11/03/2026
The home like no other. The ARC is an experimental residential home designed with a focus on comfort, innovation, and sustainability, embodying multiple functions including living space, meeting area, research lab, and greenhouse. It is built within an insulated concrete form (ICF) foundation with foam insulation on both sides, and features apron insulation around the garage and greenhouse to direct ground frost away from the slab, which rests on 24 inches of sand and is insulated beneath with foam. The home uses a slab floor with in-floor electric hot-water heating, needed only a few days in January. Its walls are constructed from 12-inch-thick Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) with high R-values, contributing to the home’s super-insulation, complemented by blown cellulose and other insulating layers under the roof and floor. Even during a harsh winter with nighttime temperatures as low as -31°F, indoor temperatures remained relatively stable, dropping only from 75°F to 65°F during a three-day unheated period.
The home features exceptionally efficient windows, with foot-thick double-pane units separated by about 10 inches of air space, which outperform triple-pane windows at a lower cost. The greenhouses, initially used for comfort, have been repurposed as gray water recycling systems, where up to 300 gallons of wastewater per day from household activities are filtered through hydroponic beds with activated charcoal, removing impurities through plant absorption. The cleaned water is then purified further for drinking and other uses, while the plants help humidify the space, increase oxygen, and improve air quality indoors.
The garage, a 1,000-square-foot space, exemplifies passive solar heating and thermal mass principles. It stays warm throughout the winter without active heating, maintaining temperatures above 50°F thanks to its insulated slab and open design, which captures and radiates stored heat from the concrete floor. During summer, it can reach temperatures in the 80s, illustrating the effectiveness of its design for year-round temperature stability.
Learn more by visiting our websites at: hugllc.com and hughydronics.com
