lowest carbon footprint possible. No finishes or paints were necessary.

1. These locally made bricks are a thermal-mass material that absorbs heat in the day and releases it at night. The use of bricks in dwellings dates back to the Incas.

2. The pattern of light and shadow created by these custom-built, floor-to-ceiling glass and metal windows mimics the shadows created by a grove of trees outside.

3. The sculptural fireplace was commissioned from Saurus Ecuador. It’s the home’s only heating element.

4. The client shopped for this wall textile with Godoy-Dinneen at CÔTE À COAST in New York, and then carried it back to Ecuador with her on the plane.

5. The vintage couch, chair, coffee table, and jute and silk rug have been repurposed. They belonged to the client’s mother.

6. Godoy-Dinneen sourced these dark porcelain tiles from Graiman, a local maker. They absorb the heat of the sun and hide dirt tracked in by the clients’ dogs.