Passive House Prototype –
Art & Science

The Art + Science Passive House Prototype is a perfect example of how good design is a mixture of creativity and science.  It blends Passive House design, envelope science, and high-performance detailing within a dramatic form intended to inspire a creative mind.

Read More

The modern home has a simple conceptual form: two stacked boxes that are staggered, creating covered areas and open decks without additional appendages.  The material palette draws from West Coast Modernism with warm woods accented by dark tones.

Although designed for a specific property and orientation, we are also offering it as a prototype for interested future clients as well.  It can be customized and tweaked to suit other properties of similar proportion and orientation with a south facing rear elevation.

A driving factor of the design, was to create a sense of community for those living on the property as well as to reach out to the surrounding neighbourhood. The site includes a large front yard, intentionally open to the sidewalk, with hardscaping meant to invite neighbours to gather and connect.  A floating landscape platform at bench height forms part of the procession from the sidewalk to the front door, while providing bench height seating for impromptu gatherings.  In addition, the house includes a large and shared creative space, lovingly dubbed the “gym/jam” studio.  It is accessible from the backyard and serves as an amenity to those who live in the primary house, secondary suite, as well as the laneway house. The “gym/jam” studio, is an acoustically insulated rehearsal space and provides a creative outlet and cultural hub on the property. It is a flexible space that can be used as a gym, for performances and small gatherings, for recording, and as an art and photography studio with high ceilings.  Alternately, it can easily be converted into an extension of the secondary suite.

The Art + Science Passive House Prototype design is highly motivated by a desire to minimize the impact of this home on the planet, not only by targeting the aggressive Passive House standard, but also a commitment to limiting embodied carbon.

Passive House is part of a critical response to climate change, not only due to the reduced energy consumption, but also durability, the longevity of the build, providing energy independence, thermal resilience in the event of power outages or natural disasters, occupant comfort, the intuitive design and building science, and of course the proven track record.    It is simply a better way to design and build.

We go beyond energy consumption, and look at life-cycle implications of the project, and embodied carbon as well.  The home is vinyl-free, using alternates such as fiberglass windows, engineered hardwood flooring, rapidly renewable cork flooring, as well as recycled rubber flooring, and more sustainable membranes.

Architecture: ONE SEED Architecture + Interiors

Interiors: ONE SEED Architecture + Interiors

CPHD: ONE SEED Architecture + Interiors

Certifier: CertiPHIers

Structural: Twin Peaks Engineering

Sustainable • Evocative • Efficient • Distinct

Vancouver* Studio 604.566.9808
Victoria* Studio 778.265.2008
info@oneseed.ca
       
Bold and Award-Winning Designs – Based in Vancouver* and Victoria*
* Based in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, as well as the Lkwungen (Esquimalt and Songhees), Malahat, Pacheedaht, Scia’new, T’Sou-ke and W̱SÁNEĆ (Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum) peoples.
©2021 One SEED TM Architecture + Interiors Inc.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This