Dragonfly Ridge Residence: Regenerative + Resilient
THE DRAGONFLY RIDGE RESIDENCE
Perched on a ridge overlooking the Skagit Valley and Padilla Bay, this home takes its name from one of the land’s quietest but most telling inhabitants: the dragonfly. Dragonflies are among the oldest living species on earth, and their presence is a sign of restored balance in an ecosystem. They thrive only where the air and water are clean, serving as indicators of ecological health and renewal. As the site recovers from past clear-cutting, the return of dragonflies marks the land’s gradual healing—a visible reflection of the project’s broader goals of regeneration and stewardship. The dragonflies flight over the meadow and pond embodies the spirit of this place: resilient, adaptive, and deeply connected to its environment. The Dragonfly Ridge Residence carries that same intention. Through careful design, sustainable construction, and regenerative land practices, it seeks to create not just a home, but a living demonstration of how architecture and ecology can thrive together.
OWNER’S VISION
For nearly two decades, the owner has dedicated her work, volunteer efforts, philanthropy, and investments to tackling climate change. She has long wanted to build a net-zero energy home that demonstrates sustainable design, and also an intergenerational family gathering spot in a rural setting.
After working on a report on soil carbon sequestration, she began looking for a plot of land where she could implement some of those regenerative practices, while also creating a space for her family to gather. Her criteria for selecting a location included being within 2 hours of where she lives in Seattle, not ferry-dependent, north rather than south for easier traffic, and outside of wildfire and flood-plain areas.
When she discovered the property in the Skagit Valley [clear-cut by the previous owner], it felt like a perfect place where she could work to rehabilitate the ecosystem and build a climate-resilient home. The beautiful views and proximity to a charming rural town were happy bonuses.
Her original vision had been to potentially subdivide the land into a cluster of small farmhouse lots for her extended family. However, thin soils would not support the necessary septic fields, leading to the design of a single home with provisions for intergenerational living. This project integrates regenerative land management with sustainable design, creating a home that is as much about care for the environment as it is about family. It shows how one home can bring resilience to land, family, and community.
ARCHITECT’S STATEMENT
The Dragonfly Ridge Residence is a climate forward project that promotes a healthy ecosystem in support of regenerative and resilient built and natural environments. There are three core elements that are essential to a successful project—collaboration, aspiration, and partnership.
Collaboration:
It has been an extraordinary experience to collaborate with owner on this project. I am inspired by her long-range vision to address broad environmental challenges like climate change through her involvement with organizations such as Climate Solutions, investment in energy saving start-ups like Harvest, and her personal commitment to restore local ecosystems as is demonstrated by this project. It is said that the presence of dragonflies on the land is an indication of a restored healthy ecosystem and this is now true of Kathy’s property, hence the naming of the project— The Dragonfly Ridge Residence: Regenerative + Resilient.
Aspiration:
The long-range aspiration for the project is that it will serve an intergenerational household in addition to serving future generations while maintaining a light ecological footprint. Again, taking a climate forward approach, Kathy’s vision is that the new home will generate and store its own energy, harvest and store water and recycle and reduce waste. The design of the home is 100% focused on sustainable construction practices centered on Passive House goals to reduce energy use demand. Additionally, prefabricated panelized BC Passive House construction will reduce construction waste and increase construction quality thereby lowering future maintenance and operational costs. Though air sealing, thermal insulation, and thermal bridge free construction go hand in hand with high-performance Passive House building, this project is aiming to be net-zero energy with the addition of “Harvest” load-shifting technology. Low-carbon concrete, FSC lumber, and Shou Sugi Ban cedar siding are featured low-carbon materials used on the project. These are a few of the ways that Kathy aspires to build a climate forward project for generations to come.
Partnership:
Finally, Kriegh Architecture Studios (KAS) was founded in 2000 and we celebrate our 25th year anniversary with this extraordinary project. It is the culminating project after many years of moving (inching) climate responsive, regenerative and resilient projects forward both as principal with KAS and as an affiliate instructor at the University of Washington, College of the Built Environments. However, projects like this are not the work of one individual or company. This project is the result of a visionary owner and a team of highly skilled design and construction professionals working together in partnership. I am deeply grateful to be part of this innovative collaboration working to bring this climate forward project to fruition.
The Dragonfly Ridge Residence is an exemplar of what is possible when a small group of dedicated people come together.
SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
Taking a climate forward stance, the owner is committed to building an exemplar project grounded in land restoration, regenerative perennial agriculture, sustainable building design practices and construction building methods. That commitment extends directly into the design of the home and other structures on the property.
Passive House design and construction methods ensure that the home is:
1) using airtight envelope construction methods;
2) thermally insulated using triple insulation (continuous exterior insulation, wall/roof/floor cavity insulation, and service cavity insulation) and triple pane windows by Cascade Windows and Doors;
3) thermally bridge free;
4) using a continuous heat recovery ventilation system;
5) built for longevity with high quality prefabricated roofs, walls and floor panels from BC Passive House, a Canadian manufacturing company;
6) designed as a net-zero energy home with two solar photovoltaic arrays, a three- battery back-up, three Mitsubishi heat pumps and a Sanden hot water heat pump system utilizing a Harvest computer network with load-shifting technology for space heating, hot water, and smart thermal battery storage;
7) designed for water conservation and harvesting with a 33,000-gallon water cistern for irrigation and future grey water uses;
8) using low-carbon materials such as Type 1L concrete, FSC lumber, and Shou Sugi Ban cedar siding;
9) designed for wildfire season using low combustible materials such as Hardie siding and Taylor Metal roofing. Additionally, all buildings have a fire suppression system connected to a 10,000-gallon reserve in the water cistern;
10) designed with a parti organized around three buildings sited on the land to provide protection from the wind, maximize sun exposure, and capture views of Skagit Valley, Puget Sound, and Mt Baker;
11) using low-impact site design features berms, rain gardens and water dispersion paths across the 20-acre site. 100% of the rockery featured in the landscape and used as retaining walls are built from rocks found on the site and discovered during excavation;
12) a demonstration project—beyond the owner and her family, this project serves is a resource for others. By partnering with Kriegh Architecture Studio, Passive House Northwest, Chuckanut Builders, and BC Passive House, she plans to host open house tours and educational events to showcase sustainable design.