Inside the Studio

Hi Ellen,

Spring has officially sprung, and we made it through The Pollening! Spring in Durham is one of our favorite times of year, when everything is blooming again, the days are longer, the windows are open, and time is spent outdoors. Now that we survived the yellow dusting of our world, we’re looking ahead to some really exciting projects wrapping up for our team.

Project Highlight: Annelise Island High Performance Home Tour

May 16 & 17 Noon to 5 PM

Designed by Ellen Cassilly with Megan Patnaik and built by Newphire Building Corp, this Pittsboro home is a thoughtful response to its remarkable site, located on an island in the Haw River created by a parallel mill race. Here, design, landscape, and performance are deeply intertwined. The house and guest house are carefully positioned to capture light, views, and natural airflow, creating a series of layered indoor-outdoor spaces that feel both connected and expansive. This is especially evident in the guest house located near the upstream point.

This home incorporates a highly efficient building envelope including hempwool, a solar array by SEM, and a green roof system, designed in collaboration with Living Roofs, Inc., that helps manage stormwater, moderate temperatures, and extend the roof's lifespan. Thoughtful attention to daylighting, shading, and material selection further reduces energy demand while enhancing comfort throughout the seasons.

The rammed-earth wall creates a durable, low-impact structure while adding a sculptural element to the entry. It is made of differently tinted layers of compacted earth and Portland cement. It starts outside and curves into the interior, defining both the entry and dining areas. Big thanks to KC Kurtz, Daxx Green, and the team at Red Dirt Design Build for their craftsmanship on this wall.

The interiors by Kaylor Mead and Veronica Kromm at Stitch are stellar. The on-site-sourced boulder incorporated into the bar cabinetry, with an inlaid fire element, is not to be missed. We call it Phire Rock. This could not have happened without close collaboration with Rick Cuarto of Storybook Metal Shop and with Brendan Walsh and Bernd Dolleschel at Walsh Woodworks.

The landscape team at Tributary Land Design + Build, led by Katherine Gill and Jonah Roberts, really sweated the details to knit the building and site together. Dazzling images of the landscape to come when construction is complete.

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Kudos to Jay Bauer at NewPhire for executing the plans so beautifully and being a true co-creator on this extraordinary project!

We hope you’ll come experience this beautiful home and its extraordinary setting in person.

May 16–17 | Noon–5 PM

Free, self-guided tour featuring green-certified homes across the Triangle

No tickets or registration required — just show up

We would love to see you at this beautiful home on the tour!

CLICK HERE to view the map for the High Performance Home Tour­

Kellam Wyatt County Park Update

We have been working closely with Design Workshop and TCC Enterprises on the existing Kellam-Wyatt House, which is being transformed into a vibrant hub for the park, carefully balancing preservation with new function. Working with the home’s strong bones and beautiful site presence facing a lake, ECA has developed a renovation approach that supports both staff park offices and a public flex space on the main level. The interior has been remodeled to offer more space while still being a light-filled, welcoming environment. This adaptive reuse celebrates the value of building with what is already there and continuing the park’s future in its history and landscape.

Before images of the Kellam-Wyatt house.... Stay tuned for the after!

Improved access to the park and the future site of an ECA-designed pavillion.

Sneak Peek

A new home is taking shape in Bahama. Thoughtful details, modern materials, and beautiful surroundings are wrapped up in a really exciting way. Stay tuned for our next issue; we can’t wait to share the full reveal.

As always, we’re grateful for the opportunity to do this work and to share it with such a thoughtful community of clients, collaborators, and friends. Spring is a season of fresh starts, and we’re excited for what’s ahead—both in the studio and out in the field. We hope to see you on the tour, and until then, enjoy the longer days, open windows, and all the inspiration this season brings.

Until next time, The ECA Team