Viridescent Building
Net Positive Passive House
Completion
Completion date 12/29/2015
Occupancy
This building is owner occupied. While the building was designed as a house, it is being used as an office. There are currently 10 full time work stations a part time (or visitor's) work station and a reception desk that currently is unoccupied. There are currently 9 full-time workers employed in the building and work on typical business calendar days from 8:30 to 5:00. They are the creative department of a marketing company so it is not uncommon for the occasional employee to work a couple of hours extra in a day.
Days per year Building is fully occupied: 255
Scope
This is a new building built on the site of a demolished house. The existing home that was demolished was part of a larger piece of property that is zoned as "Commercial". The demolished home was, therefore, a nonconforming structure in that it had a residential use in a commercial zone. Furthermore the house set well inside the setbacks with which any new commercial construction would have to comply. It was therefore decided by the owner to replace the demolished home with a new building that could function as either a residential structure or a small commercial office building. The new building was therefore designed primarily as a house so that it could remain within the setbacks. Presently, all certifications and modeling of the building are of a residential home. It should be known, however, that the building is currently being used and monitored as an office building occupied by 9 employees. It has not been determined whether the owner will seek passive house (PHIUS +) certification for the building as an office as well.
Type of Construction
New
Number of buildings
1
Floor area of each building
1,800
Bedrooms
2
Bathrooms
2.0
Stories
2
Conditioned Building Volume
14,864 cu ft
Conditioned Floor Area
1,388 sq ft
Location and Climate Details
Office / Single-Family Residence
Address
91 Johnson Rd.
Falmouth, ME 04105
United States
Location Type
Suburaban
Climate Region
Zone 6
Köppen Climate Type
Dfb
Lat. / Long.
POINT (-70.220853 43.74107)
Elevation
87 ft
Solar Insolation
4.10 kWh/m2/day
Annual CDD and Base Temp
585 | 65 deg F
Annual HDD and Base Temp
7062 | 65 deg F
Site
Site conditions: previously developed land
Site description: This is a new building built on the site of a demolished house. The existing home that was demolished was part of a larger piece of property that is zoned as "Commercial". The demolished home was, therefore, a nonconforming structure in that it had a residential use in a commercial zone. Furthermore the house set well inside the setbacks with which any new commercial construction would have to comply. It was therefore decided by the owner to replace the demolished home with a new building that could function as either a residential structure or a small commercial office building. The new building was therefore designed primarily as a house so that it could remain within the setbacks. Presently, all certifications and modeling of the building are of a residential home. It should be known, however, that the building is currently being used and monitored as an office building occupied by 9 employees. The site is in a suburban setting on the border of a commercial and residential zone. It sits on an elevated site adjacent to a well traveled road.
Materials and Design Strategy
Materials: Exterior:
--The wood siding is Cambia (a torrified poplar) (http://www.cambiawood.com/) . Local hardwood is kiln fired at high temperatures (500 degrees F approximately) in an oxygen-free environment so that the wood cant ignite. The smoke and gasses that are produced from this process are captured and ignited to power the kiln reducing the energy consumption of production. (The wood is from Maine and the process is in neighboring NH).
--Nichiha fiber cement siding (http://www.nichiha.com/products/detail-dev/architecturalblock). It is manufactured from a pressed, stamped, and autoclaved mix of Portland cement, fly ash, silica, recycled rejects, and wood fiber bundles. It has one of the higher pre-consumer recycled content of the available fibercement products at 25% for fly ash and 15% for a total 40% by weight.
--Trim is Boral Truexterior. It is a polymerized fly ash composite product. (http://www.boralamerica.com/truexterior) It is 70% pre-consumer recycled fly ash and is cradle to cradle certified (silver). It is hichly durable and rot resisitant.
---Insulation: The majority of the building's above grade insulation is dense packed cellulose, which is recycled newsprint treated with a borate. 13,000 pounds of cellulose were installed in this building.
--The frost protected slab minimizes the use of concrete in lieu of large amounts of type 9 EPS rigid foam insulation. EPS has a lower global warming impact than its more frequently used cousin XPS.
Interior:
--The finish on the first floor is polished concrete. (No added materials beyond the densifyer).
--The second floor finish is local white oak that has been stained with "Black Magic" (white vinegar and steel wool that has been stored in a 5 gallon bucket for 48 hours. After being applied the wood turns charcoal gray) it was then finished with three coats of poly whey (PolyWhey Floor finish is an evolved clear coating that uses recycled whey protein to make a durable and safe sealer and topcoat in one) http://www.vermontnaturalcoatings.com/our-products/polywhey-natural-floo...
