Rise | We've Done the Research
The Madrona Passive House
When you think of a location for green homes, you probably think of a spacious five-acre yard. One that allows for optimum placement, an efficient solar panel system, and advantages that come from larger lots. The Madrona Passive House in Seattle took on the challenge of achieving the world’s most demanding energy standards while being located on a city slope that was designated as an Environmental Critical Area (ECA).
Table of Contents
Why does that matter? ECA regulations stipulated that the house had to be built on or above the site where the former building had been constructed—severely limiting the design options. Despite this constraint, the house was still able to achieve the Zero Energy Certification as well as the U.S. Department of Energy’s Net Zero Ready Certification.
The home was designed and built as a collaboration between the owners Jabe Blumenthal and Julie Edsforth, Shed Architects, and Hammer & Hand.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
The main goal of the owners was to reduce the operational energy use of the home radically. Despite being 3,397 square feet, the Madrona Passive House was able to achieve Passive House standards, which is widely considered to be the most rigorous building standard.
How? Heating and cooling a home is typically the largest energy user, so limiting heat transfer between the inside and outside of the home naturally reduces the heating and cooling loads. As with most passive homes, it’s primarily about the building envelope and the home’s orientation towards the sun to capture and retain heat.
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
