Window and door manufacturer Marvin challenged architects to combine aesthetics and energy efficiency by using the company’s products in new home construction and remodeling projects. Of the nine myMarvin Architect’s Challenge winners this year, seven residential projects were chosen for their use of windows to improve the structures’ architectural quality and energy efficiency. View the slideshow for images of each project.

Family Retreat, Tyringham, Mass.
Donald Giambastiani, Solomon+Bauer+Giambastiani Architects, Watertown, Mass.
The project sits on a secluded, 500-acre site and includes remnants of a 19th-century barn. Its stone facing and cedar shingles hark back to its New England setting while inside, cathedral ceilings and clerestory windows complement an open floor plan.

Block Island House, Block Island, R.I.
Estes/Twombly Architects, Newport, R.I.
The architects incorporated a building façade that uses a gable to extend into the roof and added a shed front porch that connects between the two “blocks” that make up the home.
Read residential architect’sprofile on Estes/Twombly.

Leicester House, Asheville, N.C.
Eric Gartner, SPG Architects, New York
Facing south and west, the home’s entry level includes a living room, dining room, and master bedroom while a lower-level guest wing hosts two bedrooms and a media room.

Neoclassical Residence, Princeton Borough, N.J.
Catherine M. Knight, AIA, Knight Architects, Princeton, N.J.
The architects took on the historical renovation of an 1895 Neoclassical home and added a wing to each side of the home.

North Woods Lake Home, Grand Rapids, Minn. 
Todd Hansen, Albertsson Hansen Architecture, Minneapolis
The home’s open floor plan and large, double-hung windows connect with the outdoor landscape and nearby lake.

Tynte Park Lodge, County Wicklow, Ireland
Patrick Lennon, County Wicklow, Ireland.
This 200-year-old Irish structure originally was a school and private chapel but was converted to a residence in the 1970s. A 1999 two-story addition included a kitchen and dining area as well as a master bedroom and windows to connect with the exterior gardens.

Utah Street Residence, Arlington, Va.
Jon Hensley and Sunny Carroll, Jon Hensley Architects, Arlington, Va.
This kitchen and living-area addition turned the existing kitchen into a larger dining area while introducing natural light into the new kitchen space.