--The interior doors are urea-formaldehyde free doors from Masonite's Safe-n-sound series. (https://www.masonite.com/pdf/architecturalSpecs/TechnicalSpecSheet-1-3-8...) The are 54% pre-consumer recycled content, and 46% rapidly renewable content by weight.
--The interior running trim is all local poplar.
--All interior paints are zero VOC
--Cabinetry is from Executive Cabinetry and contains no added urea formaldehyde and is Greenguard certified at a gold level (http://www.executivecabinetry.com/)
--The counter top in the kitchen is Richlite (http://www.richlite.com/northwest/) is made from recycled paper and paper pulp in a nonphenolic resign and has a minimum recycled content of 50%
Special architectural measures: • Passive House Design Standards
• Substantial Renewables. Net Positive (19.4 kW array, generates roughly twice what it consumes)
• Vapor-open wall (Larsen truss wall) and roof assemblies.
• Frost protected 8 inch thick polished concrete slab provides substantial thermal mass.
• Triple pane European tilt-turn windows (u=0.088, SHGC=0.5) create tightly sealed, well insulated portals for natural daylight and solar energy.
• Passive solar design (orientation, fenestration, thermal mass, and shading) provide the primary means of thermal comfort and financial efficacy.
• Energy Modeling with WUFI Passive
• Hygrothermic Modeling of assemblies (also with WUFI Passive) to ensure resiliency and durability.
• Tightly sealed and tested. (0.54 ACH50)
• 90% efficient iERV (combination ERV and HRV) to ensure a high level of indoor air quality while maintaining energy efficiency.
• High efficiency Ductless Mini-split heatpumps.
• Water conserving plumbing fixtures (water sense and dual flush toilets)
• 100% LED lighting
• Resource-efficient finishes, materials and products (i.e. zero VOC paints, UFF millwork and doors, torrified local hardwood siding, local FSC oak flooring finished with vinegar and steel wool or “black magic” and polywhey)
• Performance Tested by RESNET, Zero Energy Homes, and PHIUS Rater
• Energy Modeling installed to monitor building’s performance
LCA Description: LCA was not used
Indoor Environment Description: All coatings and finishes specified were either zero VOC or Low VOC emmiting materials. Also a balanced iERV ventilation system was installed to provide .3 air changes per hour of controlled ventilation for the building's air volume.
Completion
Occupancy
This building is owner occupied. While the building was designed as a house, it is being used as an office. There are currently 10 full time work stations a part time (or visitor's) work station and a reception desk that currently is unoccupied. There are currently 9 full-time workers employed in the building and work on typical business calendar days from 8:30 to 5:00. They are the creative department of a marketing company so it is not uncommon for the occasional employee to work a couple of hours extra in a day.
Scope
This is a new building built on the site of a demolished house. The existing home that was demolished was part of a larger piece of property that is zoned as "Commercial". The demolished home was, therefore, a nonconforming structure in that it had a residential use in a commercial zone. Furthermore the house set well inside the setbacks with which any new commercial construction would have to comply. It was therefore decided by the owner to replace the demolished home with a new building that could function as either a residential structure or a small commercial office building. The new building was therefore designed primarily as a house so that it could remain within the setbacks. Presently, all certifications and modeling of the building are of a residential home. It should be known, however, that the building is currently being used and monitored as an office building occupied by 9 employees. It has not been determined whether the owner will seek passive house (PHIUS +) certification for the building as an office as well.
| Type of Construction | New |
|---|---|
| Number of buildings | 1 |
| Floor area of each building | 1,800 |
| Bedrooms | 2 |
| Bathrooms | 2.0 |
| Stories | 2 |
| Conditioned Building Volume | 14,864 cu ft |
| Conditioned Floor Area | 1,388 sq ft |
Location and Climate Details
Office / Single-Family Residence
| Address |
91 Johnson Rd. Falmouth, ME 04105
United States |
|---|---|
| Location Type | Suburaban |
| Climate Region | Zone 6 |
| Köppen Climate Type | Dfb |
| Lat. / Long. | POINT (-70.220853 43.74107) |
| Elevation | 87 ft |
| Solar Insolation | 4.10 kWh/m2/day |
| Annual CDD and Base Temp | 585 | 65 deg F |
| Annual HDD and Base Temp | 7062 | 65 deg F |
Site
This is a new building built on the site of a demolished house. The existing home that was demolished was part of a larger piece of property that is zoned as "Commercial". The demolished home was, therefore, a nonconforming structure in that it had a residential use in a commercial zone. Furthermore the house set well inside the setbacks with which any new commercial construction would have to comply. It was therefore decided by the owner to replace the demolished home with a new building that could function as either a residential structure or a small commercial office building. The new building was therefore designed primarily as a house so that it could remain within the setbacks. Presently, all certifications and modeling of the building are of a residential home. It should be known, however, that the building is currently being used and monitored as an office building occupied by 9 employees. The site is in a suburban setting on the border of a commercial and residential zone. It sits on an elevated site adjacent to a well traveled road.
