Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jan 20, 2026

A Concrete-and-Glass Gem in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley

A Concrete-and-Glass Gem in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley

Designed by Eugene Stoltzfus Architects, this contemporary home harvests sunlight for heating and electricity.

A striking concrete-and-glass home is now up for sale in Harrisonburg, Virginia, about 130 miles southwest of Washington, DC. Built in 2016, the single-story residence was imagined by local architect Eugene Stoltzfus for the current owners, who desired a passive and active solar design with a modern, refined aesthetic. The resulting structure features a glazed facade along the south side, along with an exposed concrete wall that bisects the interior to absorb excess heat.



Recently listed in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, this eco-friendly home incorporates both active and passive solar design. A full-length wall of glass allows sunlight to warm the interior, while a south-sloping roof holds an array of solar panels.

"The details of the house are consistent with the philosophy of the owners, and the simplicity of the way they wanted to live," explains Stoltzfus. The material palette-which includes concrete, wood, steel, and aluminum-was selected to economically achieve the design brief.



Floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the .34-acre lot. French doors opposite the dining area provide access to a patio that runs beside the structure.

"When you step into the entryway, the columns help to define the edge of the house," Stoltzfus says. "The living room is an open plan with the kitchen at the far end, which appears very simple-but was actually closely designed to make for an efficient use of a very tight space." The layout neatly separates public and private spaces at opposite sides of the home, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms positioned behind the central concrete wall.



Honed black granite tops the kitchen island and a cooking area along the rear wall. Two flanking sets of cabinetry help to further define the space.



"In the area between the wall cabinet and the island, the floor is made of cork, which provides a resilient surface for anyone spending a lot of time in the kitchen," Stoltzfus says.

The nearly 1,600-square-foot home features concrete floors throughout-a cohesive and practical solution. An indoor spigot in the master bathroom allows for easy cleaning.

"It’s a little different than you would find in most houses," Stoltzfus explains. "Since the concrete goes wall to wall without interruption, the [vanity] sits a foot off the floor, and toilet is wall hung. The whole floor is also sloped toward the shower."



A look at the principal bedroom.



A floating vanity topped with cultured marble stretches across the principal bathroom. The space also features a wall-to-wall concrete floor, a wall-hung toilet, and an open shower.

"Overall, the materials in the home were intended to work together-both economically and aesthetically-to create an inviting place someone would want to be," Stoltzfus adds. Adding to the home’s appeal is the scenic landscape surrounding the property-with the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian Mountains to the west. Keep scrolling to see more of the home, currently listed for $425,000.



A look at the second bedroom, located opposite the principal suite.



The roof extends at two sides of the structure to form a carport at one end and a covered patio at the other.



The site features flowers and grasses that are native to the Shenandoah Valley. "The house, with its natural materials and simple, functional shape, lends itself to this kind of landscaping," Stoltzfus adds.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
High-Speed Train Collision in Southern Spain Kills at Least Twenty-One and Injures Scores
Meghan Markle May Return to the U.K. This Summer as Security Review Advances
Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat Sparks EU Response and Risks Deep Transatlantic Rift
Prince Harry’s High Court Battle With Daily Mail Publisher Begins in London
Trump’s Tariff Escalation Presents Complex Challenges for the UK Economy
UK Prime Minister Starmer Rebukes Trump’s Greenland Tariff Strategy as Transatlantic Tensions Rise
Prince Harry’s Last Press Case in UK Court Signals Potential Turning Point in Media and Royal Relations
OpenAI to Begin Advertising in ChatGPT in Strategic Shift to New Revenue Model
GDP Growth Remains the Most Telling Barometer of Britain’s Economic Health
Prince William and Kate Middleton Stay Away as Prince Harry Visits London Amid Lingering Rift
Britain Braces for Colder Weather and Snow Risk as Temperatures Set to Plunge
Mass Protests Erupt as UK Nears Decision on China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London
Prince Harry to Return to UK to Testify in High-Profile Media Trial Against Associated Newspapers
Keir Starmer Rejects Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat as ‘Completely Wrong’
Trump to hit Europe with 10% tariffs until Greenland deal is agreed
Prince Harry Returns to UK High Court as Final Privacy Trial Against Daily Mail Publisher Begins
Britain Confronts a Billion-Pound Wind Energy Paradox Amid Grid Constraints
The graduate 'jobpocalypse': Entry-level jobs are not shrinking. They are disappearing.
Cybercrime, Inc.: When Crime Becomes an Economy. How the World Accidentally Built a Twenty-Trillion-Dollar Criminal Economy
The Return of the Hands: Why the AI Age Is Rewriting the Meaning of “Real Work”
UK PM Kier Scammer Ridicules Tories With "Kamasutra"
Strategic Restraint, Credible Force, and the Discipline of Power
United Kingdom and Norway Endorse NATO’s ‘Arctic Sentry’ Mission Including Greenland
Woman Claiming to Be Freddie Mercury’s Secret Daughter Dies at Forty-Eight After Rare Cancer Battle
UK Launches First-Ever ‘Town of Culture’ Competition to Celebrate Local Stories and Boost Communities
Planned Sale of Shell and Exxon’s UK Gas Assets to Viaro Energy Collapses Amid Regulatory and Market Hurdles
UK Intensifies Arctic Security Engagement as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Fuels Allied Concern
Meghan Markle Could Return to the UK for the First Time in Nearly Four Years If Security Is Secured
Meghan Markle Likely to Return to UK Only if Harry Secures Official Security Cover
UAE Restricts Funding for Emiratis to Study in UK Amid Fears Over Muslim Brotherhood Influence
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks to Safeguard Long-Term Agreement Stability
Starmer’s Push to Rally Support for Action Against Elon Musk’s X Faces Setback as Canada Shuns Ban
UK Free School Meals Expansion Faces Political and Budgetary Delays
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks With Britain
Germany Hit by Major Airport Strikes Disrupting European Travel
Prince Harry Seeks King Charles’ Support to Open Invictus Games on UK Return
Washington Holds Back as Britain and France Signal Willingness to Deploy Troops in Postwar Ukraine
Elon Musk Accuses UK Government of Suppressing Free Speech as X Faces Potential Ban Over AI-Generated Content
Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missile in Strike on Ukraine
OpenAI and SoftBank Commit One Billion Dollars to Energy and Data Centre Supplier
UK Prime Minister Starmer Reaffirms Support for Danish Sovereignty Over Greenland Amid U.S. Pressure
UK Support Bolsters U.S. Seizure of Russian-Flagged Tanker Marinera in Atlantic Strike on Sanctions Evasion
The Claim That Maduro’s Capture and Trial Violate International Law Is Either Legally Illiterate—or Deliberately Deceptive
UK Data Watchdog Probes Elon Musk’s X Over AI-Generated Grok Images Amid Surge in Non-Consensual Outputs
Prince Harry to Return to UK for Court Hearing Without Plans to Meet King Charles III
UK Confirms Support for US Seizure of Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker in North Atlantic
Béla Tarr, Visionary Hungarian Filmmaker, Dies at Seventy After Long Illness
UK and France Pledge Military Hubs Across Ukraine in Post-Ceasefire Security Plan
Prince Harry Poised to Regain UK Security Cover, Clearing Way for Family Visits
UK Junk Food Advertising Ban Faces Major Loophole Allowing Brand-Only Promotions
×