RED CLAY PASSIVE
Single Family Residential
New Construction
3,500 SF
Kennett Square, PA
This project investigates the notions of a Shaker farmhouse in a contemporary, low carbon context. Like the barns that dot its agrarian landscape, the house is simple in shape, absent of ornament, and constrained in material expression.
It’s simple, vernacular form steps down with the sloped site and orients its long axis towards the south, maximizing solar exposure during winter months. Exemplifying a “New Carbon” architecture, this house and adjacent out building avoid the inconsistencies and waste of conventional ‘stick-built construction’. Instead it uses an innovative, wood-fiber-based, panelized assembly system to streamline construction and minimize embodied carbon; all wall and roof components are prefabricated within seventy miles of the project site.
PROJECT STATS
Passive House (PHIUS)+ 2018 Source Zero Energy Certification
Building Metrics:
Predicted Energy Use Intensity (pEUI): -1.87 kBtu/sf/yr
Home Energy Rating Score (HERS Index): -11
Airtightness (measured): 0.05 cfm/sf; 0.72 ACH50
Building Envelope:
Slab On Grade: R-25
Below Grade Walls: R-25
Above Grade Walls: R-36
Roof: R-53
Windows: Average SHGC 0.5, average U-Value .14
Skylights: Average SHGC 0.19, U-Value 0.19
Building Systems:
Power / Fuel Source(s): All electric
Renewable Energy: Solar PV array (8.76 kW system size)
Heating & Cooling: Ground-source heat pump
Energy recovery ventilation
Domestic Hot Water: Heat-pump water heater
Appliances: Energy-Star
LED lighting
Modular (panelized) wood-fiber-based wall & roof assemblies
Project Team:
Builder: Hugh Lofting Timber Framing
Energy Verifier: DSB Energy
Energy Modeler & Consultant: Holzraum (Ilka Cassidy)
Structural Engineer: CKS Structures
Prefabricated Assembly Provider: Blueprint Robotics
Prefabricated Assembly System: Holzraum
Photography: Sam Oberter