91视频

and designed a house that will serve as a case study for sustainable design certifications.

The 4,000-square-foot , to be built in rural Yamhill County, is designed to be certified by three building rating systems: , a Swiss low-energy-consumption system; , a German energy efficiency system: and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design at a platinum level.

鈥淭he client threw the doors open and said, 鈥業’m going to make this an academic exercise,’鈥� said Corey Hawbecker, designer at Holst. 鈥淗e said, 鈥楴ot only will I get this home that I’ve wanted for awhile, but it’ll benefit the field by comparing and contrasting different rating systems.鈥�

The house was designed to have features that tailor to each system, though they often overlap.

To meet the goals of Minergie-P-ECO 鈥� the highest certification of Minergie 鈥� and Passive House, the envelope of the house had to be designed airtight. Both systems stem from the concept that structures can be heated passively through solar gains in the winter rather than mechanical equipment. To make sure Karuna House will be passively heated, each of its windows was individually designed to optimize natural light and heat. The windows facing the south, for example, are much more transparent than windows facing the north.

However, Menergie-P-ECO and Passive House differ in that Passive House is based purely on energy criteria and, therefore, does not take into account building materials. Both Menergie-P-ECO and LEED at the platinum level require that certain materials be used for finishes, floors, glue and paint. Consequently, the house will use primarily renewable materials, such as wood.

The Menergie-P-ECO criteria also takes into account the noise level of a house 鈥� a condition not included in LEED ratings. The Karuna House will contain sound attenuators in its ventilation system and acoustic dampening material in its walls and floors to prevent transfer of noise from one room to another.

鈥淏uilding this way is good for you from a long-term health perspective because your house is comfortable 鈥� not only temperature wise, but it’s quite and there are not a bunch of allergens in the house,鈥� Hawbecker said.

Hawbecker said the LEED platinum rating will be the toughest of the three designations to obtain because the house’s rural location will not be near public transportation, which is part of the system’s criteria. He hopes the other sustainable design aspects of the house will make up for its rural location.

鈥淚t’s all sort of a point-based system, so you choose your priorities,鈥� Hawbecker said. 鈥淵ou could use a stone floor everywhere, but you wouldn’t get a point, so you would have to make it up somewhere else.鈥�

The house is currently in its early construction phases. When completed, it is expected to be the first Menergie-certified house in North America, Hawbecker said.