By Heather Sandy Hebert | GFDA Contributor. Photographs by Paul Dyer.
When Signum Architecture partner, Jarrod Denton, received a call about a new residential project in Santa Rosa, the conversation began in a fairly straightforward manner, much like the initial calls with many of his prospective clients. However, when the husband and wife owners asked about airtight construction just a few minutes into the conversation, he knew this was not going to be a typical project.
This couple — both of whom work in technology — had done an enormous amount of research on the U.S. The Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home program, developing a solid foundation of knowledge about high-performance homes. They were committed to building an energy-efficient house, but surprisingly, despite their exhaustive research, they had never encountered Passive House principles. Yet as they described their goals to Jarrod, he realized they were already thinking like Passive House clients. Once he introduced them to PHIUS, they enthusiastically signed on to build to PHIUS standards.
“This was the first time where the client knew nearly as much about building science as most building professionals I know.” – Jarrod Denton
The clients, who were living in a townhome in Silicon Valley, were looking to start a family, and were frustrated with the density and noise of their current home. True to their detail-oriented natures, they launched a search, identified a dozen locations in the nation they could move to, and then ranked them based on their needs. When they pooled their data, their careful analysis pointed decisively to Santa Rosa as the number one place to land. It checked every box, and having family nearby was the icing on the cake.
Though they wanted to build from the ground up, their budget dictated they purchase a parcel in an established neighborhood. The lot they found was located in Santa Rosa’s Fountaingrove neighborhood, directly in the path of the 2017 Tubbs Fire. Their new house would replace a home that had burned to the ground in that fire, adding the need for fire resiliency to their goals of sustainability and energy efficiency.
An unusual partnership
This project brought together a team that was not only skilled, but eager to grow and advance in their knowledge and understanding of Passive House principles and technologies – an all-too-rare example of a project where every team member was fully dialed in.
It started, of course, with the clients, who had formed an enormous well of knowledge through diligent research. They came to the project with a conceptual design conceived, adjacencies established, systems goals laid out, and list of products in mind. Jarrod — a pioneering expert in sustainable, high-efficiency design who was one of the earliest certified Passive House consultants in the United States — led the design. This was the first Passive House project for contractors, Wright Residential, who embraced the opportunity to expand and establish their skill set in Passive House construction.
Aspirational goals within a realistic budget
This couple had a real budget, and their work to secure financing tied to the high-efficiency aspects of the home was instrumental in enabling the project to move forward. Working together, client and architect were able to demonstrate to lenders the positive impact of the Passive House technologies on the value of the completed structure, making it eligible for benefits such as the Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Homes program.
With two people working from home, the footprint is relatively modest at 3,250 square feet, and the project is set within an established neighborhood, further reducing the cost of construction. The essence of the design was to distill the home down to a simple set of forms, with a mono-pitched, offset gable roof that echoes the street’s significant slope. Living spaces are arranged around a central courtyard, with kitchen, dining and living spaces aligned along the rear facade, a guest bedroom and downstairs office facing the street, and additional bedrooms above. The design is straightforward, livable, and formed from the inside out.
What is a Passive House?
Passive House is a set of next-generation sustainable design principles, considered the most rigorous voluntary energy-based standard in the design and construction industry today. Consuming up to 90% less heating and cooling energy than conventional buildings, and applicable to almost any building type or design, the Passive House high-performance building standard is the only internationally recognized, proven, science-based energy standard in construction delivering this level of performance. Five principles are central to Passive House design and construction: super-insulated envelopes, airtight construction, high-performance glazing, thermal-bridge-free detailing, and heat recovery ventilation.
Fire-safety: if smoke stays out, embers will, too.
Though Passive House design is not a replacement for fire-safe design and construction, the overlap between energy-efficient, airtight design and fire-resilient design and construction methods is significant, and the benefits are universal.
Here are some of the ways in which the design of this project enhances – though it does not assure – fire resiliency:
- Continuous air barriers, with minimal penetrations, minimize the risk that embers can enter the house through exposed openings.
- Fully-conditioned, ventless attic spaces similarly impede the danger presented by airborne embers.
- A range hood with a preconditioned make up air, which creates a closed loop system and does not impact the whole-house ventilation system.
- A slab on-grade foundation prevents embers from blowing underneath the house.
- A metal roof topped by solar panels is more fire-resistant than other roofing options.
- Minimal, fire-resistant landscape kept at a distance from the house prevents fire from “climbing” onto the structure.
- A nearly hospital-grade filtration system filters out particles from wildfire smoke. If smoke stays out, embers will too.
Optimizing the value of their investment
By the time they moved in, the couple wasn’t just building a home—they’d also built a family, welcoming two children during the process. With a young family and jobs that enable them to work remotely, they spend more hours in their home than most, optimizing the value of the real estate as well as the benefits of enhanced air quality and energy-efficiency. The home office, which the couple shares every day, is designed with purposely-designed cross ventilation that provides three times more fresh air than average.
This couple had done their homework. They knew they could create a home that was energy-efficient, airtight, and better prepared for a fire-prone region. With a team who understood the land, the technology, and their vision, they built a house that doesn’t just perform beautifully — it supports the way they want to live, protects what matters most, and reflects their values every day. And having achieved their vision, they hope their home will inspire others. As they put it:
“In order to change the world, we need to spread the word!”
Heather Sandy Hebert is the author of four books about architecture and design in California. Through her work at True North Creative Studio, she works with design, hospitality and winery clients, to help them develop and convey their stories. You can reach Heather at: truenorthcreativestudio.com
Paul Dyer is a professional architectural, hospitality and lifestyle photographer based in the San Francisco area. You can reach Paul at dyerphoto.com
