Located in the Soo Valley, about a 20-minute drive from Whistler and 90 minutes from Vancouver, this off-grid house fits right into its pristine natural setting. Designed by architecture firm Perkins & Will, the home is a pilot for a future alpine settlement by Delta Land Development in British Columbia’s Pacific Range.

The house currently serves as a model for what Passive House structures can look and feel like. “It’s a small example, and it represents what I believe to be the way things should be done,” says Bruce Langereis, president of Delta Land Development. “It involves being more considerate of energy efficiency, health and wellness, and minimizing your carbon footprint.”

Buildings account for close to 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to Delta Land, and the developer seeks to lower the impact of homes through sustainable building strategies—Passive Houses require up to 90 percent less heating and cooling energy than conventional buildings.

“Buildings are contributors to carbon,” Langereis said. “That propelled me to lead our company with a radical new approach to how can we do what we are doing in a climate-positive way.”

The 2,450-square-foot house is built to the Passive House Low-Energy Building Standard, and it embraces the strict sustainability guidelines set forth by the Passive House Institute in Germany.

The Soo Valley house is airtight, with no heat gain or loss. Its walls are lined with wool insulation, and the windows are precisely sealed. In the end, the home’s high-performance envelope makes it super energy efficient.

Limited glazing helps prevent heat gain or loss, and the three-bedroom, three-bath home is built from energy-efficient (and beautiful) materials like locally harvested Douglas fir instead of traditional drywall.

Using timber in the construction process allowed Delta Land to get to a carbon-negative state, since trees store carbon. They also avoided using large quantities of carbon-heavy materials like concrete, steel, and glass.

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The Passive House–certified building collects water, treats its own waste, and has zero emissions. It also doesn’t use fossil fuels—its principle energy source is the sun. For heating, the house uses a GeoExchange geothermal heat pump. And it embraces natural ventilation with cleverly placed windows. Water is drawn from a well, and waste collects in a septic system.

In order to commit to a zero-fossil-fuels stand, the home’s back-up generator doesn’t run on diesel. Instead, the design team imported a hydrogen generator from Israel that cost around $150,000.

In addition to using sustainable materials and systems, Delta Land used environmentally sensitive and efficient construction methods. Most of the house was prefabricated at a facility 30 minutes away, and then it was assembled on-site with a crane and team of workers.

Passive houses have a long-term positive impact on future generations, and Langereis stresses that we need to think about energy-efficient houses to combat climate change.

“We need to think about the long-term impacts when we make homes,” Langereis said. “It’s not just about the person moving in now. What is the impact of the home on future generations, and its affect on climate? Why not hedge against climate change, and do our best to not contribute to the problem and respond in a responsible way? It starts at home.”

Related Reading:

How Does a Passive House Work?

6 Off-Grid Prefab Homes For Self-Sufficient Living

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Perkins & Will

Builder/General Contractor: Durfeld Constructors / BC Passive House

Structural Engineer: Glotman Simpson Engineers

Lighting Design: Integral Group

Solar Design: VREC

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