The largest Passive House in the nation will be completed within a year in Hillsboro, Oregon, the Oregonian reports.
The Passive House structure will be the first of three phases for the Orchards at Orenco project, which aims to construct mixed-availability buildings and provide 150 units of affordable housing.
The Passivhaus ("Passive House" in the U.S.), a concept founded in the 1990s by German physicist Wolfgang Feist, is a strict building standard that decreases energy used for heating and cooling by up to 90%. While the standard spread quickly in Europe (by 2010, the continent had 25,000 Passivhaus-rated structures), the U.S. has been slow to adopt the standard. Only about 100 Passive House projects exist across the country.
Here are more details on the Orchards at Orenco project, courtesy Walsh Construction:
REACH Community Development continues its affordable home-building program with the launch of its Orchards at Orenco project this month at Hillsboro’s Orenco Station.
REACH, a nonprofit with nearly 1,900 units of affordable housing, is beginning construction of the 57-unit first phase of Orchards at Orenco, a three-building complex that will eventually provide about 150 units affordable housing. Phase 1 will serve families earning 50 percent or less of the area median family income, or about $30,000.
The project is designed by William Wilson Architects and Ankrom Moisan Architects; and Green Hammer is the Passive House Consultant.
The $14.5 million project is financed with $9 million in tax credits purchased by Wells Fargo Bank, a $2.4 million permanent loan with Oregon state credits and contributions from the Washington County, Meyer Memorial Trust, Energy Trust of Oregon and NeighborWorks America.
Key Passive House features include:
- The roof will have 12 inches of insulation, about four times what is required. The light color will reflect solar radiation and help moderate the building temperature.
- PVC-fiberglass hybrid windows will have argon-filled triple pane glazing and are designed to close tighter than more common models.
- The building is positioned to keep the building comfortable in summer months with shading devices that allow winter sun but block it in the summer.
- The building’s super-insulated envelope includes four inches of foam insulation under the ground floor slab.
Related Stories
| Feb 5, 2014
M&A activity down in 2013 among architecture, engineering firms: Report
In 2013, consultant Morrissey Goodale observed 168 sales of U.S.-based architecture and engineering (“A/E”) firms – down nearly 7% from the record 180 sales of U.S.-based A/E firms in 2012.
| Feb 5, 2014
BIA Opens Entries for 25th Annual Brick in Architecture Awards
Entries open on February 10 for the Brick Industry Association's (BIA) Brick in Architecture Awards. Celebrating its silver anniversary, BIA's annual honors spotlight outstanding, innovative and sustainable architecture that incorporates clay brick products as the predominant exterior building or paving material.
| Feb 5, 2014
Multifamily Housing, Green Building, Market Trends, Innovation to be Prime Topics at MBI’s World of Modular
More than 600 developers, contractors, architects, builders, dealers and equipment/service suppliers are expected at the event, slated for March 21-24 in San Antonio, Texas, and hosted by the Modular Building Institute.
| Feb 5, 2014
7 towers that define the 'skinny skyscraper' boom [slideshow]
Recent advancements in structural design, combined with the loosening of density and zoning requirements, has opened the door for the so-called "superslim skyscraper."
| Feb 4, 2014
World's fifth 'living building' certified at Smith College [slideshow]
The Bechtel Environmental Classroom utilizes solar power, composting toilets, and an energy recovery system, among other sustainable strategies, to meet the rigorous performance requirements of the Living Building Challenge.
| Feb 4, 2014
Must see: Student housing complex made with recycled shipping containers
Architect Christian Salvati's new structure is just the first step in bringing shipping container construction to New Haven, Conn.
| Feb 3, 2014
Gehry wins bid to design Berlin's tallest tower [slideshow]
The architect's "rotating cubes" scheme for the 300-unit residential tower beat out design submissions by eight other prominent firms, including Adjaye Associates and David Chipperfield Architects.
| Jan 31, 2014
Trump Hotel Collections announces luxury hotel for Rio de Janeiro
The 13-story, 171-guestroom Trump Rio will be Trump Hotel Collection’s first property in South America and the only luxury hotel in the neighborhood when it opens in 2016.
| Jan 31, 2014
LEGO, Google partner to develop 3D modeling tool for LEGO structures
The free tool, called Build, allows Chrome users to create virtual 3D structures using any shape and color in the LEGO catalog.
| Jan 31, 2014
Ultra-modern McDonald's restaurant voted one of world's best new buildings
This McDonald's, which is combined with a fuel station and recreation areas, was awarded the Best Commercial Building of the Year by architecture website ArchDaily.