A new construction 2,300SF residence built above an existing warehouse. Built to meet the rigorous Passive House Standard, this project was the first PHIUS Certified Single Family Passive House in the city of Philadelphia. With a combination of super insulated walls, roofs, and floors; triple pane windows; thorough air sealing; sun shading; and an energy recovery ventilator, this house uses 90% less energy for heating and cooling, and 75% less energy overall. The house is also NetZero Ready, which means the addition of an 8 Kilowatt solar panel array on the roof would provide all the electricity needed for the home.

This project features a 2,000SF garage on the first floor with the residence located on the second and third floor. The original roof timbers from the warehouse were re-purposed as both the stair treads and dining room table. The second floor features a generous chef's kitchen, and a double height living room. The large front windows are strategically shaded using a sculptural aluminum sunshade that blocks all of the sunlight during the summer months, but lets the sunshine in during the winter to provide "free" heating. The pattern of the laser cut aluminum shading panels was generated using photos from the clients honeymoon in Hawaii.

More information about the project and Passive House Institute US Certification criteria can be found here: http://www.phius.org/projects/1316

Architect & Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC): BluPath Design, Inc
Air Sealing Specialist: Epiphyte Builders LLC
Kitchen Design: Spyglass Design, Inc
Photographer: Sam Oberter