Designed by Reading-based architect Steven Baczek, the house is being constructed according to Passivhaus standards. It is heated mostly by natural sunlight, super-insulated to maintain the heat, and ventilated with a mechanical system, maintaining ideal temperatures and humidity levels within the house. When complete, the home is expected to use 80% less energy than a similar sized house.
Entry and exit of air and water into the home has been designed for maximum efficiency. The house is designed to be super-tight with the only air leakage being from a maximum of five holes in the exterior, equaling the total area of a three-by-five inch index card. The home will be heated by large south-facing windows that warm the house during the day, and a mechanical ventilation system that moves the air throughout the house using the bathroom fans. A heat exchange unit functions as an air conditioner in the summer and a heater in the winter, transferring the energy from the hot or cool stale air to the fresh air.
The house also features a metal roof and photovoltaic solar panels. The house is built on a slab with a crawl space filled with insulation. When complete, the house will have R-100 insulation in the attic, R-60 in the walls, and R-70 in the floor. The construction is actually a frame within a frame, with 17 inches for insulation between the exterior wall and the interior of the house. There will be three layers of insulation in the walls, a rigid foam layer, closed cell foam, and blown in fiberglass insulation. The house will also feature triple-glazed windows from Canadian company Thermotech windows, which will allow sunlight and heat into the home, with minimal heat to escape. The house will not have a fireplace and gas burning devices. Even the clothes dryer is a condensing dryer that has no vent to the outside to maintain the air envelope within the house.
The interior of the home is a two-storey structure, with a central staircase, and an open floor plan on the first floor and bedrooms upstairs. The three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath-house will have 1,900 square feet of finished space with no basement.
A computer model of the house was created to test the heat loss and mechanical ventilation system before construction. During construction, the house is being tested for air-tightness by using a blower door test.
The home is located on Upalong Road in Davisville on Bournes Pond in Falmouth. The 5.7-acre parcel and existing cottage were purchased in 2009 by Daniel Kahn of Needham for $1.19 million. The Valle Group in East Falmouth is the contractor of the house. Construction of the house began in August 2009, and will be completed in late 2010.
The passive house standard of building is based on a European model that is becoming popular in the US. There are currently only 14 certified passive houses in the country.
