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Watch how the design/build team takes a chopped up old attic and transforms it into a spacious entertainment room. See the team completely reframe the home’s roof with scissor trusses to open up the space and make room for a thick layer of cellulose insulation. Get a peek at details for a continuous air barrier and the future 3rd-floor balcony.

A big thank you to Representative Aimee Berger-Girvalo for presenting our Founder, Elizabeth DiSalvo, with an Official Citation from the State of Connecticut in recognition of Trillium Architect’s 20th anniversary. The award also recognizes Trillium’s leadership in moving the green building industry forward, its commitment to exceeding energy standards and raising awareness of how green building can help combat climate change. In addition to Representative Berger-Girvalo, the Official Citation was introduced by Senator Ceci Maher, Senator Julie Kushner, and Representative Keith Denning. We are so proud of Elizabeth!

We are so pleased to annouce that Elizabeth DiSalvo, our founder and principal, has been honored with the 2025 AIA Connecticut Women in Architecture Award, which celebrates exceptional women shaping the future of the built environment. AIA Connecticut describes the award as a recognition of architectural talent and the vital role women play in designing inclusive, resilient, and inspiring spaces—through excellence in design, leadership, and a lasting commitment to equity and sustainability. Elizabeth was honored for leading Trillium with a clear, driving mission: to push the boundaries of sustainable architecture and make environmental responsibility not just expected—but desired. Trillium's award-winning work consistently merges high design with bold, forward-thinking practice. Jury members praised this year’s recipients for their clarity of vision, depth of impact, and dedication to social and environmental responsibility. From transformative public spaces to thoughtfully detailed residences, the selected work underscores the power of design led by empathy, intelligence, and integrity. The 2025 honorees exemplify what it means to lead with purpose. Through innovative projects, advocacy, and mentorship, they reflect the evolving landscape of architecture—a profession increasingly defined by diverse voices and a shared goal of improving lives through design. Elizabeth DiSalvo

There are lots of reasons for builders to love concrete. It is a strong, durable, and affordable building material with uses everywhere from the foundation to the finished surfaces. There’s also one big reason for green builders not to like it very much at all: concrete comes with a big carbon footprint. It’s easy to choose not to use concrete for a patio or countertop—for these details there are plenty of good alternatives—but more difficult to figure out how to get it out of the foundation of a home. One step some builders have taken is to eliminate it from the slab—including both slab-on-grade homes and basement slabs. In recent months we’ve shown examples of this in homes designed by Michael Maines and Randy Williams , who were both part of the this week’s discussion on the same topic on The BS* + Beer Show. Other panelists included Steven Baczek , Architect; Steve Demetrick , Demetrick Housewrights; Elizabeth DiSalvo , Trillium Architects; Andy Engel , Roxbury Cabinet Company; Josh Salinger , Birdsmouth Design/Build; and Randy Williams , Northern Built Pro. We hope you enjoy the show. Many articles were mentioned in the episode. If you are interested in reading more, here are the links: Andy Engel’s FHB article about a floating basement floor retrofit Steve DeMetrick and Steve Baczek’s article on a concrete-free basement floor Randy Williams’ reduced-concrete slab floor system Steve Baczek and Jake Bruton’s slabless slab Michael Maines’ reduced-concrete slab floor system in FHB Steve DeMetrick was kind enough to provide us with his notes on concrete-free slabs, from his experience building them in Rhode Island. You can view the document here .

We are super excited to announce tha t Trillium Architect’s Pound Ridge Net Zero Home  has won   AIA of Connecticut’s Sustainable Architecture Award of Merit   This is the first year that AIA of CT has offered this award category in honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and we are thrilled to be among the chosen.   Thank you to BPC Green Builders and the home owners Philip and Ronnie for a great sustainable collaboration!    The award recognizes design projects that reduce emissions, energy use, and water use while still remaining a comfortable and healthy environment. It recognizes architects who are creating durable, comfortable, and healthy environments within the built industry that show reduction in Green House Gas emissions, energy use, or water use.

We often hear from prospective clients that they want a home that's environmentally-conscious, but don't know how to achieve it. The process can seem daunting and rumor has it that it also cost a lot more money to build a super green home. Those are the concerns we were approached with by our clients in Guilford, CT. They wanted a house that was not only beautiful, but also environmentally sensitive. They had found a perfect piece of property overlooking Long Island Sound, hired us and we got to work. The final result is the house Passive Progressive*, On the Sound published in this month's CTC&G. *The house is not Passive House-certified, but it is built towards those standards. The house is Net Zero Ready and will be Net Zero after the final PV Solar panels are installed later this spring. But, is it challenging to build one of these houses? Here are the key points that we tell our new clients: We specialize in building Passive House, Net Zero and LEED Homes. If you work in our specific industry it is easy to achieve this level of house. We do it all of the time. Yes, it is hard to find people who can design and build these houses. You need to have the right team.  When you live in a house like this, you can expect: Extremely low energy bills. Healthy fresh air and clean green living A quiet, comfortable indoor environment Peace of mind that you are helping the environment. Costs? They are not a lot more than building any other new house in our region. We spend more money in insulation and framing but less in HVAC. The end result may be a 5% to 10% upcharge, but another client might spend more than that on a countertop from Italy. So, it comes down to priorities. And the Guilford house on the Sound?     Not only did we achieve the environmentally friendly, energy efficiency goals, we also made the beautiful, designer home that they wanted.  Just take a look!  It’s featured in this month’s Connecticut Cottages & Gardens magazine.      Wood, stone and glass combine to create strikingly modern yet warm exterior and interior spaces. A wall of triple pane windows faces the water and captures the view and the southern sun. A solar panel trellis shades the interior during hot summer days. A central volume clad in wood features the staircase and hides house mechanicals, while long sleek hallways clearly distinguish living spaces.   Now that they can call it home, how did the clients react?.  "It's wonderful to be in a space that we love."

