Selah House by Duvall Decker in Malvern, Pennsylvania

Project: Selah House
Architects: Duvall Decker
Location: Malvern, Pennsylvania, USA
Area: 2,247 sq ft
Year: 2020
Photos: Jim Greipp | Pau Hana Productions

Selah House by Duvall Decker

Duvall Decker designed the Selah House in Malvern, Pennsylvania. This 2,247 square foot home is surrounded by beautiful natural landscapes that become the central element and set the tone for the design.

The Selah House, a small (2,247 sq ft) home for a soon-to-be-retired doctor, was designed with mature ecological strategies that will become part of a natural preserve in its next life. Great attention was paid to placing the house on an already exposed lot with minimal impact, removing only a few trees. The design is built for a 100-year lifespan, with all design choices, materials and systems optimized for an ecologically conscious home.

The program is simple — living space, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom with two special zones: a private garden and a writer's tower. The house is designed to keep residents closely connected with the cycles of day, weather, seasons and an abundance of local flora and fauna. Standing in the center of warm maple floors, you are just eight feet from the northern inner courtyard and a view through windows overlooking trees and valley to the south. When the sliding glass doors of the main bedroom are open, the room transforms into a terrace with panoramic views of the forest. From the writer's tower it seems you can reach out and touch the moon and stars shimmering in the black sky.

In designing the Selah House, architects placed the project between testimony and environment: the house is both a frame and background for interaction. The design adapts to this relationship between visitor and the full surrounding environment of the site. Location, form, room placement, views, seasonal sun movement, weather and wild nature are in a dynamic dialogue that heightens awareness, wonder and insight. Selah was designed with mature ecological strategies that will become part of a natural preserve in its next life. Great attention was paid to placing the house on an already exposed lot with minimal impact, removing only a few trees. The design is built for a 100-year lifespan, with all design choices, materials and systems optimized for an ecologically conscious home.

The house is solid and built from regional natural materials. All material choices were evaluated on a life cycle basis to support the most durable and sustainable structure. The house is built with super-insulated walls and a high-performance vapor and air barrier system covered in durable ceramic tiles. Windows are thermally broken, double-glazed, connecting interior space to the exterior and gathering natural light. The southern overhang protects the interior from summer sun but allows it to warm in winter.

The house is equipped with dual fuel, a highly efficient split HVAC system, solar water heater with instant backup, net metering photovoltaic panels and an electric vehicle charging station in the garage. Owner's energy bills ranged from $0 to $12 per month. The owner currently divides time between New York with patients and the weekend home. The design team, contractor and family receive frequent photos of his discoveries and new friends in the mountains: eagles, deer, bats, foxes, misty hills, and the colors and sounds of a living house and property.

–Duvall Decker