Update 3/31/2011: The First Passive House in North Carolina.
Recently we caught wind of a Passive House under construction in North Carolina. Chris Senior, certified Passive House consultant, along with his company Anchorage Building Corporation, the contractor, sent us these media files and a note that the home will be on the Raleigh area NAHB National Green Building Home Tour on May 15 and 22.
It’s interesting to see Passive Houses — like the Breezeway House in Millcreek, Utah — gain more and more recognition in both the mainstream media and design and construction circles. Another project worth keeping an eye on, Passive House in the Woods, is quietly moving forward with carbon neutral ambitions and a goal to be the first Passive House in the state of Wisconsin.
G•O Logic, a design-build collaboration of architect Matthew O’Malia and builder Alan Gibson, has been working on a prototype home with considerable aspirations. When complete, Gibson and O’Malia hope the net-zero energy home receives both Passive House and LEED Platinum certification. The Belfast home has about 1,500 square feet of space and could go on the market for a price as low as $225,000, according to The Maine Public Broadcasting Network.
As the years go by, it’s interesting to see the same innovators pushing the envelope in new ways. For instance, ZeroEnergy Design, a design firm that we mentioned with the net-zero energy Truro Home and solar-powered English Residence, and Aedi Construction, a builder that we mentioned with the LEED certified 53 Standish Street, are working together on this handsome Passive House retreat in Little Compton, Rhode Island.
Update: Read our owner interview with more background on this project.
This beautiful home will be the first certified Passive House in Utah. Passive House consultant Dave Brach, principal of Brach Design Architecture, anticipates receiving a certificate in the next week or so. He designed the Breezeway House to consume only 10% of the energy of an existing single family home of the same size and location and 20% of the energy of a new home built to code. What’s more, solar electric and hot water panels should produce about 75% of the home’s annual energy needs.
Yesterday, a new green home design studio called Fab-Homes launched a collection of pre-designed Passive Houses for the North American market. The Vancouver-based company designed the homes to consume up to 90% less energy for heating, cooling, and operations. The actual Passive House standard will be the goal, although these homes won’t necessarily be required to satisfy the standard’s rigorous efficiency requirements.
