Credits for Orchard Street House:
Architect: Jan Filllinger, AIA / STUDIO-E Architecture
Passive House Consultant: Jan Fillinger CPHC and Win Swafford CPHC
Landscape Architect: Justine Lovinger / Lovinger Robertson Landscape Architects
Contractor: Ecobuilding Collaborative of Oregon
Photography: Mike Dean Photography
The small, elegant & sustainable urban farmstead maximizes the potential of a typical urban lot. Every square foot responds to the existing features of the site to feed and house its owners while minimizing water and energy consumption. Directed by the imaginative yet clear aspirations of the client who demanded both sustainability and aesthetic harmony, Architect Jan Fillinger and Landscape Architect Justine Lovinger drafted the interior and exterior spaces simultaneously, working to weave the living environment together seamlessly. This home is elaborated further by the craftsmanship and green building experience of Builder Ecobuilding Collaborative of Oregon, which completes the core design team. From bare lot to finish details, this project is a testimony to the cohesion & benefits of dynamic design collaboration.
Inspirations of the client who demanded both sustainability and aesthetic harmony
Passive House is an integrated set of design principles for lowering energy demand to a practical minimum. In the Orchard Street Passive House, primary elements include:
- Ultra-low energy use (maximum of 4.75kBtu/sq. ft. per year for space heating)
- Super Insulation (combinations of closed cell and open cell spray foam, cellulose and rigid board insulation for R-85 Roof / R-70 Walls / R-90 Floor)
- Thermal Bridge-Free Construction (double 2×4 wall assembly modeled in THERM 5.2)
- Air Tightness (must achieve maximum 0.6 air changes per hour – 0.60 ACHS – for certification)
- High-Performance windows and doors (Unilux UltraThermo triple pane, with U-0.12 and SHGC 0.5)
- High-Efficiency Heat Recovery Ventilation (Zehnder ComfoAir 350, 84% efficient)
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Justine Lovinger
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Erik Bishoff Photography
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Erik Bishoff Photography
The center of the lot receives the most consistent solar exposure, arguing for the house and garden to compete for this valuable land. The solution of a long thin house sited on the northern buildable limit line not only capitalizes on maximum solar exposure for Passive House applications, but creates various microclimates for food production and outdoor living. The sheltered space between the ADU and the house forms the primary outdoor dining and living terrace in close proximity to the working garden. Raised beds are thoughtfully located to accommodate cool season crops like broccoli and cabbage, heat loving tomatoes and peppers, and even hardy citrus and figs. Trellised grapes over the primary southern windows contribute shade for passive cooling in the summer, and expose the windows to passive heat gain in the winter.
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © STUDIO-E
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © STUDIO-E
Honeybees and chickens complete the farmstead, providing not only honey and eggs, but vital pollination and manure to sustain the intensive agriculture on the site. Even here, careful consideration was given to siting the bees for morning sun, yet isolated from the neighbors, and chickens in the shade of the southern fence near the compost bins on the alley.
On-site reclaimed lumber, preservation of a huge Black Walnut Tree and beautiful hand crafted detailing
The Orchard Street Passive House goes further with these additional features: [row][column size=’1/2′]
- On-site reclaimed lumber
- Preservation of a huge Black Walnut Tree on-site
- Continuous monitoring through Web Energy Loggers
- Rain garden rain catchment strategy
- 5 kw PV system to achieve Net-Zero-Energy performance
- Double gypsum board interior finish for thermal mass
- Solar Thermal hot water
- Compact layout < 1250 sf
- Beautiful hand crafted detailing
- Compact edible landscape custom designed for intensive food production
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Mike Dean Photography
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Mike Dean Photography
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Mike Dean Photography
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Mike Dean Photography
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Mike Dean Photography
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Mike Dean Photography
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Mike Dean Photography
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Mike Dean Photography
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Mike Dean Photography
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Mike Dean Photography
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Mike Dean Photography
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Justine Lovinger
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Justine Lovinger
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Justine Lovinger
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © STUDIO-E
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © STUDIO-E
- Orchard Street House by STUDIO-E Architecture | Photo © Erik Bishoff Photography
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