Furnace-Free House

The theme of this house is design and efficiency working together. Built in 2010 with CTI and OneWatt Construction, this house uses Passive House techniques of superinsulation, airtightness, and continuous heat-recovery-ventilation to ensure comfort, great indoor air quality, and energy efficiency. The floor plan was developed to optimize daylight and solar gain and to create strong connections to the neighborhood (via the front porch) and private back yard (via the screened porch).

Inside and out, this is a complete “green” house. The house achieves 70% better energy performance than a new built-to-code house, while stylishly fitting the block. Materials and fixtures were selected for efficiency, recycled content, local production, non-toxicity, and durability. Landscape design uses native plantings, RTF turf, a water garden, and permeable paving.