Over the past 10 years of being here in Washington DC, I have seen green building on the residential side take on various interpretations from LEED, NetZero, Energy Star and now Passive House. What has really struck me about Passive designed homes is they are pretty much back to the basics approach to building with an extensive eye towards all the details which have been overlooked in the process of trying to gain points for a level of certification.
Passive designed homes are all about the construction details and really thinking things through. The past year I have seen two Passive designed homes go up in the DC area, one by Peabody Architects in Bethesda MD which sold fairly quick and now one in Arlington VA.
Both builders took an existing structure that no longer fit the needs of today’s consumers ( condemned buildings ) and evaluated the lots for solar orientation and designed some truly unique homes comparatively speaking. Arlington County where Southern Exposure Homes is currently building the newest Passive House, is a county that is actively promoting such efforts through the Green Home Choice program.
Last weekend was the 1st time I had actually seen the Southern Exposure Homes Passive House and I was quite impressed with the scope of construction details and the thermal envelope they were creating through better design and attention to construction practices. All too often I see homes go up in the area with framing that lack any real insulation value to them leaving the eventual home owner with no real option other than paying excessive heating / cooling bills. The other factor is poorly insulated homes leave you with homes that deteriorate much quicker as well as wearing sweaters in winter and sweating in the Summer.
Roger Lin the builder of the Arlington Passive House mentioned that Passive Houses are suitable for all income levels and he is setting Southern Exposure Homes up as a way to demonstrate what is possible at all levels.
You can see the actual home in a time lapse video documenting the construction and attention to detail that is required. Video Link