Materials and Design Strategy
Exterior:
--The wood siding is Cambia (a torrified poplar) (http://www.cambiawood.com/) . Local hardwood is kiln fired at high temperatures (500 degrees F approximately) in an oxygen-free environment so that the wood cant ignite. The smoke and gasses that are produced from this process are captured and ignited to power the kiln reducing the energy consumption of production. (The wood is from Maine and the process is in neighboring NH).
--Nichiha fiber cement siding (http://www.nichiha.com/products/detail-dev/architecturalblock). It is manufactured from a pressed, stamped, and autoclaved mix of Portland cement, fly ash, silica, recycled rejects, and wood fiber bundles. It has one of the higher pre-consumer recycled content of the available fibercement products at 25% for fly ash and 15% for a total 40% by weight.
--Trim is Boral Truexterior. It is a polymerized fly ash composite product. (http://www.boralamerica.com/truexterior) It is 70% pre-consumer recycled fly ash and is cradle to cradle certified (silver). It is hichly durable and rot resisitant.
---Insulation: The majority of the building's above grade insulation is dense packed cellulose, which is recycled newsprint treated with a borate. 13,000 pounds of cellulose were installed in this building.
--The frost protected slab minimizes the use of concrete in lieu of large amounts of type 9 EPS rigid foam insulation. EPS has a lower global warming impact than its more frequently used cousin XPS.
Interior:
--The finish on the first floor is polished concrete. (No added materials beyond the densifyer).
--The second floor finish is local white oak that has been stained with "Black Magic" (white vinegar and steel wool that has been stored in a 5 gallon bucket for 48 hours. After being applied the wood turns charcoal gray) it was then finished with three coats of poly whey (PolyWhey Floor finish is an evolved clear coating that uses recycled whey protein to make a durable and safe sealer and topcoat in one) http://www.vermontnaturalcoatings.com/our-products/polywhey-natural-floo...
--The interior doors are urea-formaldehyde free doors from Masonite's Safe-n-sound series. (https://www.masonite.com/pdf/architecturalSpecs/TechnicalSpecSheet-1-3-8...) The are 54% pre-consumer recycled content, and 46% rapidly renewable content by weight.
--The interior running trim is all local poplar.
--All interior paints are zero VOC
--Cabinetry is from Executive Cabinetry and contains no added urea formaldehyde and is Greenguard certified at a gold level (http://www.executivecabinetry.com/)
--The counter top in the kitchen is Richlite (http://www.richlite.com/northwest/) is made from recycled paper and paper pulp in a nonphenolic resign and has a minimum recycled content of 50%
• Passive House Design Standards
• Substantial Renewables. Net Positive (19.4 kW array, generates roughly twice what it consumes)
• Vapor-open wall (Larsen truss wall) and roof assemblies.
• Frost protected 8 inch thick polished concrete slab provides substantial thermal mass.
• Triple pane European tilt-turn windows (u=0.088, SHGC=0.5) create tightly sealed, well insulated portals for natural daylight and solar energy.
• Passive solar design (orientation, fenestration, thermal mass, and shading) provide the primary means of thermal comfort and financial efficacy.
• Energy Modeling with WUFI Passive
• Hygrothermic Modeling of assemblies (also with WUFI Passive) to ensure resiliency and durability.
• Tightly sealed and tested. (0.54 ACH50)
• 90% efficient iERV (combination ERV and HRV) to ensure a high level of indoor air quality while maintaining energy efficiency.
• High efficiency Ductless Mini-split heatpumps.
• Water conserving plumbing fixtures (water sense and dual flush toilets)
• 100% LED lighting
• Resource-efficient finishes, materials and products (i.e. zero VOC paints, UFF millwork and doors, torrified local hardwood siding, local FSC oak flooring finished with vinegar and steel wool or “black magic” and polywhey)
• Performance Tested by RESNET, Zero Energy Homes, and PHIUS Rater
• Energy Modeling installed to monitor building’s performance
LCA was not used