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 STRATEGIES
Passive House (PHIUS)+ Source Zero Energy Certification
-1.88 pEUI
0.5 ACH 50
7 kW Roof-top solar PV array
Prefabricated, Wood-Fiber-Based Wall Assembly
Energy Recovery Ventilation
All electric systems
Reduced heating and cooling system size
Energy-Star appliances
High interior air quality
CONTRIBUTORS:
Builder: Hugh Lofting Timber Framing
Energy Verifier: DSB Energy
Energy Modeler & Consultant: Tight Bild
Structural Engineer: CKS Structures
Prefabricated Assembly Provider: Blueprint Robotics
Prefabricated Assembly System: Holzraum
Photography: Dave Apple