Many clients come to us having done their homework, knowing exactly what they want in their green dream house.  That’s the case with this Pound Ridge design , featured in the March issue of Bedford & New Canaan Magazine   Creating a team -- with the client, builder and the architect all onboard together from the beginning --had everyone invested in the project quickly and working from the same page.  This ‘design-build’ approach provides collaborative dialogue, allows the builder to buy-in on the design vision, and for the client to capitalize on the builder’s and the architect’s combined expertise. Our recent clients in Pound Ridge came to us with clear requirements and ideas for their new home.  New retirees relocating from the south, they were avid gardeners, enthusiastic cooks and ballroom dancers… and their plans for the house reflected that!  Of equal importance to them was that they wanted to ensure that the resulting house was super energy efficient. We delivered.  The final design incorporates an open floor plan with room for dancing, shifting volumes and diverse spaces to satisfy the client’s artistic eye, large floor-to-ceiling windows to offer a constant experience of the extensive outdoor gardens while moving through the rooms of the house, specifically designed work rooms for hobbies, and an immaculately detailed his and hers spa bathroom.    We also helped achieve their desire for a truly efficient home.   Construction involved unique building envelope construction techniques, maximizing their energy efficiency and reducing the house’s carbon footprint including: smart double wall framing, a slab-less slab foundation, continuous roof insulation and triple pane European windows.  All of these techniques result in a house that is far more insulated than code requires and thus drastically reduces the amount of energy used and mechanicals needed to heat and cool the house. A fresh air system ensures healthy indoor air quality. A large array of photovoltaic panels hidden on their flat roof powers the home and charges their Tesla, producing more energy than they use. As expected, the team approach between the clients, the architect and the builder created a home that expresses and facilitates their passions and their pursuits.

Listen in while Elizabeth discusses SEED homes and sustainable houses in this new podcast from #KeepCraftAlive!   “Of course, I want to continue building amazing, beautiful houses,” Elizabeth tells the host. “But at the same time, I want those houses to be responsible.” In the podcast, Elizabeth shares the motivation behind her move to SEED homes to balance some of the larger, material-heavy custom houses the firm designs. She also talks about how she got into sustainable architecture, started working with open-minded contractors, and began providing more affordable net-zero options using prefab homes. #KeepCraftAlive is an initiative powered by Fine Homebuilding  magazine to bring awareness to the skills gap in the building industry and the rich professional opportunities that exist in the trades. The hashtag offers the opportunity for professionals to share their passion for the cause and to showcase inspirational work.  And, it celebrates those who have chosen to pursue careers in design, building, and remodeling.

"We made the list! The " world's most beautiful sustainable builds " list. Trillium is recognized by the international Homes & Gardens magazine for "proving that eco-friendly does not mean you have to sacrifice beauty and sophistication." Give it a read! https://www.homesandgardens.com/news/eco-houses

Trillium Architects Co-operative (L-R) Megan Loucas, Darrell Soho, Elizbeth DiSalvo, Dave Reilly, Jackson Wehrli At Trillium Architects, we’re entering our twentieth year in business. And to celebrate, we’re doing something significant, quite significant. Trillium Architects LLC is now becoming Trillium Architects Cooperative. This is a big deal for us. Because it reflects our values, the values of a new emerging economy where employees have a major stake in their own success and the success of the organization. We are all invested in each other and invested in our work, both individually and collectively. So what does it mean for our clients? Nothing really changes except for the fact that now our key employees have an even deeper commitment to the success of each and every one of our projects. Our founder, Elizabeth DiSalvo, will retain leadership now being joined by the new ownership team. We believe that the characteristics of a co-op dovetail perfectly with our mission at Trillium to make ‘Better Buildings for People and Planet’ while also creating stable, meaningful jobs with competitive living wages and a strong feeling of intentionality. Through the co-operative structure, all of our employees will be empowered to take ownership (both literally and figuratively) of their own futures as well as that of the environment around us through the work we do together. This new structure will give us even greater freedom to implement meaningful changes as we evolve, including our abilities to:. Improve our services, our communication and the overall client experience.  Open doors to new and broader endeavors (such as other forms of housing besides single family). Cultivate an attitude of ownership - not only of our own company but of all of the work we do. Foster an even healthier, more meaningful workplace. More consistently maintain our mission of helping the world be a more sustainable place through built design. Inspire all of those within our reach - be they clients or craftspeople, or those we live near or work with - to take similar steps towards Better Buildings for People and Planet. We’re excited about this refreshing change: for ourselves, but mostly for you. Our ownership group looks forward to working with you in the years ahead, The Trillium Architects Cooperative Owners Elizabeth DiSalvo, AIA, CVO - Chief Visionary Officer Dave Reilly, AIA, Senior Architect and Director of Production Megan Loucas, AIA, Director of Design Darrell Soho, Director of Client Relations and Head of Materials

On November 20th, 2024, we celebrated our 20th anniversary with a party at our office in Ridgefield. We are so thankful to our clients, partners, and friends for their support and for commemorating this exciting milestone with us!

This week, Megan Loucas and Dave Reilly had the pleasure of touring Philip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan, CT - on a visit with Ring's End. Completed in 1949, the Glass House was years ahead of its time, bringing "international style" to American residential architecture. The iconic building features innovative materials, most notably its four walls of glass and open-concept interior. Its design seamlessly blends the boundary between inside and out.