energy efficiency | studio3architecture

Passive House Construction Continues – 9/25/15

Framing continues at the Passive House. The once cavernous interior space has given way to more recognizable rooms. Along with pipes and electricity, the guts of the high-efficiency air exchange unit by Zehnder are on display. On the exterior, the window frames and TJIs have just finished being installed. The TJIs serve two purposes: They define the box that will hold about a foot of dense-packed cellulose insulation, critical to achieving a high R-Value; and they provide the structure for the siding. However, it will be some time before the siding can be installed. First we must conduct a blower door test. There are two over the course of construction, and now that the TJIs are installed the first is right around the corner.

The house is getting closer to its final shape, but there’s still much to be done for it to be certified “Passive”.

Passive House Construction Continues – 9/2/15

After the slow but steady pace of the foundation’s construction, the rest of the house seems to spring up while your head is turned. The posts one week, then the floor trusses the next, and most recently the balloon framing and roof trusses. The second floor trusses are next in line and will more fully define the interior space. The rough openings of the windows are already framing beautiful views of the outdoors.

But a good aesthetic is just one of the goals we’re aiming for in building this house. To be certified as a true Passive House, construction is being held to a rigorously high standard. The blue tape is a part of that – it is being used to close every gap between the interior and exterior of the house. By the end of construction, the house will be a sealed bubble with next to no air infiltration.

Winter in Vermont is a beautiful thing, but it doesn’t need to follow you into your home.

Passive House Construction Continues – 8/7/15

A construction site without the construction becomes, simply, a site. But this isn’t just an earthwork sculpture. Lone pipes, cast-in-place sill bolts, and antennae-like structural ties all await their turn in the process. They hint at the even more complex work yet to come.

Construction is in progress at the prototype Passive House!

Construction is in progress at Studio III Architecture’s prototype Passive House! As the foundations get their finishing touches, we reflect on how reality can force upon us design choices we wouldn’t otherwise expect. The original design called for screw pile foundations drilled into the soil as a way to float the main volume above the ground and reduce our carbon footprint by avoiding the use of concrete. Instead, bedrock covers almost all of our buildable area. And so we welcome concrete into our home, whether we want to or not. But at least no one can accuse us of building our house on sand.